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| City in Budget Deficit; budget cuts & revenue enhancements | |
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| Topic Started: Apr 26 2009, 09:44 AM (294 Views) | |
| one_observer | Apr 26 2009, 09:44 AM Post #1 |
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City seeks ideas on balancing budget By Ken Abramczyk • OBSERVER STAFF WRITER • April 19, 2009 The city of Livonia faces a potential budget shortfall of $1.5 million to $2.5 million over the next two fiscal years. Residents are invited to a Town Hall meeting at 7 p.m. Monday, April 27, in the City Hall auditorium to give Mayor Jack Kirksey and the City Council suggestions on how the city can balance its budget. The city faces a possible shortfall in 2010 and 2011 due to declining investment income, property tax revenue and city building permit fees. Kirksey has asked department heads to take voluntary pay reductions for the remainder of this year and next year, and talks are under way with other employees groups. “We're giving (the department heads) notification on how they won't be penalized on Social Security,” Kirksey said. Eighty percent of the city's costs are in its employee salaries, said Kirksey. Council President Laura Toy said she wants information on city cars and who is using them. “I've been saying it for 25 years,” Toy said. “I think the mayor needs to look at that and the time has passed to look at that. Anything is open given this climate and the climate is not getting better. We've got to be very creative in this environment.” Toy, who also wants to know what positions aren't being filled, said she is “all ears” to what residents have to say. The Town Hall meeting will begin with a short presentation on the budget situation. Kirksey has had focus groups of department heads and some council members develop budget-balancing ideas, which include combining city and police computers, investigating energy conservation and improving technology use. Other suggestions include a hiring freeze and a reduction in overtime. Renegotiating union contracts and revising unrepresented employees' wage packages were also suggested, as were creating intergovernmental agreements, diminishing service levels and reducing hours of service. http://www.hometownlife.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090419/NEWS10/904190513 fastjimmy3 wrote: Hey here is a novel idea, close, and close the two smaller library branches. How can this city justify keeping these branches open? Absolutely ridiculous to have three branches servicing this city. I would love to see a city official have the guts to stand up and make this case. This action should have been taken years ago. But old ideas, which this city seems to have an abundance of , seem to be the status quo. 4/19/2009 8:46:46 AM Michigander111 wrote: How many people really use the 3 outdoor summer swimming pools. Devide all the costs for operations, repairs and upgrades by the number of users. Does it still make sense to maintain the 3 pools? 4/19/2009 9:10:42 AM flatliner wrote: blah, blah, blah. City cars. They've been talking about 'em for more than 20 years. They've had lots of employees driving 50 mile and more round trips every day, commuting to and from work in city cars. City gas, city maintainance, and of course, new cars every few years. And for some city employees, communitng miles constitute 95% of their miles driven. It wouldn't be as big a problem if city employees actually lived in the city, but lots of them want to live out in the country, where they only pay taxes for gravel roads, no parks and recreation, county sheriff police and volunteer fire departments. 4/19/2009 10:21:07 AM JimDawes wrote: Replying to Michigander111: How many people really use the 3 outdoor summer swimming pools. Devide all the costs for operations, repairs and upgrades by the number of users. Does it still make sense to maintain the 3 pools? I actually use the pools quite a bit in the summer. When we are there, it seems like other people do also. I understand your point though. What if we could find a way to build a nice outdoor pool at the Rec Center, and close the others? Is there a place to put one there? Just brainstorming. 4/19/2009 4:16:01 PM mkpm9000 wrote: This is pretty simple RE: CARS: 1. Mandate that no cars are taken out of the city overnight or to any residences outside the city. 2. Mandate that anyone who accepts the rank of Lt. or above live in the city. This would not effect any Sgt's. patrol officers, or fireman. buy anyone who accepts a ranking position could chose to accept or decline the position based on that clause. Same with Dept head managers and above in other City Dept's. These two clauses alone would serve the city, as the city Dept heads could easily make it to their HQ's if a cataclysmic event were to occur, AND their families would still be nearby. It also would reduct the gas and maintenance use of the vehicles. 3. Offer a tax incentive or other (maybe a residency bonus) to City Police and Fireman to live in the City. Officers and Fireman work 24x7 if needs be, might as well be residents. Its time for the Cities "Leaders" to reside in and support the city that pays them. 4/20/2009 9:06:34 AM dogwhisperer wrote: City owned vehicles taken home is a "perk" that needs to be done away with. There are a handful of people in the city that could even remotely justify a take-home car. The simplest solution to the problem is to take a page from the federal government and switch to a motor pool. Department heads and others can drive their own cars to work and if they need to go around the city on business during the day, they take a car from the pool. At the end of the day, they return it and drive home in their own car. Motor pool cars could be checked out overnight on an exception basis. 