Friday, January 22, 2010

Greenville City Council Reviews 2010 Budget

Greenville City Council’s Committee of the Whole met last night (January 14, 2010) to review the 2010 budget for the city. Budgets were submitted to the mayor last fall, then reviewed by council’s finance committee, and then reviewed last evening by council as a whole. City Auditor Nancy Myers began the meeting by explaining that the city had ended the year with a larger than expected cash balance at nearly $2.4 million dollars. She explained that this was largely due to two factors: a repayment of an advance given for a Clean Ohio project of about $442,000 and inheritance taxes of about $450,000.

Due to the improved cash position of the city, Auditor Myers then recommended to city council that the following budget increases occur: 1. Reinstatement of all 3.9% wage concessions made by the city’s union members; 2. A 3.9% raise of all non-union city employees’ wages; 3. Increasing all non-union weekly hours back to 40 (from 37.5); and 4.Transferring $100,000 from the general fund to the CIP (capital improvement projects) fund. The total increase in the budget would be about $400,000.

Other highlights included the recommendation to add a police officer at a salary of $37,000 and to increase the public safety director’s travel and education expense to $5000 from $1000. Public Safety Director John Schmidt explained that this was for college classes that he would like to take, and that he is eight credit hours from receiving a degree. There was some discussion by council members that they would like a review of the city’s policy of education reimbursement for nonunion employees, however, there were no objections by council or administration to any of the proposed increases in spending.

On budget reductions, city council is reducing the amount of general fund spending on the swimming pool by $4,000, and they asked the park board to reduce their park fund budget by $50,000, due to park revenues being down in 2009.

Auditor Myers also told city council that anticipated revenues into the city are about $7.2 million for 2010. With the budget increases above, the 2010 anticipated budget expenses will be just under $9.5 million for 2010.

[Submitted]

33 comments:

  1. Help me understand. The parks have to be taken over by the city because the city does not have enough money to fund the parks as before. But the city has “an improved cash position” that allows the city to reinstate pay raises for union and non-union workers and increase the funding for Mr. Schmidt so that he can get a degree, so that he can make more money because he will move up on city scale.
    All this with, according to Auditor Myers,
    “anticipated revenues into the city are about $7.2 million for 2010. With the budget increases above, the 2010 anticipated budget expenses will be just under $9.5 million for 2010.” This doesn't make sense.

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  2. Looks like the city is following the county commissioners "new math."

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  3. you shouldn't pass up an opty to save money by consolidating departments just because you have a small temporary surplus.

    the surplus is going to its employees who have already taken cuts. This, as it is presented, seems fine by me.

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  4. Maybe it's time to build a new City Bldg,/Police/Fire Dept. complex. Can they borrow enough?

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  5. Anonymous at 2:24

    You hit it correctly. The park takes major cuts while others hold about the same. The question keeps coming up about the park superintendents pay. He already has a degree and years of experience, and the city did not pay for it. Who do you want managing the parks, goverment wokers or business people?

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  6. My question is this.How are they gonna make up the 2.3 million differance in the budget?

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  7. Hey Duke,
    Remember when the Auditor found some money a couple of years back? Well, she is going to have to find more.

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  8. has anyone went and got there pates renewed on their car or truck a new tax for greenville residence is inafect on 1-1-10 a 5.00 fee for living in greenvillewe are paying more for water run off on your land. where does all that money go thet took away trash we pay for that this city need to control spending. and for john they are going to increase it 4000.00 a year wow what a bounus where can i get one like that.

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  9. sorry about the spelling computer crashed have to use lap top keys smaller

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  10. Yeah in the magic finders account LOL

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  11. It's Greenville......would you expect any different due to the lack of leadership? This whole area talks the holier than thou...they are back stabbing, untruthful, dramatic... enjoys the position of being in the politics. Politics is a made up word containing "poli"(Latin) which means "many" and "tics" means bloodsucking creepers or I mean creatures.

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  12. All these comments are complaining about the city not saving money but when they want combined two department and try and save $100,000+ a year people think it's terrible. Come on peoplem, wake up!!!

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  13. Were does the money go from all those pretty trash bags you have to buy if you live in the city limits?

