Budget
Message
For Fiscal
Year 2008
Mayor
McAlister and Members of Council:
Submitted
herein, in accordance with the Local Government Budget and Fiscal Control Act,
is the proposed annual budget for fiscal year 2008 for the Town of
The
approach of the FY 2008 Proposed Budget is to continue with a budget structure
and philosophy using basic business principals to guide decisions now and in
the future for the provision of our core municipal services. Over the past year, our organization has refined
its statement of values and mission statement and even developed guiding
principles and a vision statement to help improve and clarify both how we
conduct ourselves and to provide a framework to describe the sense of community
we encourage through our comprehensive goals and initiatives. With these guidelines in mind, we have worked
through our budget development process with a focus on providing high quality
services in an efficient manner while generating revenues equitably. As part of this process and in everything we
do throughout the year, we strive to provide the pertinent information
necessary for the Town Council to make the wide variety of policy and program
decisions necessary to help determine the future of the Town of
MAJOR ISSUES
Tax Base Growth
During the early
2000s, the impacts of the poor economy, coupled with the Town’s successful
growth control measures, combined to slow the rate of revenue growth compared
to that of the mid to late 1990’s. Approximately 70% of the Town’s tax base is
residential in nature, so reductions in the population growth rate had a
significant effect on the level of ad valorem tax revenues. This is the largest revenue source for the
Town and, at $57 million, it comprises 53% of all General Fund revenues. With the recovery of the economy experienced
over the last few years, the Town of
A historical
perspective of the Town’s assessed value (tax base) growth since FY 1995 is
provided in the graph below. The
extremely high growth rate in 2001 reflects property revaluation which is done
every eight years in
The Town has
started to see an increase in the number of new single family (SF) permits
being issued in the last several years.
During 2002, only 466 new permits were issued compared to an average of about
1,500 per year in the mid 90s. The
assessed value on which tax receipts are calculated is based on what has been
built by the prior January 1 meaning that FY 2008 revenues are based on
values as of
Sales Taxes
Projected
sales tax revenues totaling $25 million in FY 2008 make up 23% of all General
Fund Revenues. The historical growth
rate of this major revenue source was greatly impacted by the economic slowdown
of the early 2000s, but the current economic recovery helped this revenue
source recover in recent years and an overall growth rate of 5.8% is forecasted
for FY 2008.
The graph
below depicts the historical growth of sales tax revenues and includes the one
cent (Article 39) which is distributed based on sales delivered in Wake County,
the two half cents (Articles 40 and 42) which are distributed state-wide based
on the population of each county, and the one half cent (Article 44) which is
distributed based on a combination of both approaches mentioned. Article 44 was approved in December 2002 to
replace the expiring Inventory Tax Reimbursement and Intangibles Tax
Reimbursement revenue sources.
Investment Earnings
Existing cash
balances on hand due to current receipts, fund balances, and project funding
are often invested temporarily to earn the Town income in the form of
investment earnings to help offset total income needed for Town services. While the sagging economy of the early 2000s
drove debt service rates lower in the bond market, it also reduced the amount
of return available for the Town’s investments.
Interest earnings in FY 2001 were $8.7 million across all governmental
funds, while net investment earnings in FY 2004 in these same funds were only
$1.3 million, which is a drop of $7.4 million or 85%. As these market changes have affected the
Town’s income over the past few years, the Town has had to adapt its expense
and pay-as-you-go capital planning accordingly. If the recent economic recovery continues,
total investment earnings should be about $11.4 million or 4% higher than those
expected in FY 2007. For the
general fund specifically, investment earnings are expected to increase from
their recent low in FY 2004 of $554,056 to nearly $2.8 million in
FY 2008. For comparison purposes,
each penny on the tax rate in FY 2008 is expected to generate $1.3 million
in revenue, so the Town’s stronger investment earnings are helping to generate
the equivalent of two cents worth tax revenue.
Debt Service
Financing decisions and the
rate of capital investments of past Councils have been shaped by a variety of
funding philosophies and the health of the economy in general. Beginning in fiscal year 1999, the Town
decided to leverage its debt capacity in the general fund to increase its rate
of investment in Town infrastructure including streets and parks. The flexibility to afford additional capital
improvements with existing resources has changed dramatically over the past
several years. By managing operating
cost increases and adjusting programs and their related cost recovery rates,
the Town has maintained its healthy level of general fund operating margin (the
difference between revenues and operating expenditures that is available to pay
debt service). Since fiscal year 2002,
the Town’s operating margin has ranged from a high of 29% of revenues to a low
of 15%. The FY 2008 budget reflects an
operating margin of 19% or about $17 million.