4/20/2009 12:10:52 PM dabombmom6558 wrote: It is a luxury to have many pools, tennis courts & other recreation sites in a city. It is also a luxury to have 3 libraries. It is a luxury to have many city owned vehicles for employees to use. (Jack Kirksey walks to work. How many other city employees can do the same??) Times are tough right now & luxuries can and should be cut back on. I don't like the idea of losing Parks & Rec amenities; I don't like the idea of losing educational amenities. However; I don't like cutting back on our movie rentals, eating out , waiting to replace needed items around our home or waiting until next year to renew our membership at the Rec Center. Citizens in our city are cutting back, so should the city. In a few years when Michigan gets back on it's feet; bring back the lost services one at a time. 4/20/2009 1:02:25 PM mzsapa wrote: My suggestion for the budget shortfall would be close the Nobel and Sandburg branch libraries. They are not needed. Also, raise the rates at the Rec Center. $200 for a single yearly membership is a bargain and could easily be raised 25% to generate more revenue. 4/20/2009 1:55:31 PM cirvek wrote: Cut government in half. And I mean every department ! Eliminate all city cars ! Make our city government responsible for their actions, cut everything in half ! 4/20/2009 1:55:51 PM redhawktrader wrote: HOLY JESUS!!!!!!!!!!! DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU FOLKS ARE PROPOSING? HOW IN THE WORLD WOULD THIS CITY FUNCTION WITH A SMALLER GOVERNMENT AND A RESTRICTION ON THEIR AUTOS? WHO WOULD WORK HERE IF NOT FOR THE OUT OF TOWNERS? THIS IS NOT GM OR CHRYSLER, WE ARE ENTITLED TO A TOP HEAVY, BLOATED, OUT OF TOUCH CITY GOVERNMENT, WHO WOULD BE LEFT TO PROMANADE AROUND CITY HALL, ............this is what the people at Five Mile and Farmington think. 4/20/2009 9:26:43 PM cirvek wrote: How about this, a part time city government ? Why not ? Do we need all these people and their pensions and perks FULL TIME ?? Eliminate ALL overtime ! With so much being conducted on line we do not need all these people all the time. If massive corporations can have part time employees why not government ? 4/21/2009 12:05:41 PM LucyMeg123 wrote: Once you lose the parks and libraries you won't get them back. In these tough times parks and libraries provide cash strapped families with cheap educational and fun entertainment options. Libraries encourage children to read which is far more valuable to society than movie rentals. Fees could be raised at these facilities. Livonia also has no public transport which is why the branch libraries are useful especially for seniors and children who do not drive. I like the part time government idea. Much better than cutting libraries and parks. 4/22/2009 5:15:48 AM redhawktrader wrote: I also like the part-time government idea, makes sense, but would Kirksey be willing to make the hard decision to cut his friends hours and reduce their wages? Then he would have to act like a Mayor. Most of us have felt the economic hardship of a collapsing auto industry, the crash of our property values and are wittness to the foreclosure dillema, many homes and businesses are now vacant and somehow we must address the loss of income to the city, we have left this problem to our City leaders and by their own admission they are not doing a good job of addressing it. Part time city employees are only a beginning, the cuts must be deep and, sad to say, some city services must be sacrificed, the prospect of being in the "same financial boat" as Southfield, Highland Park, or even Detroit is very real unless we demand genuine, decisive action from our Mayor and City Council, we must make them accountable, that is why they were elected, they made promises to protect us. 4/22/2009 8:14:07 AM FALKIRK wrote: hi, I thought we elected the cabbage heads to do this for us! This is just politics do you really think they want our input. Ms. Godfried/Mareki is a prime example of the head of the cabbage patch, she can,t even answer any questions unless it pertains to her daughters swimming, ! This is what the Kirskey political machine endorses. Jack is a great guy but we get what we voted for!!! POLITICS!! 4/22/2009 8:22:09 AM redhawktrader wrote: LucyMeg123, parent involvement encourages children to read not living next door to a library. In many cases, facilities like libraries and rec centers are nothing more than baby sitters for parents that are too busy or dont make time to interact with their children. I fully support raising fees to a more substantial and facility supporting level but who at City Hall will be the bad guy to propose this? 4/22/2009 9:34:08 AM LivoniaCitizen wrote: Replying to dogwhisperer: City owned vehicles taken home is a "perk" that needs to be done away with. That alone could save a nice little chunk of change. That, and doing away with so many city pools. Also, do we need all those libraries? I myself use all, but we could do with just one. Even the new rec center. If it's not pulling it's own weight and then some...shut it down or sell it off maybe to a private organization who could run it. 4/22/2009 12:44:51 PM sturge wrote: Absolutely close the two branch libraries. Then extend the hours at the main library