City manager proposes budget cuts

[KCMax]

KC manager proposes big budget cuts

Schulte recommends cutting the fire department by more than 100 positions to save money because fire calls have dropped sharply in recent years. That cut would help free up about $7.6 million — money which could go toward raises for remaining city employees.

At the same time, Schulte is recommending raises of $7.5 million, in part for management employees who haven’t had a raise in three years. Of the $7.5 million, $5 million would go for police, but would be placed in a contingency fund until the police department agrees to join the city’s health insurance program.

Other key elements of Schulte’s proposed city budget:

• Funding for street preservation would drop by $2 million and street reconstruction by $2.5 million.

• Funding for parks maintenance would drop by $1 million.

• The city would eliminate the spring curbside leaf and brush collection, saving $100,000.

• The city would spend about $350,000 more to ensure public safety and other services during this summer’s All-Star baseball events in July.

[cityscape]

I find it ironic they want to layoff individuals to provide raises to others. Not that the layoffs aren't justified, it just seems strange to allocate the savings towards raises when in my opinion more money, not less, should be spent on infrastructure. Infrastructure has seen some of the biggest cuts in KCMO over the past couple years and I don't think cutting it further is good for business when city streets and other public structures are crumbling and in need of serious repair or replacement.

[cdm2p]

Revenues have not increased. Expenses need to be reduced. It's painful and unsettling but it needs to happen.

[kboish]

http://www.kansascity.com/2012/02/09/34 ... treet.html

James' reaction to Schulte's budget cuts. James is just very politically savvy. Says he supports the cuts to the Fire Depts budget, but not firing firefighters. Going to leave it up to Smokey to figure out how to make the savings... Brilliant. Smokey says the dept can't survive reduction in firefighters, James says ok, i agree...but you're still not getting the money.

[mean]

$200,000 for a pilot closed circuit TV program for police to monitor streets in real time in high-crime areas.

Hrmm... not sure about this. Not digging the surveillance state.

[aknowledgeableperson]

What do you have to hide?






Corrected. Thanks.

[chingon]

What do you have to hid?

An "e", perhaps?

[chingon]

$200,000 for a pilot closed circuit TV program for police to monitor streets in real time in high-crime areas.

Hrmm... not sure about this. Not digging the surveillance state.

I'm with you, but its like sweeping up sand on the beach, at this point. Fucking facebook generation.

This, however:

$200,000 to hire and provide staff for a “chief innovation officer” to recommend innovations and make sure the city’s money is spent in an efficient way.

Seems like somebody should already be doing that. Like the city manager's office. Or the Director of Finance's office. Or the City Council.

Jesus, if they want to give city management raises while laying off workers, you think they'd have the decency to do things like "recommend innovations" and "make sure the city's money is spent in an efficient way", or as most people call it: "manage the city".

Is there seriously no one who does those things now? Or, rather, who should? The city's website says

As the city's chief administrator, the city manager is responsible for making city government run efficiently and economically.

(emphasis added)

If an unelected newspaper editorialist with a vendetta and his unelected city government mouthpiece think the FD is bloated, maybe they should think about things like why a city government would need to hire someone to make sure city government is not hiring too many people in city government do do the jobs that city government should already be doing.

[chingon]

What do you have to hide?






Corrected. Thanks.

Damn. Wasted what I thought was a perfectly good " internet clever" moment...

[KCPowercat]

I don't mind most of the suggestions but the Chief Innovation Officer could probably be tabled.

[cdm2p]

Innovation and efficiency is everyone's responsibility. Unless sly has somebody specifically in mind, which is entirely possible.

[mean]

I think at least 70% of the members of this forum would make an excellent innovation officer.

[KCMax]

And 1% would recommend investing the city budget entirely in building a giant Ross Dress for Less.

[loftguy]

Innovation and efficiency is everyone's responsibility.

True, but it's not the individual focus.

I've met a couple of people who fit the Innovation Officer role described and they are freaking savants. It's as though they can see the matrix within an organization and even massive faults and inneficiencies are sometimes not apparent to the rest of us until they lay it all out on the table for public display.

Mayor James impresses me more all the time.

[chingon]

Here's a suggestion for the new innovation and efficiency czar:

De-annex 100 sq. miles.

[cdm2p]

You know ... We complain about low density development and sprawl but have we ever stopped to think that we've lost so much population in the core that population densities in some blocks are equal to or worse than in some exurbs?
I would be in favor of vacating blocks and consolidating residents in fewer blocks, particularly if the cost of doing so is equal to or less than providing upgraded infrastructure and services to them. This has happened before in Detroit and it has happened in Kansas city where rather than building a bridge to serve 6 or 8 houses, the city found it more cost efficient to relocate those home owners and tear down the bridge.
If you can't get on board with that plan, you cannot bitch about sprawl.

[mean]

Here's a suggestion for the new innovation and efficiency czar:

De-annex 100 sq. miles.

Hell, why just 100?

Here's another suggestion for a new innovation and efficiency czar:

If the suburban munis aren't going to utilize the KCATA as an asset, then stop running our damn buses out there. Also consider dropping most northland routes. How many people actually commute from north of the river? 12?

[cdm2p]

Er... ATA doesn't just run buses to other cities willy nilly. They have contracts with those cities. They get the level of service they pay for.

[FangKC]

This innovation officer might be more than an accountant or administrator. It's more of a science and technology position.

This position might be involved in how to use innovations in materials, equipment, and technology to save the city money. This is a very experience-oriented and education-involved type of position. I would guess that this person would be more involved in scoping out how to do things differently.

For example, they might research and purchase things like electronic ticket writing devices for cops and parking meter enforcement. This would go directly into the system from the street and cut down on paper. It also might provide data on how people parking illegally, or after meter expiration, are preventing additional revenue collections from parking meters in some high traffic areas. It also might provide information on what blocks have the most illegal parking, so that meter staff can patrol those areas more frequently instead of driving around other areas where it's not so much a problem. The City might be able to figure out that they might be able to get rid of some meter staff, and still write the same number of tickets, and collect the same amount of revenue with less staff.

Another example would be purchase of city vehicles. This position might research alternative energy vehicles and provide data on which types might save the City a lot of money. Could the City get by completely on Nissan Leaf traffic enforcement vehicles? These vehicles run entirely on electricity--no gas. Right now in Missouri, the cost for running a electric vehicle using electricity equals about $1.59 per gallon for gasoline to travel the same distance. Could the City get by with some hybrid police vehicles? This person would also have to investigate the cost of maintenance for these vehicles, and decide if some electric or hybrid vehicles might have maintenance savings or not.

They might investigate which cell phones and plans are the best deal in cost and features.

They might investigate which asphalt mixtures last longest.

They might also work with systems management consultants to figure out how to make the City function more efficiently. They might find software that shares information between property code enforcement officers, animal-control officers, and city tax collection staff to figure out what property owners are causing the most trouble for the City in complaints; if they are multi-non-compliant, and if and when their property has reached the point that the City can seize it for unpaid taxes. Sometimes, the tax non-compliance issue can solve the other problems for the City.

Many companies are hiring these types of people now because purchasing officers and managers don't have time to figure out the advantages of certain technologies, and can't keep up with them. This type of position can literally save an organization so much money that they easily pay for their salary and expenses.

[mean]

Er... ATA doesn't just run buses to other cities willy nilly. They have contracts with those cities. They get the level of service they pay for.

I thought the contracts were for the bus lines that circulated, say, between the Indy Square and the Center, but the ATA sent the 24 to the Square on its own dime. Is this incorrect?