Proposed Elk Grove City Budget For 2010 Declines By $5.3 Million
Scherman takes swipe at Cooper over council members pay-cut If the Elk Grove City Council approves the budget proposed Wednesday, the cit...
https://www.elkgrovenews.net/2009/05/proposed-elk-grove-city-budget-for-2010.html
Scherman takes swipe at Cooper over council members pay-cut
If the Elk Grove City Council approves the budget proposed Wednesday, the city’s expenditures for 2010 will decline by $5.3 million.
In a report to the city council, Elk Grove city manager Laura Gill painted a bleak fiscal picture for the council for at least the next two years. Citing the recession and expected continued decline in real estate and sales taxes, Gill told the council that the next two to three years will be a period of economic “recalibration.”
As part of the budget presentation, Gill included next year’s budget and a fiscal plan for 2011. She also stressed that the budget cuts that are being recommended so as to have the least impact on city services.
Part of the $5.3 million in cuts for next year include 8 mandatory furlough days for city employees not coved by a collective bargaining agreements. The furlough days amount to a 3% reduction which was the pay increase employees were slated to receive effective July 1.
Gill also said savings would be made by reducing employer matches to deferred compensation by 50 percent, suspending for one year contributions to the retirement health care fund and general administrative cuts.
In addition to theses cuts, Gills said the police department expenditures would be cut by $680,000. Gill said that she could not elaborate how the cuts as there were on-going negotiations.
During the public comment period Elk Grove Police Officer Associations president Dan Koontz indicated he was unaware of the exact amount to be cut from the police department’s budget. “We did not know $680,000 was a number we had,” Koontz said.
While Koontz said the association would be will work with the city and did not want to bankrupt the city as did public safety employees did to the city of Vallejo, he did say they would be looking for the interest of their members. Koontz did note that his membership “also has to support their families.”
Gill also said that she and six other city executives voluntarily took a 4.8 percent pay cut. Gill said she and the six other employees felt it was crucial to show employees and citizens they understood the severity of the situation and lead by example.
Cooper proposes council members pay-cut, Scherman takes swipe
At the beginning of the meeting, in announcing the pay reductions for the executive team, council member Jim Cooper made a motion to reduce council member pay by 5 percent. Council members are currently paid $600 a month.
Although the council unanimously approved the motion, council member Sophia Scherman took the opportunity to swipe Cooper saying she approached the council with the idea for a 10 percent cut several weeks ago.
“I just want to thank councilman Cooper because about six weeks ago I approached him asking him ‘how about we do a ten percent cut reduction for the council,’” Scherman said sarcastically. “And I’m happy to hear he dropped down to five percent so that’s a little extra money in our pocket.”
Check back to EGN for our continuing coverage of the Elk Grove FY 2010 budget. Next: Did Cooper overplay his hand with the Elk Grove Police Officers Association on purpose?
If the Elk Grove City Council approves the budget proposed Wednesday, the city’s expenditures for 2010 will decline by $5.3 million.
In a report to the city council, Elk Grove city manager Laura Gill painted a bleak fiscal picture for the council for at least the next two years. Citing the recession and expected continued decline in real estate and sales taxes, Gill told the council that the next two to three years will be a period of economic “recalibration.”
As part of the budget presentation, Gill included next year’s budget and a fiscal plan for 2011. She also stressed that the budget cuts that are being recommended so as to have the least impact on city services.
Part of the $5.3 million in cuts for next year include 8 mandatory furlough days for city employees not coved by a collective bargaining agreements. The furlough days amount to a 3% reduction which was the pay increase employees were slated to receive effective July 1.
Gill also said savings would be made by reducing employer matches to deferred compensation by 50 percent, suspending for one year contributions to the retirement health care fund and general administrative cuts.
In addition to theses cuts, Gills said the police department expenditures would be cut by $680,000. Gill said that she could not elaborate how the cuts as there were on-going negotiations.
During the public comment period Elk Grove Police Officer Associations president Dan Koontz indicated he was unaware of the exact amount to be cut from the police department’s budget. “We did not know $680,000 was a number we had,” Koontz said.
While Koontz said the association would be will work with the city and did not want to bankrupt the city as did public safety employees did to the city of Vallejo, he did say they would be looking for the interest of their members. Koontz did note that his membership “also has to support their families.”
Gill also said that she and six other city executives voluntarily took a 4.8 percent pay cut. Gill said she and the six other employees felt it was crucial to show employees and citizens they understood the severity of the situation and lead by example.
Cooper proposes council members pay-cut, Scherman takes swipe
At the beginning of the meeting, in announcing the pay reductions for the executive team, council member Jim Cooper made a motion to reduce council member pay by 5 percent. Council members are currently paid $600 a month.
Although the council unanimously approved the motion, council member Sophia Scherman took the opportunity to swipe Cooper saying she approached the council with the idea for a 10 percent cut several weeks ago.
“I just want to thank councilman Cooper because about six weeks ago I approached him asking him ‘how about we do a ten percent cut reduction for the council,’” Scherman said sarcastically. “And I’m happy to hear he dropped down to five percent so that’s a little extra money in our pocket.”
Check back to EGN for our continuing coverage of the Elk Grove FY 2010 budget. Next: Did Cooper overplay his hand with the Elk Grove Police Officers Association on purpose?
Posts
Post a Comment