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Roswell Council splits over employee furloughs
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Three Roswell council members wanted to furlough city employees to save $850,000 to "balance" the budget, but other council members said it was more like grandstand politics than fiscal conservatism.
Yes, the gloves are coming off for the November elections.
After essentially adopting the budget approved in the first reading two weeks ago, Councilman Kent Igleheart introduced a number of minor budget cuts including deferring $72,500 in aerial photographs of the city – routinely made every three years or so — $80,000 for security lights at City Hall and $30,500 to add a second shift of motorcycle patrols.
They even voted to cancel the Christmas lighting at City Hall for a savings of $10,000.
But when Igleheart proposed to furlough employees one day a month to save $850,000, the temperature level started to grow.
Igleheart, supported by Council members Lori Henry and Rich Dippolito, argued that the budget was dipping into the city's undesignated cash reserves for $1.1 million to replace 21 police vehicles, each with more than 100,000 miles.
"We are spending more than we take in. I don't agree with that. This spreads the pain across the table," Igleheart said.
Dippolito said he was worried tax revenues would fall short of budget predictions. He noted commercial property values were down 15 to 30 percent across the country.
That incensed Councilwoman Becky Wynn. She said there were no grounds for introducing employee furloughs at the 11th hour of adopting the budget. Wynn and council members David Tolleson and Jerry Orlans opposed the measure as one that was ill-conceived, rash and without a full investigation of the consequences.
City Administrator Kay Love said there were many unanswered questions about taking such a step. It appeared likely salaried and contract employees would have to be put on an hourly rate of compensation, which would mean employees who routinely work more than 40 hours a week would be eligible for overtime. Love also said that she feared exempting public safety officers, sanitation workers and even recreation personnel might create an employee discrimination issue.
"Something as big as the furlough of employees should have been brought forward [sooner] to the whole council. It is sad to see the council to revert to this type of thing in an election year," Wynn said.
Henry claimed the mayor did not allow discussions of such issues during other budget workshops, saying it was his budget.
"Every time something was brought up, Mayor Wood said this was his budget and wouldn't discuss it," Henry said.
Nevertheless, Orlans, Wynn and Tolleson said the whole issue was tainted as a political maneuver to claim "the high ground" for fiscal conservatism. They also said it was wrong to ask employees to work harder with less and for their efforts take a pay cut in the form a furlough.
Tolleson said he was "surprised and disappointed" that the issue of furloughs was brought up after weeks and months of working on the budget.
The shoe was on the other foot a little later. Wynn brought up her assertion again that before the council cut employee pay council members should agree to forgo their salaries first.
After the vote on furloughs was defeated – a 3-3 deadlock broken by Wood – Orlans said it was time for council to "put some skin in the game."
Orlans proposed a motion for council to suspend their salaries from July 1 to Dec. 31 when a new council would be sworn in after elections. That would save $74,000, he said.
Wynn quickly seconded it, but Henry immediately spoke against the measure.
"This defies logic. You people [Tolleson, Wynn and Orlans] just voted against cutting [payroll]. Now you propose that the only people to take a cut are the members of council," Henry said.
Wood voted to break a 3-3 tie again, this time siding with Henry, Dippolito and Igleheart. He said he supported a budget that did not cut services, did not lay off or furlough employees and did not raise taxes.
"So I wanted to be consistent. I won't cut employees' pay, and I won't cut council's pay," he said.
Orlans said he thought it was "ironic" that the three who were for furloughs sang another tune when it was their salary on the line.
Ultimately, the 2010 budget was approved with $5 million less in General Fund appropriations than in the 2009 budget, a 6 percent decrease. However, Dippolito, Henry and Igleheart refused to vote for the budget in apparent protest.
All of the council members voted to add $4.4 million in capital expenditures just two weeks ago. But these were for transportation and a new fire truck ($459,000) and the $1.1 million for police cruisers.
Henry said those were all quality of life, safety and transportation fixes, which she accused Wood of leaving out of the budget.
The total budget was $108.2 million. Wood said he cut $5 million from the budget and his detractors cut $204,000, and it still was not enough. Wood pointed out the city will still have $25 million in undesignated reserves.
Tags: Roswell, Roswell City Council
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