Notes from the Jan. 10 Law & Criminal Justice committee meeting where the budgets for the Law Department, Police and Fire were presented.
Loukx presented budget and updated organization chart, there are some vacancies but changes made in 2010 to reflect the legal needs of the city. Terry Green, risk management was present his department is now attached to law dept.
They anticipate the filling of a section chief in taxation to take the tax collection department through STAX unit and make that have a chief that would also be a tax collector. Loukx said they have had great success with the internal garnishment program and collection.
They have reduced travel costs, the non-salary costs include arbitration costs that are not within the control or anticipation of the law department budget. Professional services are similar. He said there would be an ordinance that deals with labor negotiation
costs, another one is an environmental attorney from a 1990 consent decree, that they anticipate paying out of the stickney trust fund, where possible they try to find funding from another fund.
Collins said he noticed there are two budgets that overlap with the taxation situation is that going to end up out of law completely or into finance? Loukx said they are in the process of finishing a transfer, it’s possible it would remain in Law budget instead of finance are addressed, one is the confidentiality of records.
Collins said when finance did their budget they included a future hire for the supervisor/chief position, they have two attornies that are already doing that, it makes more sense to him to have that in the law department. Loukx said the section chief would be in the law dept. It said it’s a hybrid cooperative between both departments. Collins expressed concerns on creating a position to oversee this given the performance, Loukx said there are some issues that cry out for some supervision. Loukx said he sees this as a way to add another attorney and look at other aspects of city collection, the title would be section chief collections, eventually going into enterprise collections long term.
Collins expressed concern with some of the expenses related to outside costs especially related to collective barganing. Loukx said some of the concerns related to the pending legislation would be addressed. Collins asked for a concise and clear scope of work, Loukx said they can discuss that but he thinks when they go into this property at agenda review he’ll be satisfied.
Collins brought up the point of back billing through departments, he thinks the Law Department would better serve the city in doing that feeling that if the departments had to account for these items in their own budgets it may have some impact on the cavalier spending attitude by some departments.
Collins noted the reduction in personnel costs over the past few years with the Law Department.
Chief Michael Navarre was there for the police budget.
Number of police officers per capita, Toledo is the lowest of all of the major cities in Ohio with police 1.8 per thousand, that includes
the academy class that is set to graduate. 597 sworn officers, 110 civilian employees, there are some civilian vacancies they agreed to delay some to balance the budget, they are going to have to take a look at some other vacancy, they are weighing the costs.
33 retirements in 2010, 41 in 2009, projected 2011 is 50
An additional class of 25 is planned for 2011 and one for 2012. About 25 retirements will come in the first quarter.
Collins said he noticed personnel costs had been cut by over $3 million dollars. It was said it was because they ended the year with 597 sworn, the Dec. 31 2011 projection is 25 less than what we have today, 572 sworn officers. That would reduce the numbers to 1.65/1.7 per 1,000.
Collins asked what the number was when Navarre came on the force, Navarre said it was around 700. Collins said 725, 30 years ago.
Collins asked why there was a reduction in health care costs, Boone said it was because some officers were budgeted under grants, Boone said their was a number of grants, she said they totaled $3 million dollars.
He questioned that number. Navarre said TPS gives over $1 million to cover 50% of the officers time. That’s been reduced from 11 to 6 for the rest of this school year. The lion’s share of the grant funding is the COPS grant.
Ludeman said the pension account is almost a million more, Boone said wages going up, overtime and exigent circumstance payments.
Ludeman said the clothing budget is double, it was stated that was because of the new police class. Ludeman made a referral for the total grants for the police department for 2010 and 2011.
Brown questioned TPS hiring their own security, she didn’t see how they could do it for less. Navarre said his last conversation with Pecko he was told they had not made a decision yet.
Sarantou wanted to go back over the numbers of police officers now. He asked if back when we had over 700 officers if we had less civilians. Navarre said they still had civilains then, today we do have some civilians doing work that officers used to do. We were one of the last departments to civilianize the communication department. Sarantou felt having civilians was a plus.
There is still an overtime problem with communications, they need more staff according to Navarre. The department is coming in almost on projection for overtime in 2010.
The increase in overtime for 2011 is the payout that was comp’d in 2010.
Collins made a referral on burlgary stats in Toledo based on other cities.
Brown asked if they could sort out the University of Toledo area in the data.
Sarantou said in 2010 the police budget was 71.874 – 79.117 – $7 million more why is that more. He was told that was not a general fund total, that includes the tow lot and the grants. There is a difference of 3.7, which is personnel costs.
Details on the difference in amounts was asked for via referral by Sarantou. Collins asked for a referral on the comperable cities and use our budget to do a per capita police spending so they have an idea how they compare out in the state of Ohio as far as what percentage of the budget is spent on police services.
Fire Department Budget – Chief Wolever
There is an 8 million dollar increase, 3 million salary and wage increases to include 50 new employees and the raise Local 92 gets this year.
Next large increase is overtime, most of that is from what was deferred from 2010. $648,000.
Fire pension contribution is another large increase, this is the difference between the 3% and the 10% pension pick up, this is the recovery of that in 2011.
January 2010, 37 were hired, for January 11 they planned to hire 50, they have 48. That’s 85 hires, plus the 10 Ottawa Hills, 482 is the current strength, that does not count the class or Ottawa Hills. With the class that’s 532, then 10 more.
17 to 20 are predicted to retire the first quarter. Collins said the 50 and the 37 then 10 97 are coming in at 25% less and they don’t pay the additional 10% pension pick up, they pay 24% not 34% – police is 19.5%. Collins was told that is reflected in the pension pick up numbers.
Twenty percent is not in pension pick up and are making lower salaries, 27 predicted to retire for the whole year, he wanted to know how personnel costs go up $3 million, they are adding 60 people, that’s 12% more fire fighters. The overtime recall will be down to almost nothing, they spent $3 million in overtime for 2010. They carried over $1.7 million comp time from 2010 to 2011.
Collins noted the PERS contribution doubles in one line item, it is because 15 dispatchers transferred from police to fire. The percentage changed for existing fire fighters went from 2.7 million more than 2010. Boone said she would have to answer that by referral, she said it had to do with exigent circumstances. Collins said it was his understanding they were reimbursed in 2010. Collins said that needed to be cleared up or it had to come out of the budget.
Collins asked about the increase of $600,000 for health care, it was stated it was related to new employees, but it was his understanding Fire command was no longer in that plan. It was stated the 6.4 million is not all for Local 92, Collins wanted that broken down as to what’s going in the fire fund.
Collins also asked the increase in meals of $3,000. It was stated the 2010 budget item was under-estimated what it should be which is closer to $7,000.
The clothing stiping allowance was not paid in 2010, now it’s over $240,000. It was a concession item in 2010. Education in 2010 went from $10,000 to $170,000 that’s for paramedic training.
They bring in $360,00 a year in fees in permits, total operating costs for inspections is about the same they bring in revenue, it’s revenue neutral.
Sarantou asked for a referral on insurance costs to compare what they are paying for in fire versus what the city pays for it’s other employees.
Martinez had a question on one line item, there was an error. Boone said she would go back into the data base there is an error with the first line combining with the second line. He had some questions about other line items related to education. Two were contractual stipends that each fire fighter gets that are $500.00 each, the other was tuition reimbursement.
Collins made a request for the same referrals for fire as police, fire fighters per capita here and in the state and what percentage of dollars from the general fund goes to Toledo compared with other comparable Ohio cities.
Woelver said when asked if all ten Ottawa Hills was coming in at the beginning fire salary, said yes, then clarified to years of service.