with the extra help from closings they could easily maintain this with no overtime. Then cut down on the cars. Really, only the police and fire departments need take home vehicles. There are way too many "supervisors" working for the city. We need more people working not watching. I certainly hope that once the new courthouse is completed the old courthouse can be knocked down and made into a park. We don't need that to be used for more useless departments. The council could take a 50% cut in pay. This is supposed to be a community service not a money making scheme. Most smaller cities pay about one hundred dollars a month not sixteen thousand per year. Also why not turn some lights out once in a while. City Hall is lit up all night long especially the annex. Why not get the schools involved and put some solar panels and windmills up on the schools. 4/22/2009 7:36:02 PM allowable wrote: How sad if you would have to offer an incentive or tax break for an employee to live in this city. 4/23/2009 6:50:35 PM richard_dickson wrote: We have a treasurer who can't even pronounce a million, we are screwed. 4/24/2009 10:33:46 PM |
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| one_observer | Apr 26 2009, 09:46 AM Post #2 |
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City faces tough budget choices By Ken Abramczyk • OBSERVER STAFF WRITER • April 23, 2009 Will the budget balancing result in layoffs? Mayor Jack Kirksey and the Livonia City Council hope not, but the city's efforts to close the gap of $2.5 million will require some heavy lifting in revising the city's budget. On Monday, Kirksey released to the council a list of budget-balancing options. Expense reductions include: technology-based areas, employee or compensation issues and other cost-cutting proposals. The meeting was intended to inform the council of some budget options before the mayor conducts a Town Hall meeting with residents at 7 p.m. Monday at City Hall. “The following list is intended as a brainstorming list of ideas for revenue enhancement and cost reductions,” Kirksey said in his list of options. “Some of these ideas may be impractical but are listed under the concept of ‘everything is on the table.'” Technology-based areas included suggestions of combining police and city computer networks. The city's information department has begun a study to review the configuration of printers and copiers in all city departments. An energy audit will be conducted using stimulus money. Many suggestions have drawbacks, too. Combining the police and city computer networks would eliminate duplicate costs for servers, software and maintenance, yet would require the use of an outside consultant. Cost-cutting ideas include reducing overtime, a hiring freeze, layoffs, across-the-board departmental expense reductions, revisiting union contracts, modifying wages and benefits for unrepresented employees and revising wage rates for seasonal temporary employees. VARIED FACTORS Others include District Court costs, privatization and a reduction in the number of 24/7 city vehicles. These proposals also face challenges, Kirksey noted in his communication to the council. Citywide overtime was approximately $3.4 million, yet is unavoidable due to service demands. Not all departments have the same ability to reduce expenses. There's also contract limitations for privatization and layoffs. Other cost-cutting proposals include intergovernmental agreements, such as the Livonia/Canton dispatch discussion. reducing library funding and diminish service levels, including increasing the threshold for snowplowing (at 5 inches minimum or curtail weekend plowing). Other areas include: a four-day work week, a study of costs of the Community Transit ride-to-work program and examine commission costs and salaries. Areas to increase revenue include a millage increase, adopting a Act 345 Pension millage, which would allow the city to levy a millage to fund public safety pension and retiree health care costs. Both would require voter approval. The council could approve user fee increases, a 1 percent administrative fee on tax collections, and eliminate tax incentives. Other revenue proposals include hiring a grant writer, encouraging the school district to sell vacant property, and transferring funds from other funds to the general fund. “All of this is an attempt to save jobs,” Kirksey said. The $3.4 million in overtime is the “biggest and most problematic” expense, Kirksey said. “It is so heavily steeped in patterns; you have to start reversing your activities in town,” Kirksey said. Those costs support the community by its use in the STAR program and drug surveillance, Kirksey said. Contracts also prohibit the city from laying off employees and hiring temporary help, Kirksey said. The mayor said city departments need to cut 5 percent to 7 percent this year and 5 percent to 10 percent next year. Department heads and elected officials have been asked to voluntarily cut their salaries 5 percent this year and next year. Kirksey also wants to meet with union members and ask them for their help. “We're not asking them to open up their contracts, but talking with them to enter into concessions,” Kirksey said. LIBRARY COSTS Councilman Joe Laura asked what the city would save by closing the two auxiliary libraries. The city spends $450,000 on its libraries. Kirksey replied that residents may not feel that the city is applying services equally when it closes libraries in their neighborhood. Laura said the budget shortfall and the cost “is what it is.” Laura