The potential cuts in the fiscal year budget that will cause some employees to loss their jobs was the main reason the March 4 Council Chambers were filled to over capacity, including all three local TV networks.
Speaker after speaker, many of them Oro Valley police officers spoke and implored the council to not cut services of any police.
What came out of the discussion, other than the emotional pleas from those that would be either directly impacted, or having their fellow officers impacted were some indisputable facts.
Mayor Loomis pointed out that OV receives the majority of its revenue from three sources: Sales Tax, Construction Sales Tax and State sharing. All three are less than expected, and the town MUST have a balanced budget, which presently shows a $5.2 million deficit.
David Andrews pointed out that each department was mandated to present their budget and offer the number of positions that could be eliminated.
When it came time for a motion, there were three attempts, and each was defeated 4-3.
After an additional 5 minute break, it was determined the inevitable (the mayor's term) would wait until the budget is fine tuned.
It appears, come April, the number of town employees will be cut by perhaps 26 to 33 personnel.
As Paula Abbott noted, this was probably her most difficult meeting (decision wise) in her 6 1/2 years on the council.
With people's livelihood at stake, we can understand Paula's comment.
11 comments:
artmarth - nice unbias report
I'm glad you understand Abbott's comments. I sure don't. She's against raising revenues and she's against cutting expenses. She doesn't seem to have any trouble making decisions. She seems to have trouble making sense.
Clarification please. I understood the town manager as saying that he left it up to each Dept. head as to how they wanted to make cuts but then the police chief said he was told to give up/cut positions.
Well what was it?
About a RIF. Hopefully council decides to look at other options very carefully. I understand that the planning area won't need its current level of staffing as development is down.
Ok, but say why get rid of a good employee with say 10 years of service and keep another so so employee in another dept with less service , specifically those
with administrative or clerical type duties.
About pay increases for remaining staff who will be assigned additional or extra duties. If those staff members have the time to pick up the additional work, and the additional duties are at the same level or lower then a pay increase is not warranted or necessary!!!
OH yeah, and the slip by the cheif stating that David told them 6 weeks ago to start cutting jobs when David only told the employees, per several differrent employees in different areas, that this was just being looked at 2 weeks ago. The cheif let the cat out of th bag.....
Typos or not, the point is made...
Can OV consider a type of cash incentive to those employees who are eligible to retire but are on the "fence". If I was going to retire at the end of the year but was offered a cash incentive to retire earlier I would most likely go early.
Just an idea and I don't know the number eligible or the money involved.
Also why not consider a small pay cut for all and the furlough's?
Relying on retail sales taxes and construction sales taxes instead of a property tax to keep the town running was a foolish idea. Eventually you run out of land and can no longer collect construction sales taxes. Eventually you have a recession/depression and can no longer rely on retail sales taxes. And that brings us to where we are today. Out of money.
Now 5 years ago, when this town was still beautiful with 2-lane roads and dirt shoulders (a rural peaceful look), minimal traffic lights, no junk malls and no walls blocking the once majestic views, I would have been more than happy to pay a property tax to keep it that way.
But now that the town has been destroyed with 4-lane roads, concrete sidewalks, concrete medians, concrete noise barrier walls, traffic lights, street lights, junk malls, etc., I'm no longer so willing to pay a premium to live here. "Here" disappeared some time ago.
In the town where I used to live, I paid $1200./year in property taxes. I lived there for 9 years and the town looked the same on the day I moved out as on the day I moved in. They didn't have to clear the land, bulldoze the trees, and destroy the view in order to build more homes and retail in order to collect sales taxes to run the town. Revenue wasn't a guessing game every year, dependent on retail sales. They knew exactly how much revenue they would generate each year.
As for all the residents who spoke up about not cutting the police force, Councilmember Gillaspie expressed my sentiments exactly. Lyra Done, et al. used the politics of fear (the Mexican drug cartels are HERE, they're in our neighborhoods, they're outside our door) we can't cut the police force now. Gillaspie noted that none of these speakers presented any FACTS to back up their assertions.
Yes, I too would like to see some facts in this regard. Where are the figures? Where are the statistics? If it's true, then I'm all for maintaining or even increasing our police force. But it all sounded like hyperbole to me.
HELLO EVERYBODY, are so many of you hiding from the fact that our Country as a COMPLETE WHOLE is in a dire mess? The only money that continues to be come available is paper air and if you can't get that fact through your heads then your knowledge of economics is about as empty as the money supply you think is there.
No, not us sayeth the teacher, the kids won't have any pencils to write with. No, not us, sayeth the police, the bad guys are going to
creep into your houses and hurt you and we won't be able to respond 'cause our available
officers are sitting under trees waiting to tag speeders and THAT would be infringing on the generation of capital for your Town. No, not us sayeth the Town administrators, gee, what happens if Joe the Plumber wants to open shop here? We need staff in order to see make certain that his plans are covered. And, NO, we can't have layoffs 'cause, unlike private business, our employees are serving YOU, and after all, being government, we are the ones who know best what your needs are and how we must have plenty of people to to help you. And besides, we just can't hurt individuals and families by cutting off their livelihoods, can we?
And so, it is thus that we have become, even in crises, a society of FINANCIAL NIMBYS!
One of the differences between capitalism (seems to be a dirty word theses days) and socialism is the difference between self-help and the cries for donated entitlements -(oh me, oh my - I just can't figure out what I am going to do). While I recognize the need for certain socialistic principles, some of which are based on biblical principles, this country prospered ONLY when capitalism dominated the mindset of our society (and I don't mean the more recently divulged greed that has eaten it's way into the very core of our society by a RELATIVELY small bunch of 'sophisticated' hoodlums). It is what you can do for yourself that is and has been THE motivating factor in the progress and inventiveness of our society, not the dictates of a reckless slew of 'safe-haven' self-anointed kings of kings.
CUTS MUST BE MADE! A BLOATED GOVERNMENT MUST BE CURBED! NOTHING AND NO ONE SHOULD BE EXEMPT FROM
THE POSSIBILITY OF BEING DECLARED AS 'EXTRA BAGGAGE'. WE MUST GET OUT OF THIS QUAGMIRE AND DO SO NOW;
IF WE DO NOT, THE WHOLE OF OUR SOCIETIES MAY BE FOREVER WANDERING IN THE DESERT. YES, IT WILL HURT SOME; BUT SOME PAIN IS BETTER THAN POTENTIAL DEATH.
And, Victorian Cowgirl, I can't agree with you more! In addition, one of the things I cannot accept is that while there is a bunch of mouthing about 'green' this and 'green' that, many of those mouths are still spewing the advocacy of Oro Valley growth and, in so doing, turn their cheeks away from the very basic foundation damage that is being wrought upon this once gorgeous place; what happened to "God's GREEN earth"?
I find it hypocritical that, whereas the budget is to be 'held up' until it is 'fine tuned', one of the facets of the Town's fiscal 'opportunities', the Town's utility tax extension, truly a contributory factor in the Town's monetary situation, but one that was supposed to 'sunset', breezed through without a like delay in order to be a part of said 'analysis'. Pick and choose your pleasure those of you who speak in 'tongue'.
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