Over this same time period, however, the level of debt service being
paid by the general fund has risen from $1.7 million in FY 2002 to $13.4
million in FY 2008. In addition,
debt service is expected to increase to $18 million in FY 2009 as
principal payments from a debt sale made in FY 2007 become part of our
annual payment structure. Thus far, the
level of operating margin available has been able to absorb the debt service
increases. However, because the level of
anticipated debt service is expected to consume all available operating margins
by FY 2009, there will be additional revenues needed as well as incremental
revenues associated with future debt funded capital investments.
Maximizing Existing Resources to Continue Advancing the
Quality of Life
Operating
Margin
Ad valorem
revenue growth, after a ten year low of 2.5% in FY 2005, is expected to rebound
slightly in fiscal years 2007 and 2008 as a reflection of the recent resurgence
in single family permit activity. While
these increases are a welcome change from recent years, they are not strong
enough to create operating margins like those of the 1990s. Operating margins from FY 1992 through FY
2002 averaged nearly $15 million annually.
As the graph below illustrates, the rate of debt service growth (in red)
and steadily climbing expense growth (in blue) has put increasing pressure on
the rate of revenue growth (in black).
Operating margin is demonstrated in the graph by the area where the
revenues, shown in black, are still visible since they exceed debt service and
expenses. The proposed budget reflects
an operating margin after debt service of approximately $4 million or about
4%. This operating margin is being
consumed by recommended pay-as-you-go funding of capital projects.
Debt
Capacity
Fiscal Year
2003 marked two significant milestones in
The general
obligation bond referendum authority being recommended for appropriation in FY
2008 includes $31.4 million for transportation projects, $4.8 million for park
projects, and $81.2 million for the Western Wake Regional Wastewater Management
facility. The current appropriation authority
remaining from each of those referendums after subtracting the authority being
allotted to projects in FY 2008 is as follows:
·
2003
$130 million transportation bond: $63.6
million remaining
·
2003
$30 million park bond: $20.9 million
remaining
·
2005
$110 million west plant bond: $15.9
million remaining
Debt
Affordability
With $160
million in newly approved debt authority for streets and parks comes a great
deal of responsibility. The cost of
borrowed money remains relatively low compared to historical levels, but it has
been rising slightly over the last year.
While lower interest rates are a great incentive to leverage the Town’s
remaining debt capacity, being able to repay the related debt service each and
every year is a major factor when deciding which projects to undertake and how
much to borrow. Debt service related to
the 1999 bond authority for streets and parks, costs related to the NC55
widening and an expansion of Town Hall and the debt issued from the 2003 street
and park bonds have combined to increase debt related costs in the general fund
to $13.4 million in FY 2008 with expected increases of another $4.7
million with the FY 2009 budget to total $18 million. Following the FY 2006 budget development
process, Council focused a great deal of attention on all previously funded
capital projects including the liquidity of their various funding sources. Several work sessions were held to determine
options related to minimizing the impact of pending debt service on the General
Fund without altering or delaying any projects already approved. The first approach involved using the Town’s
cash balances within existing projects that were not spending right away to
prevent borrowing funding for debt funded projects that were ready to
spend. This approach was used up until
the time that the variable interest rate market provided an opportunity for the
Town to use its borrowing power and triple A credit rating in the spring of
2006. The Town borrowed $47 million with
only interest payments due the first two years (fiscal years 2007 and 2008) and
principal being due for the first time in FY 2009. Increased investment earnings on the bond
proceeds during these two years are helping to pay the interest costs the first
two years, and then general fund debt service is expected to increase as the
principal payments come due in FY 2009.
