FeedsTough times
Wayne approves budget, cuts to services reduced
The police, fire and parks and recreation departments were the benefactors of the two tax increases approved by Wayne voters on May 4.
Wayne City Council members approved a budget Tuesday night that showed the addition of about $300,000 to the fire department budget, $200,000 to the police department budget and more than $100,000 to the parks and recreation department budget to keep the pool and ice rink open longer than originally proposed.
“The promise we made when we asked for the millages, we’re keeping,” said City Manager John Zech.
Wayne voters approved two millages; one a five-year 1-mill levy that will fund police and fire services, the other a Headlee override that will add another .4635 mills to the tax bills. The first would generate about $535,000, the second, about $220,000.
The approvals meant that the cuts anticipated in the city budget weren’t as severe as they could have been. The budget approved for the police department was about $5.2 million-down from about $5.9 million last year, but up from the $5 million proposed last month. It means the staff in the police department will only be reduced to 30 officers, not the 27 that had been proposed had the millages not been approved.
In the fire department, the budget will be about $2.9 million-down from about $3.1 million last year, but up from the $2.6 million in the originally proposed budget. The city will still have to layoff three firefighters, but the millage approvals saved three jobs there, too.
The parks and recreation budget dropped from $2.1 million to about $1.7 million. The extra funds will allow the city to keep the pool at the Wayne Community Center open for another month during the year, although the hours may be reduced. Other programs, like the leaf pick-up service, have been scrapped altogether.
As presented, the budget will provide for a $400,000 fund balance at the end of the next fiscal year.
That could go down, however. Zech said the city is still working with the district court and the city dispatch union because the cuts proposed there would dramatically impact their ability to operate.
The court budget dropped from $930,00 to about $794,000, a 17 percent reduction.
“We’re not done,” said Zech. “It’s too severe for the court to operate. I realize that.”
In the dispatch department, cuts would reduce the staff from eight down to five. That would mean only one dispatcher on a shift, which is a dangerously low level, said Dispatcher Dan Antio. Dispatchers hand all emergency calls for the police and fire department, as well as non-emergency calls at the police department.
“I don’t think anyone wants to be put on hold when they dial 911,” he said, adding that the approval of the police and fire millage showed that people value their emergency services more than recreation services.
“We all want to be able to go swimming in January, but it’s a luxury and a luxury we can’t afford this year,” he added.
The budget only allows for $30,000 in overtime; the department spent more than that this year with eight dispatchers.
“I’m concerned that they’re cutting back,” said resident Donna Munson. “Cutting back on dispatchers—they’re the front line.”
Mayor Al Haidous said he hoped the city could come to a better agreement with the court and dispatchers.
“Nothing is set in stone,” he said. “(The budget) can be always be amended by the council.”
Councilwoman Susan Rowe said she was concerned the cuts, while difficult, didn’t go far enough.
“The outlook for the state is dire,” she said. “I do not feel comfortable approving this budget tonight. I think we need to approve the budget that was presented to us at our April meeting.”
Rowe said the concern came from predictions that property values wouldn’t fully recover until as last as 2020. Local government funding lags two years behind due to the tax collection timeline.
“We can’t continue to operate this way,” she said. “I don’t think it’s fiscally responsible.”
The overall city budget is about $16.3 million, down from about $18 million last year. It was about $22 million during the 2006-2007 fiscal year, but the drop in property values as well as the temporary closure of the Michigan Truck Plant resulted in about a 25 percent reduction in revenue for the city.