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  14. To January 24, 2010 10:04 AM
    Back to the fire and EMS thing huh? Or am I just assuming that is what you are implying here. You obviously did not pay attention to the fact that combining would not save money but cutting back one of the departments (i.e. Fire) would have.

    As for the city finding more money; why is it that when they do not have money, need to cut back, make threats of layoffs if concessions are not made, and then, when they get their way, all of a sudden find x amount of dollars they did not know they had? Think back a few years when they were going to lay off 11 fire fighters and then found a large surplus they did not know they had.

    I will accept the unexpected $892,000 but what about the other $1.5 million? Where was that hiding all this time? Don’t tell me the auditor did not know the city had $1.5 million dollars lying around. It makes me wonder about the auditor’s abilities, or maybe even her ethics. And as for giving Schmidt a $4000 education bonus, you’ve got to be kidding me. I had to pay for my own education, why should the taxpayers pay for his. It doesn’t seem to me that he is using the education he has. Maybe I just don't understand the whole situation of city finances and such but that is just my opinion.

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  15. comment@ 10:04 am you or they work for the city they need to figure ways to save money then there budget would not have to go up should stay the same or less that is what they get paid for. i have a little business here in greenville and have to figure way to keep my cost down. cant go out and tell my customers and tell them i need more money to paiy my bills would not be here for long.

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  16. HOW IN THE WORLD CAN THE COUNCIL AND THE ADMINISTRATION PAY FOR SCHMIDT TO GET HIS DEGREE? ANYONE ELSE WHO WANTS TO GO TO COLLEGE HAS TO PAY OUT OF THEIR OWN POCKETS, I DID AND I DON'T HAVE ALL THE EXTRA PERKS LIKE HE DOES, A CAR TO DRIVE TO AND FROM COLLEGE (WE PAY FOR THAT) THE ABILITY TO TAKE OFF DURING THE DAY TO GO TO CLASS, (WE PAY FOR THAT)WHAT KIND OF DEGREE CAN HE EARN THAT WILL ENABLE HIM TO BE AN ASSET TO THE CITY? WAS HE EVEN QUALIFIED WHNE REHMERT HIRED HIM OR WAS ANOTHER "GOOD OLD BOY" HIRE? IT SEEMS TO ME THAT THE CITY SENDS MORE PEOPLE TO TRAINING AND SCHOOL THAT THERE ISN'T ENOUGH LEFT TO COVER THE SHIFTS SO THEN WE PAY OUT MORE IN OVERTIME. YEP, WE THE TAX PAYERS GET TAKEN AGAIN

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  17. If we educate him isnt he a liabilty to us instead of a asset?Sounds to me like the city is doing what it wants with tax dollars that could be better spent some where else.I dont no how bout the new school.

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  18. City finding more money that was not accounted for going into 2010? Wow unbelievable! Boy, did they sure sell us voters on the need to pass the renewal levies in Nov. 2009. So what does the City want to do with the extra money in 2010? Spend it, by giving City employees a 3.9% wage increase for the third year in a row. What other employers in Greenville, not to mention all of Darke County, are giving employees a 3.9% wage increase? Very very few, if any. Paying for the safety service director to go to classes on City time to earn a degree. The majority of us had to spend our own funds to go to college and earn a degree, not the taxpayers’. Why the reduction in the park’s budget if the funds are so abundant now? Did not the mayor state something along the lines of the park is the gem of the community? If so, then it is time to quit giving it lip service and fund it the way it needs to be. Wake up City Auditor, City Council, and City Administration! It looks like your plan for 2010 is to keep on spending, with the economy still in poor condition, with the hope that you will find more funds at the end of the year to bail you out again. This sure is not sound financial management of one’s own dollars not to the mention the taxpayers’. Please do all us citizens of Greenville a favor, wise up and be prudent with our tax dollars!

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  19. people need to go voice there opinon at council meeting and find out if it is in city policy if he can have a 4000 increase. for his degree. they need to spend it somewhere else is my opinion i have seen him going to the bank in the city can riding around the city measuring grass . the need to get him back to finding new business in town and figuring out way to save city tax payers money not on how can he benifit from it. People need to go to the meeting or call you conucil member

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  20. The city found a surplus and plans on spending it. The township has a surplus and freezes all but union pay raises for 2010 and sets on the rest for just in case. Who is fiscally wiser here?

