Fill out this form to email this article to a friend
Politics
These ideas won't make the cut
Clearwater City leaders have made clear that they anticipate significant budget cuts in 2007-08 and are seeking advice. But the City Council has already made clear there are some things they just won't do.
By MIKE DONILA
Published May 9, 2007
PAY RAISES Recommendation: Limit pay raises to 3 percent. Council: Some union contracts prevent this and it also hurts Clearwater's ability to recruit. HEALTH INSURANCE Recommendation: Freeze or cap the city's contribution to health insurance and consider a co-pay program. Council: Some union contracts also prevents this. And it would hamper recruitment, the city adds. Spending Recommendation: Cap increased spending on operations to inflation plus 1 percent. Council: Each year brings its own challenges, like the BeachWalk initiative, and a cap would remove flexibility and hamstring future councils. BUYOUTS Recommendation: Consider buyouts for those eligible for retirement. Council: Officials say it would take a "pretty significant" plan to encourage employees to leave, but would consider buyouts to jobs targeted for cuts. TAKE-HOME VEHICLES Recommendation: Limit take-home vehicles to those who live inside the county and do not use them as perks. Council: City would lose another recruiting tool, but may create a 20-mile take-home radius. STAFFING Recommendation: Review the management-to-staff ratio in departments, particularly for fire where task force members felt the ratio is inconsistent to nearby cities. Council: Reviews are done annually, and the city says fire "falls somewhere in the middle" compared to other cities. FIREFIGHTING Recommendation: Create a volunteer firefighting program at certain stations. Council: The city says training costs would offset any major savings and that Clearwater is "beyond the point of having" a volunteer fire department. Also, the city says it wants firefighters "trained at the highest level."
[Last modified May 8, 2007, 23:29:34]
Share your thoughts on this story
[an error occurred while processing this directive]
|
News
Fifty years ago, they were screwed-up kids sent to the Florida School for Boys to be straightened out. But now they are screwed-up men, scarred by the whippings they endured. Read the story and see a video and portrait gallery.
Print
Email story
Comment
Letter to the editor