City Cuts Cultural Arts, Segway from Operating Fund Budget

With an eye on trimming wherever it can, the city's Committee of the Whole made some last-minute amendments to the general fund operating budget Monday night.

The COW voted to recommend passage of the all its budgets, but made amendments to the general fund that included cutting:

• $5,000 for the Cultural Arts Commission

The commission had $5,000 "seed money" in this year's budget. Aldermen voted 5-4 to eliminate that $5,000 in 2011-12, noting the the Cultural Arts Commission had a balance of about $43,000—thanks in part to its successful fundraising event "Dancing with the Geneva Stars."

Alderman Craig Maladra said he supports the Cultural Arts Commission, "but I think that a $43,000 balance is a healthy balance, and we can get the same return from letting the committee draw from that balance."

First Ward Alderman Chuck Brown argued in favor of leaving the $5,000 in the budget because cultural arts investment usually pays dividends in tourism and sales tax dollars.

"Cultural arts money is money that comes back many times in return," he said.

• $7,500 for the Police Department to buy a Segway transportation vehicle.

Half of that $7,500 is from the general fund operating budget.

The Segway is one of those open-air vehicles where the driver stands up. Staff had recommended the purchase on the grounds that it's "green" transportation and would save money by cutting back on the use of squad cars for patrols or events like Swedish Days.

The committee voted 7-2 to reject a third amendment. This one would have eliminated a position for a second-in-command in the Finance Department. The position would be an "upgrade" of a position that's presently unfilled.

Staff and some city officials said that the position is needed to provide backup to Finance Manager Tom Dahl.

"Right now our finance manager is the only accountant on staff," Alderman Sam Hill said.

"I would hope we would have another CPA in the house," Dahl said.

Mayor Kevin Burns argued that the city has an obligation to the public and to city staff to make sure there is more than one in-house Finance Department administrator to oversee a $75 million budget.

"There's no way in hell we're going to outsource that position," Burns said.

Alderman Richard Marx said he did not want to hold up the budget process with an extended debate on salaries or staffing—but it is a topic the council should publicly discuss.

"I thought we had a general hiring freeze," he said. "I don't mind having a placeholder, but I think we should have a discussion on staffing separate from the budget."

Removing the Segway purchase and $5,000 from the operating fund budget does not result in a savings to taxpayers, City Administrator Mary McKittrick said. In a balanced budget, revenues meet expenditures, and those monies simply would be moved to another fund.