As another fiscal year comes to a close, rising fuel costs and a sluggish economy are catching up with Clarkston’s budget.
Clarkston City Council met Monday, June 23, to finish the 2008 budget and set next year’s spending. According to the latest budget amendment, the city collected $898,335 in revenue and spent $896,937 this fiscal year, ending in June, for a difference of $1,398.
The total 2009 budget calls for $794,062 in revenue and $778,792 in spending, with $15,270 leftover for unexpected costs.
‘I think it’s the best budget we could do with the way revenue sharing is now,? said Mayor Sharron Catallo . ‘We’ve tried to cut back where we could because of the increased fuel costs and even to heat the buildings, it’s going to cost us more like it does everybody. What we tried to do is keep the level of our services as well as we possibly can, while cutting in some other areas and trying to bring it within the amount we had to work with.?
The proposed police budget was $237,088.81, with actual spending at $251,759.24 as of June 20. The council revised the budget to $272,233.04 on June 23.
Chief Dale Lacroix asked for about $23,000 in added funds to cover overtime for criminal cases and court hearings, as well as vacation, training days, gasoline, and vehicle maintenance.?
The council also approved an additional $6,000 to replace a police computer.
Computers in each of the department’s three patrol cars vary in quality?’one new one, one old one, and one dead one,? said LaCroix.
As far as the 2009 police budget, Councilman Cory Johnston said the police probably can’t be cut back.
‘We’ve put in money this year for buying a new car,? he said. ‘We don’t need it today, but they’ve been telling us for three years that they’re going to need a new car. We put $15,000 aside for that, so that was an increase. It was going to have to happen eventually, if we’re going to have our own police force.?
Another area concerning Johnston and Councilman James Brueck was park labor. The proposed budget called for $15,500, but the June 20 actual spending was $23,139. The budget was revised, June 23, to $25,000.
‘Like anything, the older it gets the more upkeep it requires,? said Bob Pursley, Department of Public Works supervisor. ‘We haven’t had anything out of the ordinary, just more of the ordinary things to do such as tree trimming, tree removal, that kind of stuff.?
Pursley noted they have lost many trees to ash borer beetles.
‘My concern has been for the last two or three years, we don’t really have any documentation on what the labor is,? said Johnston. ‘It may be all needed and required and the best we can do, but there is no way to tell.?
Pursley said their work is recorded in the log book, but Johnston said the information is not specific.
‘The problem is, they don’t give any amount of time,? he said. ‘If it says ‘mowed the lawn on Thursday,? does that mean eight hours on Thursday, or four hours on Thursday ? you don’t know what it cost to do anything.?
The council should consider privatizing DPW services including forestry, snow removal, and lawn cutting, said Councilwoman Kristy Ottman.
Ottman and Councilman Chuck Inhabnit have been working with Pursley and former Clarkston City Manager Art Pappas to come up with ways to save money, including privatizing some DPW services.
‘Bob Pursley has been a huge help to this. He’s been very upfront,? Ottman said.
This week, they will finish writing a bid proposal package and send it out to 15 contractors.
‘We’re going to take this one step at a time,? said Ottman. ‘We’ll put the bids out, we’ll see how much the bids come back at, look at what our personal costs are, make an evaluation, make a recommendation and then go from there.?
Catallo said hiring private companies costs the city ‘local control.?
‘They are right to look at it and I don’t have any problem with that, but I think you have to look at the fact that now, when something has to be done, we’ve got somebody there to do it,? Catallo said. ‘When something has to be done and you privatize totally or in part, you get in line.?
Keeping the park nice costs money, but the department is doing a ‘pretty good job? now with what they have, she said.
‘If we can do better for the people’s money, I’m willing to look into it, but if we’re going to get less as far as services go for the same amount of money, than nobody’s willing to do that,? she said.
City Manager Dennis Ritter said the council should stay within its approved budget as much as possible, and find opportunities to reduce spending.
‘Our hope is to find ways to purchase goods for the operation at the least expensive price,? Ritter said. ‘We buy things through the counties purchasing program and things of that nature, and so we’re able to enjoy the low cost the county’s able to negotiate, whereas we’d never had that opportunity.?
Ritter also wants to start looking into grants, such as for parks, police, and training.
‘We’re going to go through and talk with our federal representatives, both our congressman, Mike Rogers, and either one of our U.S. senators,? said Ritter. ‘Most of those elected officials in Washington have a grants person right in their office, and we’re going to find out who that person is and just start communicating. Let them know some of the things that we’d like to have them search for.?