Liveblogging City Council: Manager presents the FY10 budget

The City Manager cautions that no one is going to come to our rescue...
"reflects our communities priorities for education, public works, public safety..."
realities are "very stark"


He's subtitled the budget "adapting to a brave new world"
He begins that we're starting in better shape than many, due to the changes that have been made over the past few years: everything from the health insurance changes, to debt management, to budgeting changes.

It's an 18-month budget (beginning Jan '08).
Deficit of $31 million as we begin:

• that's the cut in the state aid,
• the snow removal deficit,
• the pension losses,
• plus the loss we've already projected for FY10.

That's about 24% of the normal budget.
The good news:

• $6 million in pension carryover,
• $2.5 million in snow removal (one time money),
• one time health care trust money of $1.5 million for stabilization,
• 70 frozen positions worth $2.5 million,
• non-union employees wage and benefit freeze and change worth $50,000;
• $1 million increase in administration fees for grants,
• $20,000 in 911 grant funding,
• $500,000 in free increases,
• $1 million in street light acquisition,
• reducing capital borrowing cap nets $300,000

+ $17 million.
which brings us down to a deficit of $14 million

cut wage increases of 2%= $2 million. He's doing this instead of raising trash bag fees.
So that brings us down to $12 million in deficit

He's mentioned a number of times at this point that the Council were the ones who didn't want the trash bag fee raised, which then means that they're the ones to blame for not getting raises.

He thinks we're also going to lose more money on state aid.