Paula’s Perspective -The BUDGET -March 24th

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Disclaimer: I do my best to highlight subjects and report accordingly, if I’ve missed something or put it in the wrong context please let me know.
BTW the City Hall has WiFi, I could go online and research during Council discussion and keep in touch with my Editor!

Minutes from March 10th Police & Fire Committee can be found here:

The agendas and minutes of all Lorain City Council and Committee meetings can be found here

Foot Note: I have found that not all words are included in the minutes. This is not a negative comment towards the Clerk, the recording equipment and people’s conversations are not always caught on tape (I think).
And I can’t stress enough the body language that makes the meetings all that more interesting. Please attend!And when are we going to begin televising?

Line Item Questions I had:

Parks and Rec Personal Services increase total $120,181 to PY Salaries and Benefits.

Auto Lease for Mayor – Zero? I hear they bought his car, where is that expense listed?

Auditor Personal Services increase $46,939 Salaries and Benefits

MIS Personal services increase $49,709 Salaries and Benefits

Law Director Personal Services increase $62,912 Salaries and Benefits

Building Inspection Decrease? $129,819 does this mean less service/inspections?

Safety Service Director – Legal Services Decrease $249,120 how/why? Don’t we still have pending litigation against the city or was this due to the Miller trial?

Street Repair increase $193,225
Materials Supply how can it decrease?

Street Construction
Bitmat Supplies $57,960 a decrease ??

General Sewer Contractual services decrease $167,128
General Sewer projects decrease $122,360

Garage decrease $56,088

Water works General Admin – Data Processing Reimbursement increase $14,169

Accounting Equipment increase $16,600 and $12,890

Water Distribution Decrease in petro and auto parts labor $5,352 and $30,418
Street improvement decrease of $130,437

Water Works Engineering increase Personal Service $60,071 for what?
Water Works Debt Service Consulting Services $643,527 CT consultants

Water purification Consulting Engineers increase $67,443 CT consultants?

Water Pollution Control decrease in gas and electric utilities $4,141 and $15,298
How would utilities decrease from prior year?

Increase in automotive equip and electrical equipment $10,000 and $14,136

Black River Personal Services increase $336,113
PQM plant facilities improvement increase $686,792

Where did these numbers come from? Isn’t this due (by law) March 31st?
$676,000 increase in personal services that I saw that stood out.

Look at your checkbook. Where your highest priority is will be the area you spend the most money in. I took the total salaries for 2007 by Department, the number of employees and figured the average salary per employee for that Department.
ED NOTE !!!!I UPLOADED THE WRONG CHARTS .NEW ONE FORTHCOMING – HUMBLEST APOLOGIES LORAINE
THE RIGHT CHARTS!!!
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MARCH 24TH SPECIAL COMMITTEE CALL

First item on the Agenda this evening:
Public Hearing to rezone and allow Ely Enterprise to relocate.
They were welcomed to the City, it was nice to see everyone in council and admin introducing themselves. I like the positive attitude towards business, it will make them feel at home.

Streets & Utilities –
Ordinance to Recycle/Remove steel mill by products (300 acres, millions of tons of garbage, 80-100 years worth of junk).
We can make some money from “recycling” based on size and weight of what is found. Per Mr. Timko: /Bergessford will shield us from the hot spots, clean / remediate for us.
They have some grants to help with the cost. Here’s an EPA website that might help: http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/

3-3 year intervals in the project (to review) = 9 year period

They will start building the Water Plant in 5-7 years; they’ll begin cleaning the area the plant will be built on first.

Mrs Molnar brought up the fact that documents are sometimes brought in last minute, they would like as early as possible.

Next Item: Use of plastic service lines and connectors. Mr. Timko:
Lines are prone to corrosion and failure as is. They’ve experimented with plastic, works with copper and other lines. Copper leaches, Plastic are better, but it must have proper bedding and back filling.
2 inch plastic pipe tested for 1-2 yrs in the city, they said its o.k.
Mr. Given has a study saying it’s a great product we need to embrace technology.

Paula’s Perspective:

My thought, wouldn’t the plastics industry have great test results for their product? I see it as a possible quality choice: example would I rather have my house dry walled or plastered? Plastic is cheaper it would benefit the builder first. And the long term is based on the proper installation, who will be there to assure? We have issues now with enough people to inspect and assure proper installation.

Mr. Given asked: “Would we want to drink a can of pop with a hunk of copper or a plastic straw”,
Paula’s Perspective

Unfair analogy in my opinion.
How many homes will benefit from this? The city already has so many copper pipes, some day all the build up in those pipes (from the chemicals) is going to start letting go and aneurysms city wide from these clots will occur.

Agenda Item discussion of the Budget: (Line by Line starting at page 65-92)

Mrs. Molnar asked about the publication of the Water Department yearly report. Mr. Timko said last year they spent $ 3-4 K previous year, this year there is an increase in cost. Mr. Given asked if it even has to be mailed, post on the website.

Nice creative ideas to help, I still believe employees are great sources for efficiencies, ask their opinions

Discussion of lower budgeted gas usage, Administration’s looking into GPS system, plus less “idling”, and less usage of city vehicles. Mr. Given asked where the expense for the GPS system is, Administration is still looking into.

Paula’s Perspective

GPS is an expense that Admin doesn’t know the cost of, gas prices continue to soar. I would like to see the cost of City leased/owned vehicles; I would like to see the list of exceptions granted by Mr. Gilchrist as to who is still taking city vehicles home and their responsibilities.

My comment to make this Budget Process easier next year; is it possible to insert comments into the excel cell what the item is for Ex. Capital improvement – carpeting or new air system. Council could sweep the cursor over and see the explanation for the expense.

We left at 8:45 PM as there were still 15-20 pages to go through line by line and then a council meeting. It was late for me and my Editor wants my story ASAP.

Letter to Editor, we need to sit down and negotiate my contract, I want more monopoly money, a get out of jail card and that piece of property called Park Place and I want to remain the Top Hat too in this game.

On a serious note, this Budget by State Law is due in 6 days. I have a bad feeling about what may happen in many areas this year. When making budget or personnel decisions
please remember the City’s number one priority in Paula’s Perspective: The Citizens.