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8/27/2010
That last $million or two is the toughest
Yesterday’s Post-Crescent reported on the city of Appleton’s $2.5 million budget problem. (Several FoxPol News readers pointed out the error in my headline, labeling it as a $2.5B problem. Correction made. Eeek. Although… what’s a few extra zeroes these days?)
That $2.5 million shortfall (or $3 million, as some alderpersons understand it) is calculated assuming a wage and benefit freeze for city employees. (I’ve pointed out that’s a huge assumption.) The City of Appleton’s Director of Finance is laboring non-stop to find that $2.5 million. I’m not sure she’s bought in to needing to find $3 mil in savings – let’s keep an eye on that.
Budget cuts proposed for 2011
Police and Fire Department reductions, $190,000
Reduction in contribution to Appleton Downtown Inc, $12,500
Parks Caretaker, $70,000
Public Health Nurse, $36,000
Library personnel reductions, $78,600
Valley Transit personnel change, $60,300
Dept. of Public Works Inspector, $84,900
Water Meter technician, $73,540
Wastewater Utility Operations savings, $400,000 (Imagine**)
Revenue increase in recycling operation, $515,000 (hmmm)
After all that slogging, that’s $1.5 million in proposed savings.
The Post-Crescent article quotes Mayor Tim Hanna as having still “bigger plans, which could yield savings of more than $500,000.
The ideas came after departments participated this winter in a survey that took inventory of services they provide. He sees possibilities combining forestry duties, such as trimming of trees with public works and centralizing customer services.
Well, great. Curtail the source and folks get creative.
So from where should the next million or two in reductions come? I asked you for suggestions in an earlier post. You can see the complete comments at the bottom of the piece.
- Wage freezes are a priority (“I along with the other 50 people I work with have been on salary freeze for 5 years!”)
- Divide up the deficit and give each department a target percentage
- Start by having all city employees pay their own share of the Wisconsin retirement program
- A city employee said there is waste left to be cut…
This cutting business is some serious work for the powers that be. Help ‘em out. What services can you do without? Seriously.
**Savings in the Wastewater Utility stems from such proposals as doing more filtration at night, reducing electric charges by $30,000 – and “lighting improvements, $10,000." The installation of Variable frequency drives (VFDs) is projected to save a net $150,000, and use of a new gas digester for energy is projected to save $200,000. (I’m skeptical about that one- supposedly this new generator is better than any which have come before… See “$2M wasted in Appleton”)
Jo Egelhoff, FoxPolitics.net
COMMENTS
Jo:
I think that Tim Hanna should look at bringing in outside help in the area of Lean Principles to look at all facets of the city. Brown County has already started the process and the Health Care facilities of Affinity and Theda Care have been doing it for years.
Time for a fresh look at all aspects of the city with no "sacred cows". Doing it internally is like the "fox" determining the rules for the hen house. I think your forum could give the city some definite ideas.
Mike
Mike Thomas (Fri Aug 27 13:42:11 2010)
Cutting a few positions here and there isn't any better way to fix the problem long term, than the municipalities that are selling off municipal assets (parks, swimming pools, tennis courts, water and power plants, etc.) to "save" money?
They are one time fixes.
If our elected officials are genuinely concerned about what's in our best interest long term, there is only one course of action, and they are not about to go there (they would say they CAN'T go there).
With 80-85 percent of government costs wrapped up in salary and benefits, any meaningful, long term solution absolutely must include significant reductions in those areas.
Government officials...please don't send me any more surveys requesting my suggestions for what services I think you should cut. I don't want you to cut any of them!
However, I do not want to keep paying 50 percent more for them than I would if you contracted with the private sector to do them!
Ray (Fri Aug 27 15:23:30 2010)
I wondered if there was any studies out there that had done some comparison between private and public pay.
I found this;
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1153/is_n5_v119/ai_18500668/
While it is 14 years old it seemed relevant.
* At the low end of the pay scale, State and local governments generally paid better than private industry did.
* Among white-collar jobs, private industry usually paid better than State and local governments did.
* Among white-collar jobs, within occupations, as pay rose with the level of duties and responsibilities, the private sector paid increasingly better wages.
* State and local government pay lagged far behind that of private industry for professional and administrative occupations.
* Patterns were mixed for technical, clerical, and blue-collar workers.
* Comparisons across occupations revealed that workers in lower paying jobs were more likely to be paid better in the public sector. Workers in higher paying jobs were more likely to be paid better in private industry.
Dean Weichmann (Sun Aug 29 07:37:44 2010)
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