Signs of an
economic recovery have begun to materialize in
Fund
Balance
The Town of
While fund
balance levels are a key consideration when bond rating agencies (Moody’s,
Fitch, Standard & Poor’s) evaluate the risk associated with future
borrowings of the Town, there are many other factors considered as well. Such items that are considered heavily when
considering awarding
Impact of Declining
Operating Margin
Fiscal
Year 2008 represents a very interesting mix of several factors that have
affected operating margin over the past several years:
· Revenue growth
from new tax base, although showing signs of growth recently, is well below
that of the late 1990s and will likely never reach double digits again
· Operating
expenditure growth has been limited to maintaining service levels in most areas
with the exception of staffing, operating, and maintaining several new
facilities (Tennis Center, Skate Park, SAS Soccer Park, USA Baseball)
· Debt service in
FY 2008 is projected to grow by $169 thousand to $13.4 million and is expected
to reach $18 million by FY 2009. There
is typically a delay between the time a project is approved and when the cash
is actually needed to pay for construction since funds are usually borrowed
just before the related cash is needed so debt service payments don’t become
due before the projects are incurring costs (see the “Debt Affordability”
section above).
While
healthy levels of General Fund fund balance exist to assist with capital
purchases and one-time emergency situations, it is not a sound financial
planning practice to pay for long term operational expenditures with fund
balance or other non-recurring sources of revenue. This is especially true when current
forecasts indicate as much as a $3 million deficit for Fiscal Year 2009.
Options
for Creating Additional Operating Margin
The recent conversion to
curbside collection and recycling program changes helped increase the portion
of costs recovered and have helped increase general fund operating margin by
approximately $1.5 million. The solid
waste fee was reduced from $11.50 to $7.67 in FY 2001, which equated to
about $1.5 million less in annual revenue until FY 2006 when the fee was
raised to $11.75. It is recommended to
continue the same rate of $11.75 for solid waste services in FY 2008, as
the cost recovery percentage is expected to climb to 71% from a low point of
47% in FY 2004. The cost recovery
level associated with the automated curb side solid waste and dual stream recycling
programs will continue to be monitored for improvement and possible additional
fee increases in the future (each $1 on the $11.75 monthly fee is expected to
generate about $432,000 in FY 2008).
The largest cause for
decreased levels of operating margin over the past decade is the growing amount
of debt service that has been absorbed within the general fund with no tax
increases. Over this same time period, a
one cent decrease was approved in FY 2002 changing the rate from 43 cents
to 42 cents. In the FY 2008 budget,
each one cent on the tax rate is expected to yield about $1.3 million in
revenue. Since FY 1994, four bond
referendums have been approved by the voters authorizing $242 million of
general obligation debt for streets and parks with the understanding that the
potential tax increase resulting from all of that debt could be as much as 14
cents on the tax rate once all the debt is issued (all tax rate impacts here
have been adjusted for property revaluation impacts in 2000).
Other initiatives to
help create and/or reduce the impact on operating margin totaling about $9
million for the next couple of years (with $5.8 million recurring annually)
have been initiated recently including:
· raising the business
license fees effective for FY 2007 for the first time since 1990 (expected to
generate an additional $650,000 in FY 2008)
· reducing employee
average raise amounts in FY 2006 (saving about $320,000 annually)
· increasing the monthly
solid waste and recycling fee from $7.67 to $11.75 (expected to generate about
$1.7 million in additional revenue in FY 2008)
· delaying the pending $47
million debt sale for already appropriated street and park projects beyond
FY 2006 and then approving a variable rate mechanism that will delay
principal payments until FY 2009 (delaying $4 million annual debt service
beyond FY 2006 and full payments until FY 2009)
· leveraging the buying
power of Blue Cross and Blue Shield as the Town’s new third party administrator
of our health and dental self-insurance fund in FY 2006 (helping to create
savings versus budgeted funds of $1.3 million in just the first year)
· updating the parks and
recreation fee system in FY 2006 (expected to generate about $150,000 annually)
· beginning the conversion
to voice over internet protocol (VOIP) phone system that will save $21,000 or
2% in FY 2008, another $50,000 in FYs 2009 and 2010, and at least $171,000
annually upon full conversion in FY 2011, or 17% of the Town’s existing $1
million in phone related costs.
The
Balance Between Revenue Growth and Expenditure Growth
Historically,
the NC General Assembly has given local governments a limited range of
responsibilities for services and capital facilities and a limited set of
revenue sources to meet those responsibilities.
Over an extended period of time, local governments need to develop and
maintain a focus on community priorities within the limits of their
responsibilities. Having this
prioritization structure and focus assists local governments in the struggle to
balance revenues and expenditures as well as maintaining a strong and stable
financial position.
