Council will do more cutting in 2003 budget

The police chief believes there's too much reliance on the general fund to provide services.
By DENISE DICK
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- With several city council members contending they still want at least $500,000 in the 2003 budget for road resurfacing, the panel plans to continue its whittling next week.
Also under debate is raising residents' license plate fees and property taxes.
Council must pass a balanced budget by year's end. To do so, about $3.5 million must be cut from department heads' requests.
Mayor Hank Angelo and Auditor David Griffing presented a list of recommended budget adjustments to council members Monday.
"Balancing it means there's still a lot of sacrifices to be made," Angelo said.
One of those changes is having 79 police officers and the police chief. That's down from the 84 officers the city said it would bring the department up to if voters passed an income tax for the safety forces in 2001.
"Council can put those ... individuals back, but the money has to come from somewhere else," Angelo said.
Police Chief John Mandopoulos said he could live with the proposed allotment of officers, but he urged council members to follow the strategy of other cities that have levies to provide city services.
"You can't keep trying to fund everything out of the general fund," he said.
Councilman Gary Fonce, D-at large, said that if Mandopoulos could live with 79 officers, so can he.
Another recommendation
Angelo's recommendations also include cutting all capital improvements. The $500,000 many council members said they wanted set aside for road resurfacing also isn't in the recommendations.
"I know council had this as a priority and if you can show me anyplace where there's $500,000, I agree with you," Angelo said.
If additional money becomes available as the year progresses, money for negotiations with labor unions and money for roads would be the first in line for funding, he said.
Councilman Robert Holmes III, D-4th, said he wants $700,000 for road resurfacing. That's about the amount generated from the sale of Anthem stock earlier this year.
Councilman Robert A. Marchese, D-at large, finance committee chairman, pointed to street lighting costs of $225,000 figured into the budget. If those costs were added to property taxes, it would save the city money, he said.
Councilwoman Susan E. Hartman, D-7th, pointed to street sweeping with costs at about $30,000.
Marchese asked the administration to determine what it would cost a property owner to have streetlighting and sweeping attached to property taxes.
License plate fees
Fonce suggested enacting the two additional license plate fees for the city. Each would bring in about $188,000 annually.
"The fact of the matter is we don't have the money to run the city," Fonce said. "We need to look at other ways to create revenue for this city. It's time we started looking at these things no matter how unpopular they are. We are hurting folks."
Fonce also suggested a strategic planning committee has to be developed for the city to determine what the goals are long-term.
"Until we sit down and decide to do that, we're spinning our wheels," he said.
Marchese said there isn't a consensus of council members to pass the mayor's recommended budget. He said he'd set a meeting, likely next week, for council members to decide on the budget and look for places to cut so money may be set aside for road resurfacing.