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Adam Ford
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| The mayor proposed closing the jail, laying off 59 police and possibly closing a fire station in addition to apparently raising sewer and water rates just to make ends meet. |
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Mon Apr 07, 2008 5:38 pm |
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FlintConservative
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| No way...Flint is the most financially sound city in Michigan...he said so himself. |
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Mon Apr 07, 2008 6:07 pm |
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00SL2
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Flint Mayor Don Williamson's proposed budget calls for closing city jail, laying off police
Posted by Joe Lawlor | The Flint Journal April 07, 2008 20:22PM
Categories: Breaking News, Community: Flint, Police, Politics
FLINT, Michigan -- Mayor Don Williamson's proposed budget -- which includes eliminating 59 police officers and closing the city jail --was met with derision by City Council members.
"I told you so," said Councilman Scott Kincaid, referring to how he predicted the city would have to layoff police officers. "This is a disgrace."
Councilwoman Jackie Poplar said she would not support a budget that shortchanges public safety.
"We would be absolute idiots to get rid of one police officer,"Poplar said. The $66 million general fund budget would be $10 million leaner than the 2007-08 budget.
In all, 174 positions would be eliminated across a number of departments, which means massive layoffs are likely. Nine firefighter positions will also be eliminated.
City Administrator Darryl Buchanan declined to say whether the layoffs would happen before the beginning of the fiscal year on July 1. The city has already laid off more than 60 employees since Jan. 1.
Williamson was not present at the meeting, but when reached by telephone and asked about the cuts to public safety, the mayor said there's simply not enough money.
"I don't feel good about laying off anybody, and that's why we avoided it for so long," Williamson said. "We're going to survive this and we're going to protect the taxpayers."
Buchanan said the council should come up with solutions to help get the city out of its budget problems.
"The council needs to get off of their soapbox," Buchanan said.
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Permalink:
http://blog.mlive.com/flintjournal/newsnow/2008/04/flint_mayor_don_williamsons_pr.html
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Mon Apr 07, 2008 8:15 pm |
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Adam Ford
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http://abclocal.go.com/wjrt/story?section=news/local&id=6067183
FLINT (WJRT) -- 04/07/08 --"Opening the jail, going to one-man cars, going to inspectors -- those there are as solid as the Rock of Gibraltar," Flint Mayor Don Williamson said Monday.
Six months after making a campaign promise to protect Flint's police and fire departments, Flint's mayor has forwarded a budget that would cut 60 police officers, nine firefighters, the city jail and its entire staff.
It's a budget that left City Council members so outraged Monday night that they won't even consider the budget in its present state.
People on both sides of the City Hall battle say they've never seen anything like it before. It's usually a formality to accept this budget for future consideration.
Monday night, eight of the nine council members said "no" to the formality, while even some of the mayor's staunchest allies voted against the plan.
"Even though I support a lot of the mayor's ideas, I sometimes have to take a stand and do what I think is best for the residents," said Councilwoman Sandy Hill.
Despite standing by his side through many political battles, Hill says even she could not support him considering a budget that cuts 60 police officers, nine firefighters, and closes the jail without a mention of these facts to the council or public.
The mayor's budget director promised that details of the budget would be coming in a week, but gave council an overview of the cuts.
"You'll see a reduction of every department in the general fund," said Budget Director Michael Townsend.
But as council members scoured numbers for the first time, they were outraged in what they saw as the missing details.
"Not once did he talk about police officers being laid off and what impact that has on the city, residents," said Councilman Scott Kincaid.
"Not once did he talk about firefighters being laid off and what impact that has on city residents. Not once did he talk about a deficit at the end of this year."
And without such an explanation, the council said overwhelmingly it did not even want to accept the mayor's budget for review.
"They need to get off their soap boxes and do something positive for the community," said City Administrator Darryl Buchanan. "This is another stall tactic."
"The charter says the mayor shall present the budget," Kincaid said. "The bigger question is, where's the mayor?"
Kincaid and a majority of the council are demanding details before they'll even move on the formality of receiving the budget.
The city attorney says she's looking into the legality of the council's move.
Meanwhile, the budget director said he fully planned to give details next week, including information on whether the budget calls for an increase in water and sewer rates as well. |
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Mon Apr 07, 2008 9:59 pm |
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Tegan
F L I N T O I D
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maybe it was financially sound... except for all the lost lawsuits...
oops.
forgot to factor that in. |
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Mon Apr 07, 2008 11:28 pm |
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countynews
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The Don is the master of George Orwell's
1984
.
War is Peace
Freedom is Slavery
Ignorance is Strength
Budget surplus is massive layoffs
Lower crime rates is third most danderous city
Everything's fantastic is everything's in the dumpster |
_________________
Been there....done that. |
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Tue Apr 08, 2008 7:36 am |
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scrwedinflint
F L I N T O I D
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Tue Apr 08, 2008 9:29 pm |
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Bossman
F L I N T O I D
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| Funny how all the pro-Don posters from election time are not weighing in on this topic. Perhaps eating crow is not so good. Maybe next time they should listen when people who work for the City try to tell them how messed up things are and how silly the Don and his second string staff are. |
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Wed Apr 09, 2008 2:04 pm |
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Dave Starr
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| Still waiting for the council to propose alternatives to Don's budget. |
_________________
I used to care, but I take a pill for that now.
