08/06/2002 Meeting Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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Council Minutes of 8/6/2002 the short term and long term proposed options, and still not believe the administration could possibly save $744,000 with all of them combined. The administration is attempting to stop the hemorrhaging with aBand-Aid. Because these proposed options the administration is currently pursuing will not make much of a difference to the $3.5+ million problem, the administration intends to take it out on the little guy, the employees of the city. Two secretarial positions have been eliminated, the Auxiliary Police budget has been reduced to the point that, if an emergency presents itself in the neaz future, the residents will suffer. It is his understanding that ten school guard positions have been eliminated for this upcoming school year and that the entire school guazd program is on the chopping block. What is next? Layoffs of police, fire and service employees have been threatened. These employees provide the "Quality Level of Service" to the residents of the city, which the administration purports to try and maintain. ^ He feels the administration is irresponsible in the handling of the financial and administrative affairs of the city. He is a member of the Police Auxiliary Unit-a very proud group of men and women who do whatever it takes to support our police officers, fire fighters, city workers and residents. Because of budget cuts, the Auxiliary Unit will not be performing most of their functions for this yeaz. One of these functions is "development patrol" where they aze an extra set of eyes and ears for the Police Department. One service of this patrol was to deliver the City Council packets to Council members and the Mayor. Now commissioned police officers, who are paid more than auxiliaries, will have to make those deliveries. If cutting the Auxiliary Police budget saves the job of just one full-time police employee, then he will be more than honored to give up his hours in that part-time job to save the job of a police officer. They aze a part of his family, and he will support them all. He thinks it is time for the Mayor and City Council to discontinue police delivery of Council packets in order to keep a commissioned officer on the road performing the more important functions that they were hired to so, protecting the residents of the city. At the beginning of the year, the North Olmsted School District was faced with a financial crisis and there was limited school transportation in effect. The Police Department rose to the challenge of an increased number of children walking to school by increasing the number of school crossing guards by using members of the Police Auxiliary Unit. It seems ironic that the first group to get cut by the Mayor and the administration is the Auxiliary Police Unit, followed by the school crossing guazds. He thinks it is time to look at the administrative jobs at City Hall and start cutting there first. He thinks it is irresponsible for the Finance Director to say that: "I hazdly call Springvale the reason we aze where we aze." Deferring $63,000 in administrative fees and transferring a possible $100,000 from the General fund to Springvale's Operating Fund helps to continue the financial problem of the city. Springvale is 22% of the city's proposed problem for the rest of this yeaz. Discounting it is irresponsible. John Davis, 5862 Barton Road, attended the February 19 meeting and spoke about the safety issue of a sidewalk down Bradley Road. On May 8, he was assured by the Service Director that it would be taken care of before school started and the promise is in the Council minutes. He understands the city is in a financial crunch. At the May 8 meeting, 11 w,« ~ ~, _ .~_ ~ .. , ~.,.~,r:, r,.... ,.