Village requires departments to slash budgets




Department heads met with the Garden City Board of Trustees to discuss how they planned to achieve a mandated cut of four percent to their 2013/14 budget, and how they believe the reduction will affect Village services, at a special work session held on March 27.

Trustee Andrew J. Cavanaugh, who serves as chairman of the finance committee, explained that the Board has reviewed three versions of the tentative budget: the original version with a 22.91 percent tax increase; a version which includes six firefighter layoffs and an 8.71 percent tax increase; and a version with no firefighter layoffs which calls for a 6.09 percent increase. The latter two had a three percent reduction across all departments.

The Board was still not satisfied since all three versions would require a property tax levy cap override and directed department heads, via Village Administrator Robert L. Schoelle, Jr., to make another four percent reduction in an effort to get the increase under the state’s two percent property tax levy cap.

Garden City Public Library

Randolph J. Colahan, chairman of the Library Board of Trustees, expressed hesitancy in making any reductions since the library has had to make budget cuts for several years. The library’s four percent reduction totals $234,638. He read the following statement, which he submitted to the press after the meeting:

“The Library Board of Trustees recognizes this is a very difficult financial year and all departments are making sacrifices. We have previously mentioned the substantial reductions made in the library budget since 2009-2010. Since that time, the overall Village budget has increased by 1.3 percent yet the library budget has been decreased by 13.5 percent. This large, unbalanced burden by the library should be taken into consideration by the Village Board of Trustees in determination of the Village contribution to the library for the 2013-2014 budget.

“The Library Board of Trustees has previously met to discuss the requested 3 percent reductions to the 2013-2014 library budget and reviewed tentative plans which will have significant impacts on the following:

1. Considering a reduction in hours including but not limited to Sunday closing

2. Charging for DVDs

3. Increasing the amount charged for overdue fines

4. Reduction in staffing

5. Reduction in library collection (books, magazines, audio books, music CDs, DVDs and databases) – since this will limit the availability of material to the Garden City community the Library Board of Trustees is very reluctant to do this and continues to debate the magnitude of this cutback.

“Last week an additional four percent reduction was requested. This presents complex issues for the library to continue to operate and provide the quality of service expected by the residents. The Library Board of Trustees already has convened to address these additional reductions and is presently in discussions over the ramifications thereof. As you are well aware the final allocation of funding is the responsibility of the Library Board of Trustees once the Village contribution is determined.”

Garden City Police Department

A four percent reduction required Police Commissioner Kenneth O. Jackson to cut $685,858 from his budget, which means a reduction of five or six officers.

“I am not in favor of this,” Jackson said. “I truly believe the police department is the reason why this is one of the safest communities around and I strive to make it even safer. Reducing the police department by six officers, in addition to the six reduced in recent years, will seriously compromise that effort.”

Jackson said to maintain its effectiveness, the force should have between 52 to 55 officers. The Citizens’ Budget Review and Advisory Committee recommends 52 officers.

Last year the department operated with 50 officers; this year the department is expected to go down to 49 officers when a detective retires. The budget cut would mean the force would be reduced to 43 or 44 officers.

Jackson emphasized that patrol will remain the priority. However, he noted that five patrol posts will be decreased by one officer, and three posts may be down two officers.

“The department will be more of a reactive department rather than proactive,” Jackson said.

Revenue will also be negatively affected since there will be less officers available to perform truck inspections and serve in the traffic division to specifically focus on speed enforcement.

At the initial budget work session in February, Jackson asked for 52 sworn officers and 14 civilian employees. The department used to have 55 sworn officers and 14 civilians, but Jackson said given the tough economic times the department could “function properly” with 52 officers and 14 civilians.

The department is currently operating with 50 sworn officers and 13 civilian employees. Jackson initially requested two more officers to increase the police force to 52 officers and a dispatcher to increase the civilian employees to 14. Trustee Cavanaugh asked why Jackson requested two more police officers if his department is functioning well with 50. Jackson responded that they have just been lucky that the force has remained healthy and is in “a vulnerable stage right now” because overtime costs will increase if an officer or officers are injured or sick.

Garden City Fire Department

A representative from the Garden City Fire Department was not called to the table at this meeting. Cavanaugh explained, “Fire services have been addressed already.” The four percent mandated reduction totals $296,078.