During the
decade of the 1990s, the Town of
The revenue
reductions discussed have been coupled with significant service level increases
in the form of new appropriations to roads, parks, specialized facilities,
economic development funding for schools, affordable housing, and the
initiation of a transit program. In
addition to the initial capital costs to build many of these facilities, some
of them require additional staffing to maintain and program their use. General Fund operating margin before debt
service has actually increased by $7 million from $10 million in FY 2003
to $17 million in FY 2008. However,
over that same time period, debt service has grown from $5 million to $13
million, more than canceling out the increase in operating margin. Without significant shifts toward increasing
revenues through further increases in existing fees, or decreasing expenditures
in the very near future, the excellent financial condition of the Town may
require consideration of an increase in property taxes.
Town staff
has a history of being very frugal in its application of new resources to
accomplish both existing and new tasks by not adding people or new funding
until it is absolutely necessary to achieve the Town’s goals. In addition, there is recognition within the
organization that most often, people are the most expensive solution to any problem. Many of the recent privatization efforts the
Town has undertaken and studies related to operational improvements and
efficiencies were detailed very thoroughly in the series of Operation
Worksessions held with Council during the Fall of 2004. In response to the dynamics of the past five
years, the staff has taken an even harder look at operations to help reduce and
control costs and examples of some of these initiatives are identified
below:
·
Began
conversion to automated curbside solid waste collection and dual stream
recycling in FY 2006 and expect full conversion to be in place by the
beginning of FY 2008
·
Reduction
of eight positions in Inspections & Permits (5 inspectors, 3 permit staff)
when the number of new permits being issued dropped in 2003 – added three
inspectors and one permit staff positions back in FY 2007 and recommending
adding another three in FY 2008 given the resurgence in the number of new
permits and resulting inspections – will still be below the related staffing
levels in 2003
·
Discontinuation
of the residential plan review program
·
Did
not fill Recycling Coordinator vacant position (reassigned the majority of
duties and increased a 30 hour position to 40 hours to handle the remaining
workload)
·
Reduction
of two positions in Engineering in 2003
(development inspections manager and projects administrator)
·
Contracting
janitorial services, landscaping, right of way and town facility mowing
·
Reduction
in the minimum staffing on aerial ladder units in the Fire Department from 4 to
3
·
Change
in approach to rising Health and Dental Insurance costs by encouraging more
consumerism
·
Consultant
studies on operations and staffing efficiencies at all utility plants and fleet
operations
·
Reallocating
four sworn officer positions from elementary school resource officer positions
to higher priority objectives (two to new 9th grade centers, one to
patrol and one to investigations)
·
Class
and pay study approach changes to not have associated automatic increases with
grade changes
·
Required
a 10% reduction across the board in training and travel expenses for FY 2006
after holding amounts flat for the last several years
·
Required
a 3% reduction across the board in non utility operating and maintenance
expenses for FY 2006
GENERAL
FINANCIAL CONDITION OF THE TOWN
FY 2008 budget
recommendations have been made relative to the current overall financial
condition of the Town and to meet the goals set by Council for the future of
the Town. The Town’s financial
condition continues to be above average, according to the rating agencies,
currently providing adequate liquidity in a better economic environment than
that of four years ago. All three major
national bond rating agencies have awarded the Town of
The Town has
maintained a strong cash position, and property tax revenues consistently
increased during the 1990s, allowing the Town to avoid property tax rate
increases since Fiscal Year 1990. Since
then, any adjustments to the tax rate have been for revaluations, except in FY
2002, when the tax rate was dropped by one cent from 43 to 42 cents per $100 of
property valuation. While revenue growth
has continued, an overall slowdown in the growth rate has been experienced compared
with that of the 1990s, with a slight resurgence from a recent low in tax base
growth of 1.5% in FY 2005 to a projected 5.7% for FY 2008. Past strong population and commercial
development has resulted in the need for a sizable and aggressive capital
improvements program for both general and utility needs. Due to these growing infrastructure needs and
reduced growth rate, the Town can no longer depend on its financial reserves to
the extent it has in the past.
Alternative financing options must be sought which will enhance funding
flexibility and continue to ensure cost effectiveness. While the Town has traditionally funded major
capital needs with cash, recent plans to leverage the Town’s borrowing power by
increasing the use of debt financing are evident with the resulting increases
in debt service during the past few years.
Financial reserves over and above Council’s six month goal for fund
balance have been leveraged, but their ability to fund significant capital
requirements in the future will be minimal.
