Mayor discusses amendment proposal to solve budget deficit

Mayor Lorenz Walker discussed a budget compromise at the Bossier City Council's agenda meeting Tuesday to help solve the $6.5 million 2010 budget deficit.

Walker's new proposal will reduce non-personnel expenses to 20 percent and reduce loss of city department personnel from 60 to approximately 40. It also suggests using $1,960,994 from gaming revenue to solve the remaining deficit.

Walker also said he "wholeheartedly" supports a millage renewal, when it comes up for a vote in April 2010. The city estimates that if the election is successful and the council rolled forward the remaining millage maximums, the current rate of 21.69 mills would increase to 25.89 mills.

This would produce an estimated $12,852,728, with over $2 million of that being additional funds. All funds from the election would not be available until the 2011 budget year.

The new mills would go to fund fire and police department operations and fire and police salaries.

"If the citizens support it, I have every reason to believe the police and fire unions would fully support it because it helps them," said Walker.

Walker asked that the council delay the vote on the adoption from Dec. 1 to Dec. 15 to consider the proposal.
The proposal comes in the wake of Council President Don Williams and council member David Montgomery, Jr.'s  amended budget proposal at their regular meeting last Tuesday.

Williams' and Montgomery's budget differs in that department heads would reduce all non-personnel line items expenditures by 15 percent and 60 employees from city departments would be cut.

Both budgets eliminate the yearly 2.25 percent step increase for non-public safety employees, the annual longevity increases of two percent for fire and police for anyone with over 23 years of service and the education pay incentive for fire and police employees. They also include no raises or merit increases other than anyone with less than 23 years of service and have a built-in hiring and manning level freeze for 2010 as well as no increase for department heads.

"I think the amendments last week would cause some serious operational problems, so what I'm suggesting is that you would take a little time to look at this. I think it retains the key element of the amendment proposed last week," said Walker.

Williams wanted to know why Walker wanted to compromise now, saying, "You proposed a budget to us, now you withdraw your budget. In a meeting I had with you, I asked you in good faith to work for a compromise and you said 'This is my budget. I'm sticking with it.' And now that we have proposed a budget, you want to go back and propose another one."

"I proposed a budget knowing that it's your authority to amend it, but after I saw what you amended I no longer felt it was in the best interest of the city not to look at other options," responded Walker.

"You thought of an option before you first submitted your budget?" asked councilman Jeffery Darby.

"I think that at the rate our expenses are growing, we are going to have a continuing problem. I don't want to lay anybody off," said Walker.

"Did you think of this in 2009?" Darby asked.

"No, I just thought about it the other day," Walker said sarcastically.

Darby pointed out that he noted expenses were growing during the 2009 budget process and that he didn't support the budget. Meanwhile Walker said his budget was conservative and that if people wanted to vote him to "let them vote."
"There are several things the administration has proposed that you haven't supported Councilman Darby and yes I did make those statements. They were a dumb thing to say, but yes, I did say them," responded Walker.

Council member Timothy Larkin said he was glad to have another option to look at when considering the budget amendment process.

"There some things we as a council can further consider amendment to. I'm glad we all understand that adopting the budget is a process, but I hope we don't get so caught up on one process that we leave some stone unturned that might be of benefit to the city," said Larkin.

Tabitha Michaelson, a Bossier City Information Services employee, informed the council of the work her department does. She said with the proposed cuts of four employees, reducing the count from 11 to seven, she said the loss would be "catastrophic."

"I not only stand up here for my department, but for every other department that will be losing good people," said Michaelson. "Do your homework before voting yes on the amended budget proposal. Voting yes will not only set the city back 10 years, you will be crippling fire and police's functionality as well."

During the budget process taking place last month, the city administration found that projected revenue for the 2010 general fund, which provides funds for the city’s operating expenses, will have a $6.5 million shortfall.

The budget does not meet the amount needed to maintain the current level of personnel and services provided by the city and adjustments must be made in staffing and other expenditures. The city has been offsetting this in recent years by pulling money from the fund balance, but the deficit has grown too large and the council agreed to not make this change again.

Walker had proposed a workforce reduction of 117 Bossier City staff members, mostly from the police and fire departments, to offset the deficit.

The police and fire departments would see a reduction of 40 positions each while other city departments would lose 37 positions.

Although this will go towards fixing the 2010 deficit, Walker believes that there will be another deficit next year.

"I think we are going to have a problem next year, but at least this would give us $2 million we didn't have before and we wouldn't have to transfer money out of the general fund," he said.

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