Budget priorities get first airing

 

BY PRU SOWERS

NEWS WRITER

Fasten your seatbelts. It’s going to be a busy ride.

Paraphrasing Bette Davis in the 1950 movie “All About Eve,” that was the message delivered by City Hall staff Wednesday at the first of what will likely be many planning meetings to finalize the fiscal year 2015 municipal budget. City Commissioners mostly listened to a four-hour presentation from department heads Wednesday night outlining the status of 130 projects already in progress this year and where they would like to go, budget willing, in 2015.

Rolling out his new budget planning tool, City Manager Bob Vitas took commissioners through the 80-page annual work plan, a virtual encyclopedia of on-going programs in each municipal department, their status, funding source and how each project fits in with the city’s overall strategic plan.

While no preliminary budget total was presented, finance director Nancy Kielman said she didn’t anticipate any surprises. The city’s FY 2014 budget totaled just over $52 million.

“We expect it to be good,” she said about the FY 2015 budget total.

“It should be good,” Vitas echoed.

Between now and the approval of the new fiscal year spending plan, commissioners will decide which projects get a thumbs up and which are rejected or pushed off into the future. For example, after a long presentation by city planner Don Craig, who outlined an impressive list of ongoing projects and his wish list for FY 2015 – which include hiring an additional building inspector and the identification and demolition of unsafe structures – City Commissioner Tony Yaniz warned that he has his own priorities.

“When we’re looking at all these wonderful things we want to do, we have to remember affordable housing comes first,” he said.

“Providing affordable housing is a very, very difficult thing to do,” Craig responded. “But you can rest assured that your staff will pursue affordable housing until you tell us not to.”

Each department head had their own pet projects. Community Services Director Greg Veliz wants to replace the elevator at the Clayton Sterling baseball complex. He also wants to replace the restrooms at Smathers Beach.

“We’ve got to at least look at it. It’s an embarrassment. It’s a safety hazard,” he said of the elevator, adding about the restrooms, “The permitting will be difficult because it’s so close to the water.”

Fire Chief David Fraga told commissioners the $290,000 replacement of the city’s fire boat has been completed and delivery is expected in mid-June. His department will also spend a considerable amount of time and an estimated $288,000 to research taking over ambulance service within city limits.

Human Resources Director Samantha Farist said her department has four major projects slated for FY 2015; including implementing a new staff performance evaluation program and updating the city’s job descriptions. She will also oversee a review of the city’s health insurance program and manage upcoming contract negotiations with city police and members of the local teamsters unions. Both groups have expiring contacts in the next fiscal year.

“I truly feel they [contact talks] will all go smoothly and quickly,” she told commissioners.

One budget item that found unanimous support Wednesday night was upgrading Christmas decorations in the downtown area. After commissioners lamented the sparse trimmings over the past two holidays, City Manager Vitas said he could find $5,000 in a discretionary account to begin the process of re-ornamenting the downtown.

“I can do that pretty easily,” he told commissioners.

 

 

 

 

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