These changes will affect future operating budgets with increased debt
service and investment income fluctuations reflecting shifts in cash
balances. Acquiring additional debt
without existing margin will require some combination of tax increases,
additional revenue sources, and/or expenditure reductions to create the amount
of margin necessary to service the debt load pending in FY 2009 (see “Debt
Affordability” section above”).
The Town’s
strong financial reserves have provided significant flexibility in the past
allowing the Town to move quickly to take advantage of economic opportunities
and/or begin new projects in the middle of the year. Plans for the Town’s financial actions should
include consideration for maintaining flexibility for periods of both economic
growth and downturns.
REVIEW OF REVENUES
General
Fund
Most of
increase in
the growth rate. Council’s target is to
have a 3% to 4% rolling five year average population growth, and that reflected
below is 3.7% from July 1 of FY 2003 through projected population as of July 1
of FY 2007.
Revenue
assumptions have been developed according to the effects of the economy and
estimated population growth levels as they directly impact many of the Town’s
revenues such as ad valorem taxes, permit and inspection fees, solid waste
fees, sales taxes, utility franchise tax, wine and beer tax, inventory
reimbursement tax, cable TV franchise fees, and recycled goods.
The General
Fund Revenues for Fiscal Year 2008 total $109 million which is a 4.3% increase
versus estimated revenues for Fiscal Year 2007.
This growth rate is bolstered by $3.1 million in ad valorem receipts and
$1.3 million in sales taxes.
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The Town's major
source of revenue for FY 2008, the property tax, is based on
For the Town
of
Utility Fund
Utility Fund
revenues are budgeted at $48.5 million for FY 2008 and reflect a full year of
Morrisville customer generated revenues following the
As was
initiated in FY 2002, the
The current tiered
utility rate structure shifts more of the financial burden to the high-volume
users who require additional capacity to support their peak demand. The rate structure also currently includes a
monthly base charge for all users. Rate
changes in Fiscal Year 2002 included increasing the first tier from 4,000 to
5,000 gallons. With the Town’s continued
emphasis on water conservation measures, the rates provide a financial
incentive for the high-volume users to conserve. As recommended in the Water Conservation and
Demand Management Plan, adopted by Council in April 2000, the tiers are
designed to encourage customers to maintain their water consumption at an
efficient level. The changes were
adopted with implementation in March 2001, and primarily target excessive
irrigation.
Other revenue
sources in the Utility Fund include connection fees, pretreatment fees, sewer
wholesale service, bulk water sales, and interest income. Total revenues in the Utility Fund are
projected to increase 11% compared to the FY 2007 estimated revenues. Fund balance levels are higher with
approximately $24 million in FY 2003 compared to about $37 million at the
end of FY 2008. Council’s direction
regarding the level of the utility fund balance to target of 75% of annual operating
expenditures and debt service is consistent with ensuring cash flow needs are
met and that sufficient reserves exist to buffer any dramatic weather changes
that may occur (i.e. a very rainy season).
Fund balance amounts higher than this target in the past have been used
for an $11.2 million transfer for open space acquisition in FY 2002 and another
$13.5 million transfer to help offset utility capital costs related to
involuntary annexation areas in FY 2003.
Growing debt service needs related to infrastructure investments are
continuing to increase revenue requirements in the Utility Fund. The
As the chart
below illustrates, Utility Fund revenues have been increasing to help afford
related debt service and operational cost increases. The rate of debt service growth (in red) and
steadily climbing expense growth (in blue) has put increasing pressure on the
rate of revenue growth (in black).
Operating margin is demonstrated in the graph by the area where the
revenues, shown in black, are still visible since they exceed debt service and
expenses. The recommended budget
reflects an operating margin of approximately $4.7 million or about 4.9%. This operating margin is being consumed by
Morrisville merger related recovery cost transfers to the capital program and
the generation of $1 million in open space funding.
REVIEW OF EXPENDITURES
General Fund and Utility
Fund Total Expenditures Summary
General Fund
expenditures and inter-fund transfers total $107.8 million for FY 2008. Included in this amount is $3 million in the
form of fund balance transfers to support Fire, Parks, and General Capital
Projects. This expenditure level
reflects a $16.7 million decrease compared to FY 2007 for capital
transfers. Debt service is budgeted at
$13.4 million in FY 2008 and is expected to increase to $18 million in FY
2009. Utility Fund expenses and
transfers total $51 million including a $3.2 million transfer to water and
sewer capital projects. This also
includes $11.9 million to cover utility-related debt service requirements.
