How Much is not Enough

Neosho’s 2010-2011 budget is 1 step closer to being formally adopted by the city council.  Last night, in a 3-2 vote, the council approved on first reading a budget that continues forward with a 20% reduction in work force over last year, no monies for the Chamber of Commerce ED (economic development) contract and frozen pay for all city employees.  In total, cuts from the budget totaled around $1.7 million to get it balanced.

But despite new leadership both in governance (with our new CM) and finance (with our new finance director), despite cuts that make Neosho a much more streamlined operation, and despite a budget process and document that is clearest and most user-friendly document (not to mention transparent and available) I’ve seen from our city, that wasn’t enough to get past a 3-2 vote – a vote tally that only highlights the continuing division of the council.

Opponents of the budget expressed concerns over the pay of the city manager (which is controlled and set by the same council) and concerns about the capital projects list (a list required by our Charter to be prepared by the city manager.)

In reference to capital projects, Councilwoman Bowers was quoted in today’s Neosho Daily News as saying “All we’re approving is blank checks, and I don’t approve that,”.  For the record, that’s not what last night’s vote did.  Any bids for those proposed projects would still require approval by council before moving forward. 

Regarding an employee list of vacant and unfunded positions included in the budget, Ms. Bowers expressed concerns that those positions should not be filled without council approval.  For the record, since monies do not exist to fund them, any additional funding that comes available to fund them must BY CHARTER be approved by council. 

Councilman Wright was opposed to the budget based in part on the salary of the city manager.  He was quoted in the Neosho Daily as saying “what do we have to do to lower the city manager’s salary?”  Since the council sets the city manager’s salary, the correct answer is the council would simply have to do it.  For the record, the CM’s salary is the same as when he was hired – that hiring occurred in April by this same council on a vote of 4-1 with Councilwoman Bowers voting ‘no’.  It is also close to $20,000 less than the salary of the former CM in last year’s budget.

Despite my hopes that this budget would be the first step in getting the entire council (and eventually the public) behind our city’s new leadership, it appears that will not be the case.