Pushing buttons sure can be fun.
When a lion wants to go somewhere, he doesn’t worry about how many hyenas are in the way.
Paddle faster, I hear banjos. |
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Wed Apr 09, 2008 4:25 pm |
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00SL2
F L I N T O I D
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quote:
Dave Starr schreef:
Still waiting for the council to propose alternatives to Don's budget.
The city council is proving how totally ineffective they are by refusing to accept their RESPONSIBILITY to propose changes to the mayor's budget. It's another instance of their total REFUSAL to do their job. If they were "hired" instead of elected, they should be fired. By the way, the one vote to accept the budget to work on is the council member whose education is in finance and budget.
And no, I don't support eliminating police and fire staff, nor do I support an added tax. |
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Sat Apr 12, 2008 2:19 pm |
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Josh Freeman
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quote:
00SL2 schreef:
quote:
Dave Starr schreef:
Still waiting for the council to propose alternatives to Don's budget.
The city council is proving how totally ineffective they are by refusing to accept their RESPONSIBILITY to propose changes to the mayor's budget. It's another instance of their total REFUSAL to do their job. If they were "hired" instead of elected, they should be fired. By the way, the one vote to accept the budget to work on is the council member whose education is in finance and budget.
And no, I don't support eliminating police and fire staff, nor do I support an added tax.
I think everyone may be jumping the gun a bit.... There is no budget due, according to the Charter, until the first Monday in June. They haven't been given detail of the budget (the presentation was on a departmental level only). They haven't held departmental hearings. They haven't even had a real discussion except for the 1 hour meeting that was held last week. Geesh people.
So I don't really think that they have refused to do their job in this instance. In fact, the vote that they took really means nothing. The Charter does not require action when the Mayor presents a budget.
The Mayor really misses the boat by not presenting the budget himself. It is an oppurtunity to lay out your priorities for the upcoming year. And he sends in the Budget director to do it for him? I doubt that if the Mayor had presented that there would have been as much discussion as there was. |
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Sat Apr 12, 2008 3:26 pm |
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Ted Jankowski
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OOSL2 Are you for real?
quote:
The city council is proving how totally ineffective they are by refusing to accept their RESPONSIBILITY to propose changes to the mayor's budget.
This is the first time they finally took a stand on anything. with enough votes to actually be able to make things better! Hopefully this will be enough for the DON to see he needs to work with them for once. I believe this time they can and will finally be able to make some changes that matter.....
The new guy. Even see's what the Don is doing.
It was almost a unanimous vote. Even the DON cronies voted against him!
I just can't understand people who cannot reason for themselves.
Where have you been for the last 4 years? THey have always proposed options. THIS Mayor never accepts any of their proposals! NOT ONE! Name me one thing Council has asked for that he has ever given? You can't!
There are things that have been held up for months and years just becuase the Paper work has Carolyn Simms name on it or Scott Kincaid's name on it.
BTW, Do you een have a clue what their Job is? I'm betting your one of those who blame them for everything the Mayor does that looses the City Money. |
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Sat Apr 12, 2008 3:28 pm |
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00SL2
F L I N T O I D
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quote:
Ted Jankowski schreef:
This is the first time they finally took a stand on anything. with enough votes to actually be able to make things better! Hopefully this will be enough for the DON to see he needs to work with them for once. I believe this time they can and will finally be able to make some changes that matter.....
How do you figure that rejecting a proposal outright is working to make things better, as opposed to simply waiting for more details that are to be provided Monday(?), and then offering a counter-proposal or amendments to the proposed budget?
Council president promises to work with mayor, solve woes
THE FLINT JOURNAL FIRST EDITION, Saturday, March 01, 2008
By Joe Lawlor
FLINT - City Council President Carolyn Sims vowed to solve the city's problems by working with the administration and by bringing council meetings to the neighborhoods.
"I'm not a fighter - I'm a collaborator," Sims told the Rotary Club of Flint on Friday at the Sarvis Center.
Sims said the council will have several of its regular meetings this spring and summer at places such as the Sarvis and Haskell Community Center.
Sims said she hopes to work with the administration to keep the city solvent.
"I don't want our community to go into another state takeover," said Sims, referring to the financial takeover that ended in 2004.
The city is facing a $4-million deficit in its $70-million general fund, although the city's financial advisers say the layoffs and cutbacks since January will probably eliminate the deficit.
Sims - who often spars with Mayor Don Williamson and other members of his administration - struck a conciliatory tone through much of her speech.
However, she decried Williamson's proposed three-year, 6.9-mill tax increase to fund police, which could go on the August ballot.
