Saratoga Springs’ 2010 comprehensive budget became law at midnight on Monday, Nov. 30, but Commissioner of Public Works Anthony Scirocco and Commissioner of Public Safety Ron Kim both put forth motions to adopt amendments to departmental budgets at the City Council meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 1.
Scirocco urged the Council to consider his request to transfer funds from various lines without altering the bottom line expenditure but did not provide specific numbers or examples. He made a motion to vote on all adjustments being submitted to the finance department by the close of business Monday, Dec. 7.
Although the Oct.6 budget is not perfect, I believe I can live within those means with a few minor modifications because some of the lines are not funded appropriately. I believe changes need to be made now and not after Jan1. If changes are made after Jan.1 it would not be seamless. Employees would already be laid off and services lost. Changes need to be made now so residents aren’t impacted, said Scirocco. `This would allow commissioners to run their department the way we were elected to do in a cost effective way.`
Commissioner of Accounts John Franck said he would not support Scirocco’s motion and expressed confusion over why Scirocco was moving to amend the budget he voted for at the Monday, Nov. 23 meeting.
`You voted for the comprehensive budget now you’re trying to amend something you voted for. We had plenty of time to make amendments and if you had come up with these amendments before, maybe you would have had votes, but you never did that and the time has come and gone,` said Franck. `Yes, you were elected to run your office but we all have deadlines and that deadline has passed. It was Oct.6 when the comprehensive budget came out`we’re talking about 56 days to figure this out.`
The vote did not pass.
Kim made a motion to move about $266,000 between various lines so that the jobs of three police officers, two firefighters and one traffic control maintainer could be saved. He said personnel cuts were made without consulting his department and had been done so in an ineffective way.
`The cuts of seven firefighters and seven police officers gets down to a very specific budget line for each of them. No two are alike because they may have a different health plan, veterans benefits, educational benefits that change their salary,` said Kim. `So essentially, when you go and do cuts you’ve got to look at the specific people you’re laying off. Not being consulted, the cuts being made were the wrong people.`
Commissioner of Finance Ken Ivins said he would be willing to consider Kim’s request on Jan. 1 but not before because he needed to confirm that the numbers were accurate. He also said that the retirement of the police and fire chiefs was still an uncertain variable because they could technically still retract their request for retirement.
The City Council also adopted amendments that would outline stricter and more specific guidelines for the use of city vehicles under the city’s fleet safety policy.
`We’ve been having problems with noncompliance with city vehicles; employees refusing to wear seatbelts, using cell phones while driving and smoking in vehicles. We’re basically having problems managing the fact that driving a city vehicle is a privilege and not a right,` said Marilyn Rivers, director of Risk and Safety for the city. `According to supervisors, people have been arrested and picked up for driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol and they find out weeks after, which puts the city at risk. We’re continuing to have insurance accidents and most frequently we’re having accidents with the same individuals three or four times.`
Rivers said new guidelines would require two people to operate larger city vehicles at any given time. Scirocco and Kim objected to this provision, saying there is not adequate staff levels to make this feasible. An agreement was reached to require two drivers for DPW trucks only during winter snow removal activities, but the provision relating to fire trucks was not adjusted.
The council also approved a $255, 616 change for the reconstruction of Church Street that would cover design costs and be covered by funds that Saratoga Springs received through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
For more on this story, check back at spotlightnews.com or pick up the Thursday, Dec. 3 print version.
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