said he appreciated the mayor's sensitivity to employees, but that his “thinking was of a taxpayer.” Kirksey said the staffing represented service providers. “If you save the jobs, you save the service of the community,” Kirksey said. Laura said he hoped the city would look at cutting commissioner cost and salaries across the board. Councilman Tom Robinson wanted to maintain Livonia as an “environment where people want to live.” Finance Director Mike Slater reminded the council that the city departments are mandated by state law to deliver certain services, such as the clerk and treasurer. Council President Laura Toy commended the mayor for his attempts in avoiding layoffs. She thought the city should look at library usage and see what the schools offer. Councilman James McCann explained that many cuts could be incorporated, but sometimes those fall under a separate budget, funded by a separate millage, so those cuts cannot apply to the general operations. Other changes would draw more complaints, such as snowplowing thresholds. McCann reminded the council that Livonia has the largest percentage of seniors north of the Mason-Dixon line. “Who wants to be the first councilman to cut their services?” McCann asked theoretically. “(Cutting the budget) is not a choice that's easily made on how to do it.” Slater also summarized how cuts might affect some departments, using the Water Department as an example. “We cannot answer the phone calls in a timely manner,” Slater said. “We get 100 calls, and they go to the answering machine. Do they get a call back? Yes. Is it high quality service? I would say, ‘no.'” Kirksey hoped to incorporate input from the council as they reviewed the suggestions and ideas, and public on Monday. “The council is very valuable to the process because they are my primary partners,” Kirksey said. kabramcz@hometownlife.com | (248) 222-2591 http://www.hometownlife.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090423/NEWS10/904230799 cirvek wrote: $ 3.4 million in unavoidable overtime ? Please define what unavoidable is ? These people should be thankfull that they have a job. How many people would take a job and work whatever it takes to keep it, and just be thankfull that they have a job. How about part time government ? Sell all the city cars ! Reduce the number of people in this city government, everyone is reducing the number of people they have, Livonia should be no different. 4/23/2009 10:41:36 AM john4567 wrote: Replying to cirvek: $ 3.4 million in unavoidable overtime ? Please define what unavoidable is ? These people should be thankfull that they have a job. How many people would take a job and work whatever it takes to keep it, and just be thankfull that they have a job. How about part time government ? Sell all the city cars ! Reduce the number of people in this city government, everyone is reducing the number of people they have, Livonia should be no different. i think unavoidable overtime would be plowing, salting, fixing water main breaks and things of that nature. do you not want the streets plowed? if a water main break happens at 5:00pm, do you want the water department to wait til 7:00am when they start work to fix it? sell all the city cars is another great idea of yours. 4/23/2009 11:03:28 AM cirvek wrote: Open some of these services up to private contractors. That way we do not have to pay for city employees and the perks that go along with being a city employee. Make the contractors responsible. The times they are a changin'. As far a plowing the streets, what did people do before there was such a thing ? People still got to work and the cars did not have All Wheel Drive, ABS, Traction Control, 4 WD, etc. Everyone is cutting back, cut back the amount of people that work for this city. Nobody likes to be laid off or let go, it has happened to me more than twice, but the facts are the facts. 4/23/2009 12:27:31 PM allowable wrote: As a frequent user of the Carl Sandberg branch (which often has a better selection of what I'm looking for than the main branch, I would hate to see the branches close, but the days of kids walking to a library in their own neighborhoods are over (or walking anywhere, for that matter). How far away is Five Mile? 4/23/2009 6:41:05 PM sturge wrote: Turn out the lights. I drive by the city hall and every light in the place is on all night. Consolidate the libraries and keep the main library open longer. Only let a few command officers from the Fire and Police Departments take home cars. I really can't believe all the cars this city gives out to people that don't need them. Too many supervisors and not enough workers folks. The Mayor is a nice man but times like these we really need a mean guy who knows how to say no to "friends". This is not that much of a problem to cut the waste here. Just lay all the information down on a table and start cutting away everything that you can with out hurting the citizens of the city of Livonia. 4/23/2009 7:27:49 PM TrueLivResident wrote: There are a fleet of inspector vehicles (SUV's at that) that can be seen all collected at one location at lunch time around the city each day. Why is it that the city needs to pay for their travel to and from lunch, every day of the week? Also, instead of closing the branch libraries, lets close the main library every other day and keep the branches open. They truly benefit the citizens more as they are in the neighborhoods. Reduce the number of cops near Middlebelt and Plymouth to ONE patrol car rather than three. Less administrative staff and fewer inspectors. 