F&G Portents of Struggles to Come

Before any resolution or ordinance reaches Common Council chambers, it has likely traveled through a variety of commissions and committees which pass judgment on its merits.

For many matters, the final stop before the Common Council is the Finance and Government Operations (F&G) committee where an up or down vote decides whether a request will be funded or a new regulation will move along. But often, more subtle issues, only tangentially related to budget and finance surface.


Cops and Roberts

The line in the sand has already been drawn, and positions are being staked out in a power struggle between the city's legislative branch, the Common Council, and the city's executive power, the mayor.



While Roberts Rules of Order are the guiding force for all city meetings, at the committee level they are sometimes bent to suit the progress of the meeting.

Acting Police Chief Patrick McMahon was called to the table first, expecting to address the issue of a snowblower purchase for the police department.

Immediately he was mugged by committee member and Common Council member Hope Kasper. Kasper asked McMahon to explain a requested use of personnel funds to hire acting supervisors for his force. This question had been simmering since a Public Safety meeting on Monday at which McMahon asked for, and was denied, permission to move these same funds from one line to another to hire acting sargents to supervise what he typifies as a force that's "green" because of recent retirements and new hires. At that meeting, McMahon was reportedly challenged by Democratic Council members who serve on the panel. Those members challenged McMahon's authority to move the money within his personnel budget, and the mayor's authority to allow him to do so.

The interchange was immediately contentious as Kasper demanded to know where the money was coming from to hire the acting sargents.

"It's from my salary line," McMahon shot back. "I reported it to the mayor, and he has the authority to allow me to make the salary decision."

McMahon's contentious tone is not one expected from a potential candidate for permanent chief, especially one who must be approved by a largely Democratic council

Kasper cited the city charter as providing the authority for fiduciary matters to the Common Council, which led McMahon to read from a section of the charter he believed gave him the authority to hire officers.

F&G chair, Councilman Ron Klattenberg, intervened and suggested that the discussion be moved to the Council level at their next meeting.

Clearing the Way for a Replacement Snowblower

McMahon may have thought his request to use operating funds for a new snowblower at the police station would be an easier matter, but he was immediately quizzed by chair Klattenberg as to why the police needed their own snowblower.

"The old one broke down and we need a new one," McMahon explained.

Not satisfied, Klattenberg wanted an explanation as to why the police cleared their own yard when the duty at other buildings is handled by public works. Committee member, Councilman and former police deputy chief Phil Pessina explained that the yard needed to be cleared whenever a storm hits, night or day.

The committee did not grant McMahon the right to replace the snowblower directly, but authorized the purchase if it could be certified that the current snowblower was beyond repair.

A Less-than-energetic Endorsement for an Energy Point Person

At a recent Common Council workshop, energy task force chairman Ron Klattenberg suggested that a new energy policy in the city needed the focus of a full-time energy director, or energy manager. He was challenged on that point by Council member Gerry Daley. Klattenberg submitted a re-written resolution which indicated that an undefined energy "point person" would have to be identified as the manager of the town's energy data and consumption. Once again Daley made it clear that a full-time employee being paid $75,000 was unnecessary.

Stimulus Funds Pave Way for New Parking Lot

The committee also moved forward a request to accept federal stimulus dollars for the paving of Industrial Park Road, and the funding of a new Melilli Plaza parking lot with dollars originally intended for the paving job on Industrial Park Road.

Public Works director Bill Russo was questioned about the improvements including infrastructure for new lights, video cameras, and an improved handicap-access tunnel from the parking lot to the riverside. Bike racks were not mentioned.

The committee moved forward several requests for funding of training and acceptance of grants in several departments before Finance Director Carl Erlacher provided a "good news/bad news" scenario for the panel.


A $7.1 Million Hole, or a $7.1 Million Warning?

Erlacher said that the good news was that collection of taxes, even in a tough economy, was up .7% after 58% of taxes were collected. Erlacher said that collections were good particularly considering the bad experience in neighboring communities.

The bad news was a warning that a budget deficit loomed, and that lower revenues from the state (-$2.1 million), and a set of non-recurring revenues, could mean an eventual shortfall in the $7 million range.

Daley was quick to warn that the number was not predicting a $7 million deficit but that lower revenues and non-recurring revenues could cause problems in setting budgets down the road.

The committee asked for, and were promised by Erlacher, monthly department-by-department reports on expenditures in each city department.