Sims said she doesn't believe people in Flint could afford a tax increase. The owner of a $100,000 home would pay an extra $345 a year in property taxes if voters approve the tax.
"We all know it's a scare tactic," Sims said. "I do not support increasing taxes when everything else is dwindling in our community."
Christian Newland, a Mott Middle College student who plans to attend Kettering University to study engineering, agreed with Sims' objection to the tax increase.
"With what little money we do have, why don't we do something to bring jobs into the community?" Newland said.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
CHARTER REQUIREMENTS
Adopted by the People on November 5, 1974
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Sec. 7-101 BUDGET.
On or before the first (1st) Monday in April of each year, the Mayor shall submit to the City Council a proposed annual budget for the next fiscal year which shall begin on July 1.
Sec. 7-102 BUDGET ADOPTION.
A. After a public hearing has been held in the manner provided by law, the City Council shall, no later than the first (1st) Monday in June, adopt the budget with or without amendment.
B. The adoption of the budget may be accomplished by resolution.
C. Adoption of the budget shall constitute appropriations of the amounts specified therein from the funds indicated and a levy of the property tax specified therein.
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Sat Apr 12, 2008 8:04 pm |
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Adam Ford
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http://blog.mlive.com/flintjournal/newsnow/2008/04/flints_budget_woes_mirror_mone.html
FLINT, Michigan -- This one hurts.
Mayor Don Williamson's budget proposal slashes 174 jobs, including cuts in police, fire, parks, golf courses, transportation, roads, code enforcement and just about every area in the city including 15 percent of employees.
"These are very trying times in the city," Williamson said. The City Council must adopt a budget in June for a fiscal year that begins on July 1.
But Flint is not alone in its plight.
According to a Michigan Municipal League study, local governments statewide have cut more than 1,800 police officers and 2,400 firefighters since 2001.
"It's an unfortunate trend we're seeing in all of our communities across the state," said Summer Minnick, state affairs director for the Michigan Municipal League.
Minnick said the state government has been shortchanging communities of revenue sharing money. Minnick agreed that it's also partly due to the overall poor economy that's hit Michigan's cities hard.
Flint resident James Blakley said he's concerned, but he also sees how Flint is shrinking and how that's ultimately going to affect government services.
"Just look at the streets. Some might only have two houses on the block that are occupied, and all the others are vacant. Some might have more, but they're renters," said Blakley, a northside resident. "The people are not there. The tax base is not there."
And Genesee County is expecting a $10 million deficit in 2008-09, which likely will cause the county to eliminate dozens of positions.
"The chances of decreasing costs without a real significant reduction in our workforce is not overly possible," said George Martini, Genesee County's controller. County officials have not yet announced where they might make cutbacks.
Flint also suffered cutbacks in the early 2000s, but the city had been slowly growing its workforce since Williamson took over from emergency financial manager Ed Kurtz in 2004.
This proposed budget also cuts money for golf courses, parks and roads.
The total ramifications for all these cuts remain hard to predict, but some see dire scenarios.
Ray Barton, president of the Flint firefighters union, said he hasn't heard if the city would close a fire station if the department lost nine firefighters as budgeted. Barton said closing a station would be bad news for residents.
"It's the difference between getting to a scene and making a rescue and going to a scene and recovering a body," Barton said.
The police force also would lose 59 officers, bringing the department down to 206 officers, under Williamson's proposal.
Sgt. Rick Hetherington, president of the Flint police sergeants union, said if that happens, he believes the police department would lose its specialty units that worked on narcotics, juvenile, traffic and community policing.
"We would have to put everyone on the road answering radio calls," Hetherington said.
Hetherington said it's hard to know what's going to happen because there's been no new organizational chart handed out, and no discussion on how to structure the police department.
"We don't know what's going on," Hetherington said.
Acting Police Chief Gary Hagler declined to comment.
John Carpenter, deputy transportation director, said his department is being creative to bring in more revenue. The transportation department is looking at increasing rental inspections, increasing the fees it charges by 20 percent and going after grants.
"You have to get the money machine rolling. You have to figure out how to do it," Carpenter said. "I'm not getting in a panic over any of this."
Carpenter said he doesn't expect the cuts to be as deep as the budget predicts.
Williamson said the city has made a lot of strides in the past few years, including purchasing new garbage trucks, police cars and cleaning up blight.
But he said residents will have to get used to the new reality.
"It's going to be a lot tighter. Things aren't like they used to be. They never will be in our lifetime," Williamson said. |
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Sun Apr 13, 2008 4:44 pm |
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Ted Jankowski
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| They as a BODY. Finally stepped up to the plate and said "WE"RE NOT GOING TO TAKE IT ANYMORE!" THE MAYOR RAN THE CITY INTO THE GROUND AND HE SHOULD HAVE BEEN THE ONE TO COME OUT AND ANSWER FOR IT. They called on Mayor Stanely to do the same. What make anyone think Don is any different. |
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Sun Apr 13, 2008 10:13 pm |
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