4/23/2009 9:10:57 PM redhawktrader wrote: Its easy to be a good, well liked mayor when everything is going well, now we get to see if Kirksey is really the Mayor we need in these diffiucult times, he has a difficulty admitting that we are in serious trouble and even more hesitation making the appropriate decisions which might affect his friends. I see no problem with a part time government and a mandated 30% cut in wages accross the entire city employment roster, still pays more than unemployment benefits. No problem either with three day library schedule and a privatiztion of the Rec Center. City cars (except for emergency personell) should be a memory. There are many areas of the city financial expenditure which should be examined very closely, its time for an overhaul and maybe even a change in the occupants of city hall. 4/24/2009 8:04:06 AM alliswell wrote: Do we really need 7 city council members ??? 5 would work, and do counclil members (part time job) really deserve a pension ??? Lots of waste, times are changing, need to embrace change and stay ahead....Livonia is a great place to live and raise a family....population is declining, lets not make the same mistakes Detroit has made....lets learn from their mistakes. 4/24/2009 8:52:57 AM cirvek wrote: Cut and keep cutting until it hurts and then cut some more. How many people are working 10-12 hours a day just to keep the job they have and not getting paid overtime ? How many people do not take all their vacation just to keep the job they have? It is time to face reality. Wait until Jennifer starts wacking, you have to be pro-active and get the job done that you are being paid to do. 10% pay cuts across the board and then 10% head count reduction, just for beginners. Start cutting. What would we have done with the Northville hospital site if we had gotten that ? Sell it ?? Start cutting and keep cutting. 4/24/2009 9:15:54 AM dogwhisperer wrote: Replying to alliswell: Do we really need 7 city council members ??? 5 would work, and do counclil members (part time job) really deserve a pension ??? Lots of waste, times are changing, need to embrace change and stay ahead....Livonia is a great place to live and raise a family....population is declining, lets not make the same mistakes Detroit has made....lets learn from their mistakes. Livonia does not pay a pension to the council. Term limits prevents them from accumulating enough years to earn a pension. 4/24/2009 12:02:42 PM MetroD4life wrote: Please take a look at the city budget. Cars, utilities, and the like are a drop in the bucket. The two branch libraries could be cut. The mayor himself said 80% of the costs are people. Headcount is the only true answer. And the rec center is doing fine. Thanks to the millage the voters approved, there is plenty of money there. 4/24/2009 12:53:27 PM JimDawes wrote: Replying to dogwhisperer: Replying to alliswell: Do we really need 7 city council members ??? 5 would work, and do counclil members (part time job) really deserve a pension ??? Lots of waste, times are changing, need to embrace change and stay ahead....Livonia is a great place to live and raise a family....population is declining, lets not make the same mistakes Detroit has made....lets learn from their mistakes. Livonia does not pay a pension to the council. Term limits prevents them from accumulating enough years to earn a pension. How many years does it take to earn a pension? Like the mayor, some council members are term limited, but run again after a four year hiatus. Does it have to be continuous service? Is this something we should consider in a council election? 4/25/2009 11:59:48 AM TrueLivResident wrote: Again I say, leave the library branches in business, simply alternate days that they are open and rotate the staff to each location so residents with limited means of transportation are not left out. Secondly, for goodness sake can we reduce the amount of city vehicles. I know of quite a few people that have city vehicles but do not use them in the line of work, rather they only use them to drive to and from work. HEY ITS TIME TO BE LIKE EVERYONE ELSE and drive your own car. City vehicles should only be used when conducting city business, which does not include lunch. Lets reduce a bunch of admin people in all departments, and a few less managers. Like everywhere else in business, the days of working within silos are over, its time to start wearing more than one hat, government is no different. This is a good start anyway! 4/25/2009 9:40:10 PM momforfour wrote: Replying to JimDawes: How many years does it take to earn a pension? Like the mayor, some council members are term limited, but run again after a four year hiatus. Does it have to be continuous service? Is this something we should consider in a council election? How about a one year hiatus? The term-limited politicians who get so cozy, run in the very next year's election, or they look for an appointment within the city government. They know when they've got it good. 4/26/2009 9:05:15 AM |
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| one_observer | Aug 5 2009, 11:16 AM Post #3 |
