It's a short week, but the cities of Champaign and Urbana still have Council meetings.
Facing a budget deficit due to declining sales tax and property tax revenues, the city council cut about $2.3 million in spending, resulting in estimated costs at $67.5 million.
The city has a 10-year capital improvements plan with $33 million budgeted for next year – down $2 million annually, phased in over the next four years. Among the significant adjustments were a $1 million expansion project on Prospect Avenue from Windsor Road to Savoy that was changed to a $260,000 asphalt overlay project; a $3.5 million expansion project on Mattis Avenue from Windsor to Curtis roads that changed to a $300,000 overlay project; a $2.5 million project on Duncan Road from Windsor to Curtis that was delayed; and a $5 million project on Duncan from Springfield to Kirby avenues that was changed to a $450,000 asphalt overlay project.
Agenda here.
Allocation of more than $125,000 in federal stimulus money for improvements to Green Street from Vine Street to Cottage Grove Avenue will be the topic of the special meeting. John Schneider, grants division manager, said in a memo to council members that use of the federal grant would reduce the amount of local money needed for the project and make that money available for other projects.
Agenda here.
I'm wondering if now is really a good time to add another position on parking--I thought the City needed revenue to pay off the parking deck, etc. If staff has it's way, that revenue will be reduced by about $70,000; and I suspect that we'll be looking at an additional supervisor at some point, since staff also suggests that the addition of this position will require the supervisor to supervise 11 people (without any real information as to why that would be a bad thing, or why it couldn't be done). In terms of maintenance of meters, are there other AFSCME positions that could be used to do this?
Disappointing - City couldn't move fast enough to annex every parcel it could lay it's hands on West of I-57 (Trails, Ironwood) but when it's time to improve the roads (Mattis Prospect Duncan) all they can do is asphault overlays three or four years down the road. We will have the fanciest overpass garnishes in downstate Illinois there on Curtis Rd. Too bad no arterial streets will be done for a few years.
We will have the fanciest overpass garnishes in downstate Illinois there on Curtis Rd. Too bad no arterial streets will be done for a few years
It's rather silly to compare the cost of the overpass decorations to the cost of paving a road, don't you think?
Don't you think the point is the City's priorities? Yes, the amount of money spent on decorating an over pass won't pay for street overlay--but how about the City spending $150,000 to celebrate 100 year anniversary when they can't pay for essential services, like street maintenance? How about the staff recommending another parking enforcement/maintenance worker at a cost of $70,000 when they're not filling positions, and the parking deck isn't working out money-wise? In the past, the City has always been flush with cash and able to throw money at any problem that cropped up. Now, the chickens have come home to roost, and all of the money that went to employee awards, pancake breakfasts, and other luxuries, over the course of the past 10 years, could have been better spent on essentials.
and all of the money that went to employee awards, pancake breakfasts, and other luxuries, over the course of the past 10 years, could have been better spent on essentials.
I blame the powerful Aunt Jemima lobby for this atrocity of spending a couple thousand dollars on employee morale over 10 years. Their syrupy greed knows no bounds.
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First of all, Jason Barickman/the Champaign County Republican Central Commitee and I have made out. - Robert Dunn on 2009-05-04 @ 4:22pm
"Now, the chickens have come home to roost, and all of the money that went to employee awards, pancake breakfasts, and other luxuries, over the course of the past 10 years, could have been better spent on essentials. "
I don't consider common-sense measures to create or maintain a highly motivated workforce to be luxuries. Those sorts of things aren't exclusive to the public sector, and many businesses use them as low-cost ways to raise productivity.
Sorry, but I don't consider these to be common-sense, and I doubt seriously if the City recruits or keeps employees using these kinds of things. We'll just have to agree to disagree on this (but ARvid, I thought your Aunt Jemima comment was kind of funny).
"Sorry, but I don't consider these to be common-sense, and I doubt seriously if the City recruits or keeps employees using these kinds of things."
I do. I don't know if your company does a family picnic, or Christmas Party, or recognize years of service, but mine has done all of the above, and it makes all the difference in the world.
"Sorry, but I don't consider these to be common-sense, and I doubt seriously if the City recruits or keeps employees using these kinds of things."
I'm guessing that CD believes that work should be its own reward, and that city employees should expect to be rewarded twice as much next year? Either that, or he works for "B is for Business"...
All kidding aside, Champaign Dweller, this isn't a case of "agree to disagree" here. You're just flat-out wrong on perks not being why people stick around in their jobs, and there are lots of studies out there that agree. I challenge you to find consistent studies that support your assertion that low-cost perks hurt productivity and job satisfaction.
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First of all, Jason Barickman/the Champaign County Republican Central Commitee and I have made out. - Robert Dunn on 2009-05-04 @ 4:22pm