The Ypsilanti Courier
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
City facing more budget cuts
Police, fire, parks discussed after finding additional $1.3 million
By Dan Duchene, Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: December 20, 2007
The city is taking steps to prioritize its budget, as cuts in the coming year are expected to maintain a healthy cash reserve.
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Throughout the income tax debate, which ended in November with more than two-thirds of city voters rejecting the plan, budget cuts highlighted in the staff-prepared solvency plan had been touted as the alternative to adding a 1 percent income tax.
City Council and staff held two meetings to set priorities to the cuts outlined in the plan. A third is scheduled later next month.
The meetings came after a city-commissioned budget audit, performed by Plante Moran, found an extra $1.3 million in its fund reserve.
Presented at the Dec. 4 City Council meeting, the firm had contributed the extra cash to conservative spending in each department, including reducing costs and keeping vacated positions unfilled, including holes in the police and fire departments.
"You're living by the budget. You're trying to control your costs," said David Helisek, who helped give the presentation on behalf of Plante Moran.
The group that met Saturday, which consisted of City Council members, directors of the various city departments and other officials, considered cost beyond those laid out in the solvency plan. The additional costs included funding the entire bus service expenses from the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority, which the city currently funds half of, and the current tax dispute between the city and the Ford Motor Company's Automotive Components Holding plant. City manager Ed Koryzno said the additional expenses, compared to the solvency plan, consume the extra $1.3 million "and then some."
Nothing the group discussed at the meeting has turned into a final decision. City Council is expected to firm up its priorities at the last meeting, scheduled for Jan. 26.
To maintain fiscal solvency and a 10 percent fund balance, the city must now find $700,000 worth of savings this year, and an additional $1.1 million in the next.
Those estimates include the cost of filling the vacancies throughout city departments, which was determined unlikely after the budget meeting Saturday.
"Those positions probably aren't going to be filled," said Ypsilanti Police Chief matt Harshberger, who has three vacancies, including one patrol officer.
"We've got to rethink the way we do business," he said.
Currently, there are four police officers on patrol throughout the city on each shift. Harshberger said he might look into adjusting that policy to accommodate his budget restraints while looking at historically heavy and light shifts.
Hiring one or more officers, perhaps on a part-time basis, and eliminating most of the department's overtime was also discussed at the meeting Saturday.
"How we do business now and how we do business a year from now might be completely different," Harsberger said.
Aside from restructuring shifts, City Council discussed the necessity for the city's SWAT team, the liaison officer for Ypsilanti Public Schools' two middle schools, and its involvement with the Livingston and Washtenaw Narcotics Enforcement Team.
"There really is no cost for personnel," Harshberger said of the SWAT team.
To fund the 10-member team, made up of sworn officers paid part-time for the additional responsibility, Harshberger said the department uses drug forfeiture funds obtained during drug raids. He said the overtime required to backfill positions when the SWAT team is training is the only portion of the program that comes out of the department's budget.
If another SWAT team, such as the Washtenaw County Sheriff's, were to handle the necessities of the city, Harshberger said the city would lose both money and community-tailored service.
"The bread and butter of our SWAT team is drug raids," Harshberger said.
If the county performed the drug raids for the city, he said the county would also retain most of the forfeitures acquired. Those forfeitures also fund the department's canine unit and a portion of its evidence tech unit.
"We can get a situation resolved in the city the way we want it resolved," Harshberger said of having an Ypsilanti SWAT team.
He said if a different agency were to conduct a raid, that agency would then "take over" the incident.
"Our SWAT team knows the ins and outs of every building in the city," he said.
Ypsilanti Mayor Paul Schreiber said, "I think having our own SWAT team is a really good thing and I'd like to keep it."
The Ypsilanti Police Department has a contract with Ypsilanti Public Schools to provide a liaison officer to the two middle schools while the district provides 90 percent of the staffing cost, leaving nearly $20,000 to be covered by the department's budget. The group discussed negotiating with YPS to have them cover the entire pay for the officer.
LAWNET was placed on the table for discussion as well. Most agreed the program is to valuable to not participate in.
"I'd rather see parking go than LAWNET go," said Bill Bohlen, director of the Ypsilanti Department of Public Works.
The group discussed cutting its parking enforcement by either selling off lots to private companies, allowing the Downtown Development Authority to run the program or some combination there-in.
The group also discussed hiring a part-time civilian to run the police department's evidence lock-up, which is currently run by a sworn officer, and the ongoing study of a regional policing authority.
The group had discussed abandoning the Ypsilanti Fire Department's ambulance program and contracting with Huron Valley Ambulance for services.
Fire Chief Jon Ichesco said the department's ambulance program is "incidental," and cutting the program would only result in savings from fuel and wear on the vehicle.
Brian Filipiak, D-3rd Ward, pointed to the city's solvency plan and asked why cutting the department's EMS services is listed as a $246,000 savings for the city.
"Which is it?" he asked.
Ichesco said any further cuts to his budget, beyond eliminating the positions currently vacant in the department, would require abandoning the "interior attack" form of firefighting the department currently performs and would result in a lower rating of the department and higher insurance rates for the city's property owners.
"The reality is we asked the citizens," said Planning and Development Director Karen Hart, referring the failed income tax in November's elections.
"The consequence of that is we have to ask the citizens to assume more risk," she said at the meeting. "That's the culture shift that has to happen."
Lois Richardson, D-1st Ward, disagreed with Hart. She said the city had voted on an income tax, not a millage to support the Ypsilanti Fire Department.
"There's a difference," Richardson said.
Aside from reducing services, the group had also discussed regionalization.
Ichesco said he is currently negotiating a "functional fire district" with the city of Ann Arbor and other surrounding townships. The purchasing power of the communities would be combined without actually meshing funds. He said the negotiations would be thwarted by further cuts to his budget.
Public Works
Maintaining city parks received the lowest priority rating among other aspects of the budget.
"I don't see any choice but to say 'we're out of the parks business,' " Bohlen said at the meeting.
Without having to lock up parks due to not budgeting any maintenance, Bohlen said the city could look toward community groups, such as the "friends groups" running the Rutherford Pool and the Freighthouse.
"How long can (the groups) going to have the energy to maintain that," he said.
The Depot Town Community Development Corporation is currently working to operate, improve and maintain Riverside and Frog Island parks, but Bohlen said the city could sell of some parks to private developers and communities and recruit "friends groups" to maintain others.
"I think the friends groups are a fantastic idea," Bohlen said, "but they're getting to the point where they want to lean on staff."
He said the city should commit a staff member, perhaps on a part-time basis, to work with the various "friends groups" throughout the city. He said the 3.2 full time equivalents going to maintain parks now could allow a .5 FTE to work with the groups.
Though the same DPW workers who maintain city parks also plow parking lots and city offices, the privatization of those parks and retrofitting various department vehicles could alleviate the need made by creating that hole.
The group did not get through all of the areas of the budget, and is expected to schedule another meeting before the final, which is set for Jan. 26.
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