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City commissions' pay, meetings to be cut By Ken Abramczyk • OBSERVER STAFF WRITER • August 2, 2009 The city of Livonia is reducing the number of commissioners, the number of times the city's commissions meet and the pay of nearly all of the commissioners. The move is another cost-cutting measure as Mayor Jack Kirksey and the City Council look at ways to balance the city's $55 million budget for 2010. The city will save about $40,000 out of the $130,000 spent on commissions, according to Dave Varga, director of administrative services. Varga compiled the survey information on the commissions. The information was forwarded to the Department of Law, as ordinances governing the commissions needed to be rewritten. The council will need to approve resolutions before the changes are official. Kirksey told the council recently that about 160 people serve on the city's commissions. “We tried to look at their workload,” Kirksey said. His office met with chairs of the commissions, then examined the number of times the groups meet along with the compensation for the commissioners. Varga used the Historic Preservation Commission as an example of one of the changes. “They had met monthly; now they will meet quarterly,” Varga said. Some commissioners will be paid for each meeting, rather than monthly. Cable Television commissioners will receive $25 per meeting ($35 for the chairman) instead of $75 per month ($100 for the chairman). The Planning Commission will have seven instead of nine members. Pay will be cut for that group from $200 to $175 a month, and $235 to $200 for the chairman. Several other commissions will be impacted. Like the Historic Preservation Commission, the Commission on Aging, Commission on Children & Youth, Historic Preservation Commission and Human Relations Commission will meet once every three months instead of once a month. Ordinance language will be revised to allow the mayor to appoint up to a certain number of members to allow the mayor flexibility in whether vacancies should be filled. The Arts Commission will not be required to meet once a month for the transaction of business, but the chair can call a special meeting with the prior approval of the director of community resources. The Library Commission will be governed by similar ordinance changes. kabramcz@hometownlife.com|(313) 222-2591 http://www.hometownlife.com/article/20090802/NEWS10/908020437/1027/City+commissions++pay++meetings+to+be+cut dogwhisperer wrote: I am not sure what boards you are referring to momforfour, but the term commission and board is interchangeable within the city and my guess is 160 represents all of them. For example, the zoning board, ethics board versus arts commission, housing commission. Stipends for volunteer positions are not uncommon even with charitable organizations. $25 a month can hardly be called a salary and I am sure doesn't even cover the cost of gas, mileage and time that many boards put in. 8/5/2009 9:10:57 AM FALKIRK wrote: Jack is a real player, an example of that was hiring Varga. I would like to be on the Bates Hamburger commission, all the burgers and $100 a month for picking up the wrappers that blow over onto Stans property. But just wait he will retire next year and give the job to McCann. This is tongue in cheek but think about it!! 8/5/2009 7:17:39 AM LPSReformer wrote: In that case, take a real close look at LPS. 42 making 100K+, and counting. 8/4/2009 8:28:21 PM momforfour wrote: I thought those were voluntary positions. If residents have been appointed by the mayor to be on several commissions, that could amount to an extra special bonus for spending in someone's cookie jar, or extra funds for the retiree. The mayor said there were about 160 people on the various commissions, then there are maybe another 100 postitions on the City Boards. It's good all positions are coming under scrutiny, leave no stone unturned, even those cemented in place. 8/4/2009 11:43:10 AM |
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| Monkfish | Aug 5 2009, 01:07 PM Post #4 |
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FALKIRK wrote: hi, I thought we elected the cabbage heads to do this for us! This is just politics do you really think they want our input. Ms. Godfried/Mareki is a prime example of the head of the cabbage patch, she can,t even answer any questions unless it pertains to her daughters swimming, ! This is what the Kirskey political machine endorses. Jack is a great guy but we get what we voted for!!! POLITICS!!" I love hearing the cute little stories about Godawful/Moronecki's grandchildren...the delay in getting to the real business at hand at City Council meetings is just a part of her charm. I say let her announce everything! Birthdays, first time on the toilet by themselves, silly dreams... |
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| Monkfish | Aug 5 2009, 04:34 PM Post #5 |
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Well, her mother is a really, really good rubber stamper! Really. |
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| Anna Krome | Aug 5 2009, 04:39 PM Post #6 |
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HA! |
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Krome on Cars | |
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| Mrs.M | Aug 5 2009, 04:48 PM Post #7 |
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Actually I was thinking about all the accolades and recognitions many on council give to their family. Acknowledging their spouses, children, parents, neighbors, |
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| Anna Krome | Aug 5 2009, 04:56 PM Post #8 |
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Breastroke is a stroke (an event) in swimming. Her daughter is an exceptional swimmer. Whether or not, we should delay CC business for personal stuff--that's debatable, though. Edited by Anna Krome, Aug 5 2009, 05:03 PM.
