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Burlington s budget normally reaches the City Council in the formof a thick, unmanageable and monstrous Excel file, said InterimChief Administration Officer Paul Sisson on Monday. But not this year. New accounting software will be in place by Julyand a condensed chart of accounts has already been created, Sissonexplained. In addition, the council has decided to hold a series ofbudget work sessions that previously involved only members of theBoard of Finance. I really wanted to have these work sessions, explained CouncilPresident Joan Shannon at the start of the first meeting, whichunveiled the new chart of accounts format and included a review ofproposed budgets for the Fire Department and Department of PublicWorks. At least three more sessions will be needed to examineprojected expenses and revenues for the remaining departments andcity enterprises. Rather than going through all the details twice, first in theFinance Board and later at a council meeting, Shannon suggestedthat the legislators consider a different approach, especiallysince the many changes in both format and budget content this yearmay generate more questions than usual. On May 3 Sisson and Mayor Miro Weinberger announced that noproperty tax increase will be needed to produce a balanced budgetfor FY 2013. Last winter the previous administration, projecting adeficit of $750,000, asked for a two-cent increase in the generalcity property tax rate. The City Council rejected that idea, andWeinberger expressed skepticism about the numbers during hiscampaign. After Sisson was appointed on April 2 the new administration lookedat how to eliminate the deficit through spending reductions andchanges in revenue forecasts. One of the first revelations was thatthe potential shortfall looked even larger. An interim settlementon Burlington Telecom between the city and Citibank meant that$425,000 had to be placed in escrow, increasing the projecteddeficit to $1.2 million. A month later Sisson announced that the gap had been closed. Thelargest saving will be a $350,000 decrease in cost of livingadjustments (COLA) for employees, based on an internal audit andre-computation of labor contract impacts. The Department of PublicWorks anticipates $300,000 worth of changes in revenue and expenseprojections. About $200,000 more will be saved on expenses for thepolice department s North Avenue building by prepaying a leasewith bond proceeds. Bonds will also be used to save $105,000 in lease payments forcapital projects, as well as for DPW equipment and a heating,ventilation and air conditioning unit at the airport. TheBurlington Electric Department will handle $60,000 in workers compensation costs previously covered by the general fund. Money transferred to the Community and Economic Development Officewill be reduced $50,000 by recalculating rent expenses for theCriminal Justice Center and eliminating a funding request forgraffiti removal. The forecast for gross receipts tax revenue has increased by$50,000. On Monday, Sisson did not dwell on the savings, instead he briefedthe council on the new format and improvements in budget adjustmentmethodology that should allow more timely action when variancesdevelop. Some changes address internal control problems identifiedby the state auditor. The councilors also heard from fire department Chief Seth Laskerand DPW Director Steve Goodkind. Their presentations combinedoverviews on departmental activities with the proposed budgets. Last year the fire department responded to 7,000 dispatch calls, ofwhich 65 percent were emergency medical responses, Lasker noted.The department has two staffed ambulances and one spare to handlewhat has evolved into a technical, expensive part of ourbusiness. In such situations the goal is to have an engine at the location inthree minutes, often before an ambulance even arrives. The firetrucks are sent in part to help move patients, but also becausethey must be prepared to go directly from a medical emergency to afire. It s actually more effective to have less vehicles, Lasker noted. In addition to dealing with medical emergencies and extinguishingfires, the department deals with hazardous materials, rescues, andemergency planning. Another task is fire prevention andinvestigation, which involves about 10,000 contacts a year toinspect licensed facilities and approve permits for newconstruction. Personnel costs account for 89 percent of the department sproposed $6.1 million budget, a 4.5 percent increase over lastyear. Burlington is becoming a busier place, Lasker said. Call volumehas increased 19 percent over the last five years with no budgetincrease. Reasons for the rising volume include improved carbonmonoxide detection and more calls to the University of Vermont,which is adding upgraded buildings to the municipal fire alarmsystem. The department has absorbed this through efficiencies andshopping around, he explained. An agreement between UVM andBurlington, set to be renegotiated this summer, includes a fee fordepartmental services. Institutions like UVM are also charged whenthey request municipal alarm boxes. A new $150 fee was recently added to cover the dramatic increase in time of sale home inspections. Last year the departmentconducted 300 such