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  21. I never did understand using taxpayer’s money to pay for education? The City does this, The Greenville School does this and I’m sure the State and Feds do it also. Once we taxpayers pay for their degree, then their pay rate goes up costing us even more?

    I’m sure they will rebut this by saying that businesses do it also, but what they fail to understand, private businesses earn their money, the government earns nothing…

    I hope the City officials read this forum… and maybe think twice about their spending habits.

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  22. sounds like the township is wiser with there money and dont hear them raising taxes. and removing service. maybe the need to learn something from this

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  23. Friend told me to read darke journal about parks budget reductions and post thoughts. It made me ill to read. They have more money now. The swimming pool and park are being cut. I am big fan of the pool, rec programs, and park. Our family spends days at pool in summer. It is always clean and taken care of. The staff is friendly and professional with adult supervision. I have 3 kids that participate in north park spring and fall soccer. They love it. It is very organized with emphasis on fun not winning. 1 daughter is in girls volleyball and basketball. 2 youngest are not yet old enough to participate but look forward to 4th grade so they can. I was told city officials want to eliminate all rec programs. They say the ymca or school can take over. I hope not. I cannot afford to pay for 3 kids at ymca. Schools do not have space or money to offer. We have family reunion every year in city park. 50 to 60 families around Ohio and Indiana attend. We all look forward to this. The kids enjoy the many new playground slides and climbers. Those from other cities admire how we have such beautiful park. The new lagoons will make it nicer this summer. I hope all these activities can continue for years. Those making this decision must not realize rec activities and parks are asset to Greenville. It seems with the extra money they would improve rec and park even more not cuts.

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  24. You know what upsets me? When I come on Darke Journal and read negative comments from people I haven't seen at city council meetings. If you have a problem with the way the city is being run, and if you have something to say, do your duty as a citizen and spend 1.5 hours every two weeks to come to a meeting and let them know.
    But no one will. Because I don't think any of you really care, you just enjoy whining on DJ.

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  25. How do you know if the people posting these comments don't go to the council meetings, nobody uses their real names. As far as going to city council meetings, that would be as good as standing and facing a 100 mph wind and peeing in it.

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  26. to Jan 24 1004 am The city was not going to combine serives they was going to take the squad over and Greenville Rescue who has provided serivce for over 25 years to the city of Greenville. All of those employees would have lost their jobs...

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  27. ... what? I get the reference, All Wet, but I don't understand how it applies to what I'm talking about. Sure, the meetings might be boring, but that's hardling comparable to peeing on yourself.
    And I know that these various "anonymouses" aren't attending because the only people that show up are reporters (like myself), the GPAT guy, and the occassional cause-champion who has come to speak about something.

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  28. I WISH NANCY COULD FIND ME SOME MONEY I DID NOT I HAD.

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  29. Tony, you are, in my opinion, young and, forgive me, ignorant on this matter. It has nothing to do with boring meetings or lack of caring. You have not seen the workings of city council for as long as most of the people in this town, and on this website, have. You are what, 25 years old at most? Once you have been watching how this city works for 40 or 50 years, then come back and tell us what we are doing wrong.

    You said that you, as a reporter, go to these meetings. I know what paper you work for but maybe you could dig up some truth and actually report it instead of the feel good stories and the city is good stories. That is, if your editors will let you.

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  30. KNOW FACTS Almost everything I read on here is not a FACT. Do your homework before you run your mouth!!!!! Thanks

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  31. When the city had the EMS committee going they were upset because the township had a surplus and really pushed to get them to reduce taxes.
    The City should take the lead and reduce taxes since they now they also have a surplus instead of blowing the money.

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  32. YES January 30 4:42 pm YOU are Right!!!! They kept pushinbg that issue.

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  33. The next election the mayor needs to go. He is to weak or scared to change anything. With a new mayor they will get rid of the current safety director. Also we really need to vote out Nancy as auditor. Its time the city had a change, not an Obama change (where you just talk and no action). We have some good people on the council, now we need a mayor with a backbone.

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