Staff Writer
PRESQUE ISLE — City Council held a workshop Monday, meeting with City Manager Tom Stevens and city department heads to review proposed changes to the 2009 budget. The session was made necessary due, in part, to a drop in the state’s revenue sharing program causing less funding for communities throughout the state.
Present for the meeting with Stevens were: City Council Chair Ed Nickerson and Councilors Calvin Hall, Jennifer Trombley, Walt Elish, G. Melvin Hovey, Don Gardner and Ron McPherson. Department heads taking part in the discussion included: Larry Clark, executive director, Industrial Council; Chief Naldo Gagnon, Presque Isle Police Department; Jim Kaiser, director, Forum; LaNiece Winslow, personnel director; Chris Beaulieu, director, Parks and Recreation Department; Pat Webb, the city’s finance director; Chief Darrell White, Presque Isle Fire Department; Sonja Plummer-Morgan, head librarian, Mark and Emily Turner Memorial Library; Scott Wardwell, manager, Northern Maine Regional Airport; Dana Fowler, director, Solid Waste Department; and Gerry James, director, Public Works Department.
Starting with the $13.3 million 2009 budget Council passed in December 2008, the group spent nearly an hour discussing proposed cuts to various areas, including not hiring replacements for jobs soon to be vacant due to pending retirements and a reduction in funding for outside requests. The goal of the evening was to reach an agreement on proposed cuts to the 2009 budget to the tune of just over $412,000.
Hall questioned the impact reducing funding to outside requests would have on their ability to seek other funding.
“Is that going to affect any of those agencies and their commitments for matching grants?” questioned Hall in reference to the 10 percent decrease in funding for local non-profits and organizations.
Stevens indicated organizations seeking funding used the money for added staff and other purposes.
“Some goes for hiring staff at the Nordic Center; the Snowmobile Club goes to their reserve,” explained Stevens.
Hall also questioned the reasoning of replacing a soon-to-retire dispatcher with sworn officers.
“My concern is we’ve been going into using sworn officers. Why take a dispatcher who costs less and replace with an officer?” Hall asked Gagnon.
“The dispatcher pay is just pennies less than an officer,” noted Gagnon, adding, “Having an officer on desk who can answer a lot of questions off the top of their head” could actually save money in the long run.
McPherson said he’d had positive feedback from patrol officers on having other officers handling calls at the station.
“When an officer is out there, I heard they like to have another officer on desk — someone trained on radio and other aspects,” said McPherson.
“We often have matters come up now that requires an officer be called back in off the road, such as serving subpoenas. Having an officer on desk would allow immediate action rather than having to wait,” said Gagnon.
Hall also suggested, since the air show had been cancelled, $2,500 of the funds that had been set aside for the show could be used instead toward the annual Balloon Festival. A vote on the matter, however, proved unsuccessful, with Council deciding 1-6 in opposition of the proposal — Hall being the only one in support.
Gardner had questioned the idea, noting he’d have a hard time explaining the 10 percent cut to certain agencies, while funds were diverted to a festival. Hall reasoned that he had no problem supporting a measure that would encourage tourism and attract people and their buying power to the community, through the use of local hotels, motels, stores and eateries.
Councilors concluded the session, voting to approve the amended budget of just over $13 million and five-year capital program. A public hearing on the amended 2009 municipal budget and five-year capital programs is set for July 6 at 6 p.m. at City Hall, in anticipation of revenue shortfalls for 2009. The new figure has little impact on the mil rate. This figure does not include funds for county tax or SAD 1. The county figure reflects a minimal change, according to Stevens. The SAD 1 figure has yet to be determined. When it is, city officials will then know if a mil increase will be necessary.
