The Finance and Government Operations Committee met on Wednesday to get an update on the budget, and to consider resolutions with financial impacts for the upcoming Common Council meeting.The Showmobile
F&G approved a motion to standardize the fee charged by the city for use of the portable stage used by many groups in the city for festivals and other large gatherings. The 'showmobile' includes a lighting and sound system, and is used in church functions, road races, and motorcycle mania, among other events.
Tina Gomes, financial analyst in the Mayor's office, told the F&G that the Public Works employees who are required to set up and take down the showmobile cost the city $90 per hour. This is currently the fee charged for use of the showmobile. However, the Common Council commonly waives the fee upon request from a non-profit organization; seven complete waivers were granted in the last fiscal year. In the months of July and August this year, the city has received no money from organizations using the showmobile.
Gomes worked with Council Members Hope Kasper and Ron Klattenberg to develop a fee structure which would provide a discount to non-profit city organizations, but still generate
some income to defray city expenses and to pay for maintenance on the showmobile. Their proposed resolution would place the fee at $75 per hour, and eliminate waivers.
The F&G voted unanimously to send this resolution to the council for consideration at their meeting on TUESDAY.
Police Budget Request
Acting Chief of Police Patrick McMahon came to the F&G Committee to request the addition of $1880 to his $11M budget for this fiscal year. He said that when the Council voted to give a 10% across-the-board cut to the Police Department budget, it reduced funding for a contract that was already in place for traffic signal maintenance. McMahon told the Council members that he was not completely sure that he could make up a $1880 shortfall in a contractual line by shifting money from other budget items in the remaining 10 months of this fiscal year.
McMahon told the Council members that he did not necessarily expect them to approve the budget transfer. When Klattenberg asked him why he didn't just wait to see if he actually needed the money and make a request towards the end of the fiscal year, McMahon replied, "I want to go on record as I'll be short."
McMahon's request for the addition to his budget will be considered at TUESDAY'S meeting of the Common Council.
I've never had to manage an $11 million dollar budget, but I think I could find some way to cover $1,880 shortfall over the next 10 months. This should give some indication of the quality of the choice for our new police chief. Then he states, according to the report, that he didn't expect to get it. He apparently wants a refusal by the council on the record. He then promises that the shortfall will occur when asked why he doesn' just wait to see if it will be needed. Politics at it's worst. I've had nothing up until now to judge his ability and character other than others' opinions. He's just told me everything I need to know.
ReplyDeleteI thought it was a mis-print when I first read it then realized he truly said he wouldn't be able to cover the $1,880 somewhere in a $11,000,000 budget. He should be fired.
ReplyDeleteIf the acting chief stops taking the cities cruser to Norwich the savings would more than offset the $1880!
ReplyDeleteWhy did the dems cut money from contratual agreements? $1,880 may not be much, however, the budgets are tight and that means something else has to be cut.....any child can cut 10%off the top without evaluting a budget and the needs of a department. I thought NO contracts were effected????
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