On February 7, the Board of Trustees voted 6 to 2 to lay off six firefighters and bump down one lieutenant to a firefighter position. The layoffs will save the Village an estimated $950,000.

The department had a staff of 26 firefighters and five lieutenants; five career firefighters and one or two lieutenants were on duty during the day. If the layoffs are implemented on Saturday, April 6, the department will have 21 firefighters and four lieutenants; four firefighters and one lieutenant will be on duty during the day. The evening shift will have four firefighters and one lieutenant. Three firefighters are on disability so there are actually be 18 firefighters available for duty.

The Village is still negotiating with the Professional Fire Fighters Association regarding the layoffs, and the layoff date was postponed a week from March 30 to April 6. “The settlement which is being discussed with the Professional Fire Fighters Association, which has not yet been finalized, would for this budget and future budgets reduce the expense to the Village and avoid the layoffs,” Cavanaugh told journalists after the budget work session. “There are issues which they are finding difficult to accept and I respect that.”

Dept. of Public Works

In the Public Works Department, a four percent reduction requires a cut of $598,818. Robert J. Mangan, the department’s director, said he was able to achieve that reduction by cutting three full-time positions (one retirement) and all seasonal and part-time employees. Overtime will also be eliminated.

Mangan said the impact will be “severe.” He said the department did not hire seasonals for one summer and it was a “disaster” as other Village employees had to cover for the lack of manpower in the sanitation department. Schoelle concurred with his assessment. “It just did not work out well,” he said. “We run this public works department really on the backs of seasonal and part-time help,” Mangan explained.

According to civil service rules, all part-time and seasonal help must be eliminated before a full-time civil service employee is cut. Mangan said seasonal employees help during the summer to cover vacations. For example, in the sanitation department, four seasonal employees are employed.

The transfer station may be forced to close on Saturdays since the four part-time employees who service the yard and operate the equipment on that day will be cut. Full-time employees cannot be moved to work on Saturdays due to their contract.

Several trustees expressed frustration that the Village was essentially “handcuffed” due to contracts. Trustee Dennis Donnelly suggested that a committee be formed to focus solely on work rules. “Unless we change how we structure contracts, unless we change what we’re doing, we will be in the same situation yearin and year-out,” agreed Trustee Robert A. Bolebruch.

Dept. of Recreation and Parks

Kevin E. Ocker, chairman of the Board of Commissioners of Cultural & Recreational Affairs, said the mandated four percent reduction necessitated a cut of an additional $328,000 from his budget. He added $65,000 back into his budget as a result of a general Board consensus reached at the March 20 budget work session. The Board unanimously agreed that they did not like Ocker’s recommendation to eliminate seasonal and part-time staff in neighborhood parks from September to June in the afternoon hours and reinstated the money to cover the cost. Ocker said the reductions will effect overtime, and operations staffing, which includes full-time, part-time and seasonal employees. Overtime will be reduced by $41,800, leaving $80,000. Tasks will be redistributed on a daily basis according to the day’s priority. Little things won’t get done as fast. “We’re not turning our back on it, but it just won’t be done as quickly,” Ocker said.

He plans to schedule two additional employees to work on the weekends and then pull workers from the parks on Monday and Tuesday.

Building Department

Superintendent of Buildings Michael D. Filippon had initially requested a small budget increase of .83 percent. No reductions were made when the Board asked for a three percent budget cut. However, with the next mandated four percent reduction of $47,117, Filippon recommended that fees be increased by onethird, or two percent, with no reduction in personnel. Trustees did not take an official vote but were in general agreement with his suggestions.

“We’re really a small department,” Filippon said. “We only have six people and every one of those people has a unique and dedicated function that they perform. If you remove any one of them it will have a serious effect on the function of our department.”

The Village’s fee schedule is currently 1.5 percent of the estimated cost of the work. Filippon recommended that in these “desperate times” the fees should be increased to two percent to ensure his department will be fully funded. The department is currently funded at 80 percent. Revenues would increase by $200,000 to total approximately $800,000.

When compared to other villages and towns, Garden City’s fee schedule falls within the middle. Filippon said Rockville Centre’s fees are a slightly higher; they charge $200 for the first $1,000 worth of work and $17 for every $1,000 thereafter; Garden City charges $115 for the first $1,000 worth of work and $15 for every additional $1,000. An increase of two percent would place Garden City slightly above average when fees are compared.



Leave a Reply