Belleville City Council considers reducing budget, hiring more cops

“The budget is pretty difficult, especially with everything moving,” said interim City Manager Tracey Schultz Kobylarz to lead off Monday’s Zoom teleconference of the Belleville City Council.
She said the Wayne County Executive announced he was going to cut $100 million out of the county budget and sales tax and gas tax incomes are pretty bad.
She said they need to make some serious cuts to the $2.2 million budget just to balance it. Kobylarz said they thought they could just make it a zero-based budget, same as last year, but they had to look at some staffing changes.
“The budget is a moving target and a lot could happen between now and when we approve the budget [on June 1],” she said.
Kobylarz said budget changes begin this Sunday when there will be a reduction of hours for all staff not sworn. Police and fire are sworn.
Those with reduced hours could apply for unemployment with a $600 bonus and they would actually make more money.
“They make more money, but how do we get the work done?” she asked. She said they will not change benefits for the employees.
Kobylarz said she hoped people will stay with the city for this short-term problem. Then she added that they hope it is short-term.
Kobylarz said that evening was the introduction to the budget and the assumptions they made. She said they know there will be changes, especially since they don’t know how much money will be coming in.
She asked the council to “try and stay out of the weeds” in the discussion and try to put a balanced budget together. Then she turned it over to Kelly Howey, the city’s financial consultant from Plante Moran.
Howey said a couple of months are left in the current budget and there are payroll costs, with people leaving the city. She said she didn’t want to get into the details, but they will take a closer look at changes made in the budget over the last year.
She said the seawall cost $295,000 and a grant came to cover $250,000 worth of that, but there are more expenses on the project. She said the council also levied a public safety assessment.
Howey said the state shared revenue is less than anticipated and there has been quite a bit of employee turnover, including office staff, police chief, city manager, and one officer and this means considerable payout.
She said for the new budget, there is $157,000 requested over the revenues.
Fire Chief Brian Loranger said his concern is for the fire truck needed to replace his 1989 truck. He said the special assessment was $50,000 and he wants it put away for the fire truck.
Howey said it has been the intent of the city council to have a capital purchase fund, but that has not happened. The purchase of a fire truck would have to come from another area of the general fund.
“Not the special assessment?” Loranger asked. “If you’re not using it for that, what are you using it for?”
Howey said the special assessment was used up for other things.
“The bait and switch we talked about,” Loranger said.
“It was for turnout gear and other equipment,” Howey said.
“Where does $4,000 come from for a coat and pair of pants for a new fire fighter?” he asked.
He said he asked the city manager about fixing the door and roof at the fire hall. He said the metal door won’t stay shut unless he pushes a heavy weight against it and then it’s hard to open.
“I’m concerned about my 1989 fire truck,” he said. “I get it that I’m not getting it this year.”
Howey said there is $4,000 in the budget for new equipment and repairs and Loranger can move money between line items. “A lot of items are at your discretion,” she said.
Kobylarz said he asked for $137,000 and, “We all know you want more.”
“I’m not complaining about what’s in my budget, but I’m still concerned about the fire truck,” he said.
Howey said they went through the revenue lines of the budget before they could get to the expenditures.
She said by the time they got through the wages and contracts and other commitments, there was not a lot left to play with.
Howey said the only cost in the recommended budget is a police vehicle. That’s a one-year payment on a three-year purchase and costs to outfit the vehicle.
Mayor Pro-Tem Jesse Marcotte asked for the assumptions on the state revenue.
“At this point, property taxes are the largest amount coming in and the property values haven’t changed,” she said. “The question is when will people pay those taxes, for a cash flow? And, what kind of foreclosures will we have?”
The State Shared Revenue and road funds from the gas tax, for the fiscal year they currently are in, will be reduced 20 or 30% of what they expected this year, she said.
Kobylarz said that means a 30% reduction for the whole budget.
“I hope we’re wrong,” she said.
Kobylarz said Police Chief Dave Robinson’s father died and he was on his way to Oklahoma.
On behalf of the chief, Kolbylarz explained the major changes he requested for his department.
He wants nine full-time police officers and of those nine, two will be promoted to sergeant level. He would like to hire retired personnel already trained and this would allow two officers per shift.
Clerks Tina and Carol are retiring April 30 and those positions are not to be refilled at this time. The administrative work would be transferred to the two sergeants and they would get a 4% increase in compensation.
Kobylarz said all the police vehicles are paid off and surplus equipment can be sold. She said the fire department also had a couple of pickups in the back yard and they could get something for them.
“It’s not a decision tonight,” she said. “Please think about it.”
She said there are six full-time officers now since Tim Trombley is retiring. With nine full-time officers, there would be no part-time, she said.
“I’m not sure I’m comfortable with that,” Mayor Kerreen Conley said. She said with the amount the city paid in overtime, adding $100,000 plus is a pretty big expense, jumping to nine with loaded benefits.
“From a cost perspective, I don’t know what caused that need,” Mayor Conley said, noting they will be having further discussions with the police chief when he returns.
Councilman Tom Fielder said if they are not hiring two clerks in the police department and are having the sergeants doing the work, it ends up having the highest paid doing administrative work.
“With the existing staff, we haven’t looked at what automation has done to the work,” Mayor Conley said. “If we’re making sergeants, maybe it will be easier for the officers.” She said they will have some conversation on that at the next meeting.
The board also discussed no longer buying back graves for $675 each. The graves are sold to city residents for $800 each, $1,100 for Sumpter and Van Buren residents, and $1,400 for those who live elsewhere.
Clerk Sherri Scharf said most of the graves were purchased for as little as $400.
“We should have something in writing that we’re not doing this any more,” Clerk Scharf said.
Mayor Conley asked if they had heard whether the Wayne County Mental Health Authority will be having grants this summer. She said VBT Supervisor Kevin McNamara is on the board of that group and, “He was going to grab all our money once. He’s famous for that.”
Scharf said the city is not informed until the very last minute on whether they’re going to get a grant. “Their notice is very tardy,” she said.
“Kevin would know,” Fielder said. “Two years ago they tried to short us out.”
More budget discussions will take place at the 6 p.m., May 11, and 6 p.m., May 13 sessions, with the public hearing and adoption of the budget set for the June 1 meeting.
The city’s next regular meeting is set for 7:30 p.m., Monday, May 4.