inspections, most involving repeat visits. Ifthe trend continues this could bring in an additional $35,000. The proposed DPW budget is $6.3 million, plus an additional$524,000 for the city s recycling program. But projected revenuesof $6.8 million mean that the gap will be just $49,294, thelowest need from the general fund ever, said Goodkind. The department maintains equipment and fuel for 11 citydepartments, all but the public schools. The current downward trendin fuel prices should help to create an overall $150,000 saving inthis area, but could be an issue in the future, Goodkind said.Eliminating vehicle leases will net $50,000. Revenues from inspection services are projected to rise by $260,000next year, a 56 percent increase. The department is adding theoption of credit card payments for trade inspections. Savings arealso expected in engineering services due to a projected 16.6percent increase in revenues. The city s ambitious program of sidewalk work will continue, butan increase in revenues is expected to result in a $90,000improvement, Goodkind said. After the presentation Councilor Sharon Bushor, a Ward 1independent and member of the Board of Finance, mentioned hearingsome concerns at a Neighborhood Planning Assembly about moretimely feedback from customer service. Goodkind said that plansfor a more automated tracking system should lead to improvedfollowup. Ward 2 Councilor Max Tracy, a Progressive elected to his first termin March, inquired about the allotment for bike lanes. AlthoughGoodkind did not provide a specific number, he said that it will bepart of $815,000 budgeted for sidewalks, bike lanes and relatedmatters based on complaints and priorities. Paul Decelles, a Ward 7 Republican recently appointed to theFinance Board, wondered whether bike riders might be charged asmall fee to offset the cost of maintaining the lanes. Goodkindnoted that since street improvements are funded through a specialcity tax everyone more or less contributes. Once the presentations were completed Shannon asked whether thecouncil wanted to continue holding work sessions. Thisinformation is valuable, she noted, and as we go forward, andare faced with a new budget that isn t comparable to the previousone, it seems a waste of time to have all departments present toboth finance and the full council. Several councilors described the new approach as an improvement. These presentations were clear, commented Ward 2 Democrat BramKranichfeld, the first time that has happened. Ward 4′sDavid Hartnett, also a Democrat, said he too appreciated theopportunity for earlier involvement. Already this is better than it s ever been, said Decelles.More effort could be made to inform and involve the public, headded, but if charter allows it, I m all for that. Ward 5 Democrat Chip Mason, another council newcomer, suggestedthat whether all council members are involved in the early stagesof the process is mainly a matter of custom, since the financeboard will still review the big budget before it comes beforethe full council for adoption. Mason added that he was more likelyto attend council work sessions than finance board meetings. Bushor did not oppose the new process, but was not enthusiasticabout too much streamlining. Finance is charged with reviewing the budget in more detail, she noted. I don t want to shortchange that process. Although acknowledging that the new chart of accounts formatdeveloped by Sisson is easier to understand, Bushor added that theold one contained more details. If you took the time you couldhave more understanding, she said. I have no problem with whole council attending, Bushor added, but not if we don t get a full presentation. I want to make surewe have the time we need. Sisson projects that three more sessions will be needed to reviewall departments, plus enterprises such as the Burlington ElectricDepartment, Burlington Telecom and the airport. On Monday, May 21,the focus will be BED and Parks and Recreations. BT, CEDO, theairport and the retirement fund will be examined last. A Thursday, May 17, session was devoted to smaller units such asthe City Attorney s office, Human Resources, Planning and Zoning,Code Enforcement, and the Fletcher Free Library. Preliminarybudgets for these and other departments are available at thecity s website ( www.burlingtonvt.gov ). Proposed expenses for the library are $1,299,748, an increase ofless than 2 percent. Book fund expenses could decrease by almost$6,000. Expenses are expected to rise from $889,869 to $935,048 in theDepartment of Code Enforcement, mainly due to an increase of$65,407 in the salary account. But a projected increase in revenuesshould offset most of this. The proposed $643,450 budget for the city attorney s officeindicates an increase of $33,000, also mainly due to salaries. Theproposed $396,911 budget for Human Resources reflects a similarincrease, with the salary line rising from $281,257 to $313,080.For Planning and Zoning the proposal is $562,146 in expenses, a14.4 percent increase due mainly to salaries, some of which may beoffset by revenues. We are high quality suppliers, our products such as Outdoor Led Spotlight , China Dimmable Led Spotlight for oversee buyer. To know more, please visits PAR Led Spotlight.
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