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Krome on Cars | |
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| Monkfish | Aug 6 2009, 01:51 PM Post #9 |
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Where would we be as a city if it weren't for our self-serving City Council members using their pulpit to acknowledge family events best shared in their own homes? It's hokey, in my opinion, and has no place during CITY business. I have no problem with council members recognizing CITIZENS' accomplishments as they pertain to city pride...not family 'accomplishments'. |
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| one_observer | Aug 15 2009, 10:17 AM Post #10 |
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Fantasyland Welcome to fantasyland! Otherwise known as the City of Farmington Hills. In the midst of the greatest financial collapse since the Great Depression this city is seemingly totally unaware of the challenges facing this country and the world. The State of Michigan is among the worst of the worst with unemployment, home foreclosures and social dislocation of disastrous proportions. But you would not know all of this from this city's budget. Apparently there is enough for an $8 million city hall ego trip wrapped in the cover of “green building.” A privately owned skate park is given city land at no charge and a $75,000 loan for a fence at 2 percent interest for seven years. When did the city become a bank? Plus we can expect a serious injury from this particular form of indulgence. Residents should visit the skate park to see its many dangers. A large lawsuit can be expected from this place of teen entertainment. What next? Maybe a NASCAR track? And then we will have a $500,000 splash pad probably used for three months out of the year. Unfortunately, none of these things were ever given a public hearing. In fact, any questions about this misuse of taxpayer's money is quickly put down at city hall. So come one, come all to Farmington Hills where reality does not exist and happy campers can enjoy a city that has no concern for those unfortunate enough to lose everything they own. Here you can drive over to the new “green city hall” and admire it from the car you live in (that is if you still have a car). If you need help saving your home you can go elsewhere, but if you want to indulge yourself, this is the city for you. Fiscal responsibility be damned since this is to be a city of the future. In this vision of the future, no person suffers or despairs and is continually reminded that this is a wonderful livable city. This is a place where the real disasters people face are kicked under the rug and replaced with superficial entertainments. Bread and circuses, anyone? If you are losing your livelihood, your business or are in ill health or your children are leaving their neighborhood schools don't expect the city to care. After all, this is fun city and who wants to rain on that parade? Mary M. Johnston Farmington Hills Prosperous streetscape? Walking Farmington's streetscape, I wondered how this simplistic engineering will bring prosperity to a struggling business sector. Smooth cement sidewalks were replaced by irregular colored bricks, more difficult for people with wheelchairs. The walks are occasionally wider to permit tables and chairs. These were not occupied during my visit. The most notable changes were areas of green between the sidewalk and the street, and full-time parking spaces replaced a time-limited traffic lane. Access to and from parking requires maneuvering into traffic because eight-inch curbs block straight ahead exits. Beer truck deliveries (always a problem) will be more difficult. “We had to do something,” is the justification often expressed by supporters. President Obama is discovering “change” does not guarantee prosperity — it can have the opposite result! Hank Borgman Farmington http://www.hometownlife.com/article/20090813/OPINION03/908130459/1195/NEWS06/Letters+to+the+editor Raventek wrote: RE: Fantasyland by Mary M. Johnston I would agree... and wait till you see what's planned by the Farmington Public Schools, and there premise is consolidation. I'v said it for years, and I can't even get a simple copy of the Public Access user list from SWOCC, and guess who's running that board, you gessed it the very same folks in your letter. Bt |
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| one_observer | Nov 6 2009, 12:05 PM Post #11 |
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Township avoids police layoffs Board met Monday to vote on changes By Pam Fleming • STAFF WRITER • November 5, 2009 Five Northville Township police officers and two dispatchers slated to be laid off will now get to keep their jobs following a closed board of trustees session Monday night. In a 5-2 vote, the board decided to keep the seven employees on the payroll after police union representatives agreed to several concessions. Trustees Mindy Herrmann and Chris Roosen cast the two dissenting votes. The five officers positions that will remain as part of public safety include the school liaison officer, D.A.R.E. (Drug Awareness and Resistance Education) officer, two traffic management officers and the community liaison officer. Chip Snider, township manager, said the traffic officers are responsible for accident reduction in the township. Snider and Mark Abbo, township supervisor, couldn't elaborate on the concessions that the Police Officers Association of Michigan made since the agreement has not been ratified yet. However, Snider said they were related to pay, pension and that the officers are agreeing to take five unpaid furlough days. “The police union made some significant concessions, and the board accepted the proposal,” Abbo said. “Now, we're just waiting for ratification, but we have strong indications that it (the proposal) should be viewed favorably.” 