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HomeMy WebLinkAbout12/11/1979 Study Session 398 STUDY SESSION - BUDGET REVIEW - WRAP-UP December 11, 1979 The City Council net in session on this date at 9:00 a.m. in the Council Chambers of City Hall, Yakima, W Mayor Betty L. Edmondson presiding, Council members Henry Beauchamp, Lynn Buchanan, Don Hinman, Nadine Lee, Frank Roberts and Gordon Wonder present on roll call. It was the general consensus of the Council to discuss the budget in the order that it appears by Departthmt. City Manager Zais stated he has some information to give Council per- taining to the questions they had at the last study session on the budget. REVENUE ADJUSTMENTS $25,000 - Capitol Theatre Maintenance & Insurance/ Fund with Roan Tax $24,000 - Admission Tax $40,000 - Unexpected Utility Tax Revenue $89,000 - Total EXPENDITURE ADJUSTMENTS $26,000 - Reduction in payment to Library 5,000 - Emergency Services 30,000 - Salary Adjustments He stated that the salary adjustment for the Phase IV Reclassification questioned for retroactive pay to the first of the year is a legal question which will be researched. CITY COUNCIL - Councilman Wonder questioned the need for $3600 being budgeted for travel when last year Council only spent $2400. City Manager Zais stated that there will be new Council members next year who may wish to take advantage of some seminars. CITY MANAGER - Council members discussed the vehicle allowance for the City Manager and it was the general consensus of the Council to accept the recanmendation and approve the $110 monthly vehicle,allowance for the City Manager. Councilman Roberts requested that the City Manager keep track of his mileage for a quarter of the year to see if this system is equitable. CITY CLERK - No changes PERSONNEL - Councilman Roberts asked about the amount the City is paying for the Gibbons service for separation of employees. Art Zerbach, Dir- ector of Finance & Budget, reported the City is paying Gibbons $2400 a year. He stated that the City went with Gibbons when it was first re- quired that the City pay unemployment. Following discussion regarding the feasibility of using this service, it was MOVED by Hinman, seconded by Wonder to take the $2400 out of the budget for service with Gibbons. Mr. Zerbach stated that this money does not come from General Fund; the City charges payroll for each employee and puts that in a reserve fund in the event unemployment benefits need to be paid. He stated that it would be his recommendation to continue deducting the h% from the payroll. Council member Lee expressed concern about deleting this service without obtaining further information. Councilman Buchanan suggested keeping the service the first quarter of the year and then II/ analyzing it. The question was called for the vote on the motion: Beauchamp and Wonder voting aye by voice vote. Buchanan, Edmondson, Hinman, Lee and Roberts voting nay. The motion failed for lack of a majority vote. It was the general consensus of the Council to have a report on Gibbns after the first quarter of the year. LEGAL - No changes PURCHASING - Councilman Hinman confirmed that the Purchasing Agent will come back with a proposed Charter amnduent for increasing the general bid limit. INFORMATION SYSTEMS - No changes TOURIST PROMOTION/TROLLEY - No changes STUDY SESSION - BUDGET REVIEW - WRAP -UP 399 December 11, 1979 FINANCE & BUDGET - Councilman Hinman inquired about the figure used for projecting interest income. Mr., Zerbach stated that he used 9% and stated he is concerned that that figure might be a little high. Councilman Beauchamp inquired about the $30,000 increase in expenditures for the next year. Mr. Zerbach explained that $20,000 will be to hire an accountant and $7,000 is for 2 of a Department Assistant which will be shared with the Treasurer's Office. He also stated he expects an in- crease in State Auditor's fees. CUSTOMER SERVICE - Walt Feser, Customer Service Manager, reported that Council had discussed the bail for parking violations. He stated that in 1979, $15,000 of warnings were issued and the City collected 1 of them. City Manager Zais stated that.the issue of increasing the sug- gested bail has not gone to the DARC Committee yet. Mr. Zerbach stated that the revenues will be decreased because of the loss of one parking checker, which he requested to be funded from FRS Funds. COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT - Council discussed the need for using FRS funds for one Planner who would be working on the Urban Area Plan. Miss Darby stated that she received word from HUD that they made an error and found $50,000 more for the City for the Canmunity Development Block Grant. She stated that after the first of the year, she will come back with proposals for that. POLICE - Councilman Hinman stated he would like to use General Fund revenues to fund the Police positions that were proposed for FRS funds. Mayor Edmondson stated that the same level of safety personnel should be kept. City Manager Zais recanmended Council delay filling the Police positions with FRS funds until an arbitration award has been given. Speaking about the loss of the Department Assistant II at the Canplaint Desk at night, City Manager Zais stated that the Complaint Desk would be closed for walk `in traffic from 12:00 Midnight until 8:00 a.m. He stated it does not preclude emergency help from the Dispatcher. Captain Qualley explained that there will be one Clerk at the Complaint Counter to handle the phone and the front door will be closed because one Clerk cannot handle walk -in, telephone and do clerical work. He stated that a field' officer may have to be called in to relieve the Dispatcher for lunch. He stated that that office is at a minimum manning level now. FIRE - Speaking about the recanmendation given by the Council /Citizen Canmittee regarding the Fire Department, Mayor Edmondson stated she agrees with the consolidation of the Fire and Code Inspection under Code Administration and the deletion of equipment rental /replacement fund. She stated she also agrees with the recanmendation regarding the reduc- tion of fire personnel, however, she suggested that this be phased into a program over the next few years to reduce staff by natural attrition. She stated that by that time, which she estimated at approximately three years, the volunteers would be trained. She suggested that $160,000 FRS money be used to fund four fire personnel for the first year. For the balance of this program, she suggested that the utility tax be increased by 1% to fund this program. Councilman Hinman stated that the volun- teers are not going to replace the company that is going to be reduced. He stated that there will be fire companies that can arrive before the standard time limit. He stated that the City has some young fire- fighters that have had up to 8 to 10 years training service that we are going to lose. He also stated that by attrition the City will lose the older person who retires or leaves on disability. Councilman Wonder stated that if the City were to impose a tax, it should not go to keep personnel in just one division. PARKS & RECREATION - Councilman Hinman stated that since the Parks Department is a seasonal business, perhaps the part -time positions should be given more priority for funding than the full -time positions. Dick Hilligus, Parks & Recreation Director, distributed a personnel list for the department. He stated that there are 13 parks to care for and described the duties the personnel have in the winter, i.e., trimming trees, repairing picnic tables, and painting. Councilman Wonder ques- tioned the vacation scheduling of the Parks Department personnel which allows for vacations in the summer. Mr. Hilligus stated that although he encourages winter vacations, the Civil Service' Rules are that the employees be allowed their vacation when they want it, if possible. Council members discussed possible programs for volunteers to manage. It was the general consensus of the Council to continue the budget wrap -up study session on Thursday, December 13, at 9:00 a.m. in the Council Chambers. 4 00 STUDY SESSION - BUDGET REVIEW - WRAP-UP December 11, 1979 There being no further information or business to cane before the Coun- cil, the meeting was adjourned at the hour of 12:00 Noon. READ AND CERTIFIED ACCURATE BY 41111 , DATE/ 3 Fs4' f6 oDuNica . 94 , DATE coos! 1711 ATTEST: - d ' ,d100.07,1/46 ad / 1/11 MAYOR II/ • II/