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08/07/1975 ..?;O a CITY COMMISSION BUDGET BRIEFING 14ORK SESSION August 7, 1975 The City Commission of the City of Clearwater met in a Budget Work Session at the City Hall, Thursday, August 7, 1975, at 1:30 p.m., with the following members present: Gabriel Cazares Joseph Carwise Karieen F. DeBlaker John F. Rankin Karen Martin flayor-Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner Also present were: r" Picot B. Floyd Frank Daniels City Manager Police Chief The Hayor called'the meeting to order and stated this was the first of a series of meetings to review the budget. Ile turned the meeting; over to the City Zlanager who read his budget message into the record. Jeff Butler presented a review of the proceedings to date. Staff meetings were held to review the department budgets and projections were discussed and compromises made to arrive at the suggested budget. The City Manager stated this is a conservative budget and some items are being; carried under different departments or in different funds and result in misleading percentages. One,example is overhead costs, now being; charged to the indi- vidual departments instead of to the Central Services Depart- mentti and the abolishment of Municipal Court leads to reduced revenue and expenditure figures for that operation. The Commissioners discussed the following with the individual department directors: Building Department (1910) With the state of the economy and construction having; fallen off, they questioned the budget of the Building; Depart- ment and the number of employees on the payroll. The Com- missioners asked for copies of the Building Inspection Depart- ment's reports. Revenue Projection They questioned the practice of considering; purchase discounts a revenue item and the substantial increase in the interest on investment accounts. The Finance Director stated the City intends to consolidate its twenty-eight bank accounts into one fund which will allow more money to be invested, and thus a greater return is anticipated. Service Charges - Parking; Fund A study was made of the expenditures paid from the General Fund for the parking system.and determined to be the reasonable contribution of the Parking Fund for services rendered by the General Fund. In prior years it was treated as a transfer instead of a service charge. The Commissioners requested a report on parking meter revenues. 1. rF a-7-75 ??'r +'? `'?' r"?'ll,s;'?r? `z?s..:?R; }?.,? ?.?r;« o- .?5?.1....? ? ,:.. .:=•f:*=,v?r;14•°.? s:r4 N 0 0 Merit and Longavity Increases The Commissioners requested a report on the number of employees in Step 9, for which no provision is mnde for any further step raise or longevity increase. They requested a report on the number of employees on the payroll in 1973-4-&-5 and an estimate for 1976. Nondepartmental Expenditures (0910) The Commission suggested Professional Fees (201) be transferred to the City Attorney's office as these fees are paid to outside attorneys. Central Services Department - Data Processing; Services (0860) Commissioners discussed implementation of the recommenda- tions of the Price Waterhouse Study and the effect it will have on our data processing system. Changes will be necessary to expand our present facilities and the studies are estimated at $165,000. Safety Training Division The Commissioners requested an evaluation of this program and were told many charts and statistics are kept and the City has an exceptional safety record with a high ratio of mileage- to--accidents. Discussion followed on revenue estimates and the City Manager stated the revenue estimates are generally conservative. Commissioners suggested increased recreational charges and, an increase in parking fines. They requested a report on :he number and amount of unpaid parking fines. Commissioners questioned the base for assessments and the ability to increase occupational license fees which are governed lay State law. The Commissioners recommended travel expenses and sub- scriptions and memberships be cut back as much as possible. The Budget Director reported that although costs have increased, travel expenses have been held down and there is a slight saving, over last year's budget. The benefits of con- ferences and seminars are difficult to define and are not always discernible immediately. Car Pooling; A study is in effect. Car pooling is particularly diffi- cult because the City departments are spread out. The real problem is a simultaneous need for cars at a specific point in time. Police De artment (1100) The Chief was asked to justify his increase in personnel. He explained this was a compromise with the addition of Countryside and more officers were needed although walking beats had been cut. The ratio in Clearwater is two police officers per thousand people. The auxiliary police supplement our police force when needed. Commissioner Carwise left at 3:15. 2. B-7--75 sa- ?` Increases in Personnel The City Tanager stated all employment requests for new personnel are reviewed and analyzed before they are approved. Some positions from last year's budget that were not filled were deleted this year. Nuw divisions in Parks and Recreation account for differences in their personnel figures. An Assistant Water Superintendent was requested to aid in more and better record keeping. The Fire Department has requested additional personnelr.to service the unincorporated fire service districts. A City with a population of 80,000 should have 120 firemen on duty each day. Nondepartmental Expenditures Commissioner DeBlaker recommended a contingency fund be set up in this category. She asked for a breakdown on the money allotted for Public Relations and stated money should be spent to bring in new industry to aid the unemployment situation and stabilize the economy. She requested funds for bicentennial programs. Public Works - Public Service Division Commissioners questioned the number of employees in supervision section, the practice of using a Maintenance Worker I for a messenger, and'the need for three secretaries. The meeting was adjourned to meet Thursday.at 2:30, August 14th, at City Hall Annex. 3. 8-7-75 ' '{ N 8 AM ' V r' N .Z ;t i e_'''?; air y; ;,? :y b eAf`.•-.:?'e€'•:-r;"?