6 PART-TIMERS TO BE LAID OFF Although the police officers' and dispatchers' jobs have been spared, six part-time clerical positions are still being eliminated. The IT director's job will also be changed to a contract position, and the ordinance officer will work only through the end of the year. The ordinance officer's duties will be distributed to other building department employees under the direction of Don Weaver. Dan Smith, the township's chief building official, has also decided to retire, as he has 15 years with the township. His position will not be replaced, and the building inspector's position will move from a full-time job to an as-needed basis. “Over the next year or so, we will do what we can through attrition or other means to bring any laid-off employees back,” Abbo said. FURLOUGH DAYS SLATED For everyone at township hall, the board has directed that 26 furlough days be taken beginning Jan. 15, 2010, with employees taking every other Friday off. “This represents a 10-percent pay reduction across the board,” Snider said. The IT director will stay for two weeks and be paid through the remainder of the year. The part-time clerical workers will also be working through the end of the year, as will the ordinance officer. The layoffs, furlough days and changes from full-time to contractual services were steps taken to avoid dwindling township revenues in the future. “The board is keeping a close, watchful eye on the fund balance for 2010,” Snider said. “This is both a short-term and a long-term strategy. We want to maintain the quality of service delivered to our residents with a reduced staff.” DISSENTING OPINIONS “Drops in taxable value and state shared revenue are reality and must be met with creative solutions from elected officials and cooperation from public employee unions,” Roosen said. “The township is making difficult but necessary cuts in spending from the General and Shared Services funds to preserve these fund balances. However, last night's action means that the Public Safety Fund will be exhausted in 2013, leaving the next board to deal with the problem. “To avert this crisis, we need to begin implementing creative solutions in public safety now,” added Roosen. “There is no reason why we can't create a regional dispatch and lockup center, nor is there any reason why we can't regionalize fire service or begin EMS transport to bring in new revenue. But, we need cooperation from our police and fire unions to make these creative solutions viable. They can't continue to scare residents about cuts in service, while refusing to take meaningful contract concessions or recognize that our future lies in the consolidation of services.” “While I am happy with short-term result of keeping the five police officers which were formerly slated to be cut, I am still very concerned about the longer-range financial projections and many variables which could make keeping them financially untenable for the township,” Herrmann said. Herrmann's proposal was to keep the D.A.R.E. officer and the school resource officer for the high school. “I feel that this solution could have adequately balanced undeniable economic realities and uncertainties with our public's desire to keep these officers,” she said. “Also, while other unions within the township were willing to take substantial pay cuts and still had employees laid off, the current solution affords our police officers a 1 percent annual pay increase while suffering no layoffs. I would have liked to see more parity within our township.” The township's public safety millage will last for one more year, with a vote to extend the millage likely planned for August 2010. “If it's renewed at the same rate, there will be enough fund balance at the end of that period,” Abbo said. pfleming@gannett.com | (248) 349-1700, ext. 260 http://www.hometownlife.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20091105/NEWS12/911050397 Northville Township police ratify agreement to avoid layoffs By Pam Fleming • STAFF WRITER • November 6, 2009 Members of the Police Officers Association of Michigan ratified an agreement with the Northville Township Board of Trustees late Wednesday that will save the jobs of five police officers and two dispatchers. John Werth, director of public safety, and police union officials made the announcement on Thursday. Werth said union members voted 31-3 in favor of making concessions that would avoid the seven layoffs. “The board and union approved a letter of understanding that will be added to the union contract,” Werth said. “It was fortunate that the board and union both approved the letter of understanding. I am glad this short-term problem is avoided. We still must focus on providing top notch public safety in these tough economic times." Michael Wildt, president of the Northville Township Command Officer’s Association, said the agreement consisted of concessions by the union members in order to avoid pending layoffs in the Patrol Officer’s Association. “Although the Command Officers would not be as directly affected by the layoffs, we believed that it was equally important for us to make sacrifices on the behalf of others to ensure that no officers or dispatchers would lose their jobs,” Wildt said. Township board members were barraged with protests about the proposed layoffs at their October meeting shortly after the cuts were announced. Mark Abbo, township supervisor, was hopeful after that meeting, however, that the two sides could return to the negotiating table so the layoffs could be avoided. “With an 11 percent cut in revenue sharing from the state and a similar reduction in property values, township officials were forced to make tough decisions in order to balance this year’s budget,” Abbo said. "Having the ability to maintain public safety staffing levels was very important to the majority of the board,” said Margie Banner, trustee. “This agreement is the result of the cooperation of our public safety department. Everybody is working toward a common objective of getting through tough economic times as well as we can," Abbo said. The agreement with the Police Officers Association of Michigan calls for a reduction in pay and a cap in pension costs, plus other undisclosed details. Under the agreement, the D.A.R.E. officer (Drug Awareness and Resistance Education) and school officers will be preserved. Although layoffs were avoided in public safety, employees in the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees union at township hall were affected by budget shortfalls, with six part-time workers losing their jobs. Plus, Northville Township hall will also be closed every other Friday starting Jan. 15, 2010, with employees taking these days off as furlough days, amounting to a 10 percent pay cut. pfleming@gannett.com | (248) 349-1700, ext. 260 http://www.hometownlife.com/article/20091106/NEWS12/91105010/1029/Northville-Township-police-ratify-agreement-to-avoid-layoffs |
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