General Fund:
FY 2007 includes capital transfers of $19.7 million ($2.6 streets, $4.8
General Government, $.8 Fire, $11.5 Parks with $10 of that for an aquatic
facility); debt service has increased from $3.2 million in FY 2003 to
$13.4 million in FY 2008
Utility Fund:
FY 2002 includes an $11.2 million transfer to the Open Space Capital
Project, and FY 2003 includes a $13.5M transfer to help fund water and sewer
capital requests related to Town initiated annexations effective
Major Personnel Impacts
The demand
for services has continued to grow to keep up with the demand for high quality services
even as the Town has increased service levels with special facilities (e.g.
Public Works and Utilities (PWUT)
The FY 2008 budget includes 15.5 new positions directed to various Public
Works and Utilities functions.
These new positions range from a part-time Customer Service
Representative I to support increased call volume workload generated by the
addition of Morrisville customers to the Town’s utility system, to the addition
of a new jet crew to assist the three existing crews in maintaining the Town’s
sewer system, and to the addition of a fourth traffic signal system team to
maintain the Town’s traffic signal network.
Other position additions include: one senior engineer position to address
tasks currently handled by the Director of Public Works and Utilities that have
become increasingly difficult to accomplish as the Director position continues
to focus on higher priority items; one solid waste crew leader to help the Town
meet growing demands for sanitation service; one concrete crew laborer which
will allow the Town to produce its own concrete which creates a cost savings
and improves efficiency; one inflow/infiltration team to focus on the detection
of problems in the Town’s sewer collection system and pump stations; one plant
manager for the Western Wake Regional Wastewater Management Facility to begin
working through design components of the facility and gain an understanding of
the facility’s infrastructure; one construction team to repair damaged water
and wastewater collection system lines and components and conduct street
maintenance and one line locator position to assist existing staff in line locates.
Engineering
The FY 2008 budget includes five new positions directed to various
Engineering functions. One engineering
development review manager has been added to oversee Engineering’s
responsibilities and interests in the development review process. One stormwater technician has been added to
help address workload issues created as the number of inspections of denuded
acres has increased by 741 since FY 2002.
An engineering field technician has also been added to relieve increased
greenway inspection workload created by increased development activity. A new engineer position has been included in
the FY 2008 budget to add staff capability with more specialization in the
issues and details related to building projects (such as structural, mechanical
and electrical). Lastly, one utility
engineer position has been added to better distribute the growing workload
among staff. This last addition will
bring the total number of utility engineers on staff to seven.
Inspections & Permits
The Inspections and Permits department experienced a 40% increase in the
number of inspections performed during calendar year 2006, with the first half
of FY 2007 posting the highest monthly averages of the year. The annual total of 101, 239 inspections
exceeded the totals of all previous fifteen years by at least 15,000. A review of the development projects that
have been submitted and/or approved suggests that construction activity is
projected to continue at the present rate for at least the next three
years. To address workload affiliated
with increased development, three additional Code Official III positions have
been included in the FY 2008 budget.
Police
Two additional Police Officer I/Detective positions have been included in
the FY 2008 budget to manage increased workload caused by a rise in reported
offenses and the complexity of cases being worked.
Parks,
Recreation, and Cultural Resources
A total of
9.5 positions have been added to the Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources
(PRCR) department in FY 2008. A
parks planning technician has been included to support capital project
completion, the production of maps for project analysis and presentation, the
development and support of information to be presented on the Town of Cary’s
website and to provide assistance with grant production. A total of 2.5 positions have been added to
the Cultural Resources division of PRCR.
These positions include the conversion of the temporary performing arts
coordinator to full-time; the conversion of existing 30 hour/week customer
service representatives at the Jordan Hall and Page Walker facilities to
full-time and the conversion of a 30 hour/week Ceramics Center Aide IV to a
permanent, 40 hour/week position.
Staffing
adjustments at the
The Town’s
C-Tran system provides both door-to-door and fixed route service to the
residents and businesses of
General Government
Several
positions are included in the FY 2008 budget to help accommodate the growing
size and numbers of details associated with a growing municipality including
the following:
·
One
buyer position within the Purchasing division to address workload and
efficiency issues brought about by a growing number of projects, programs and
initiatives as well as an increased focus on policy/procedure compliance.
·
Three
positions within the Technology Services department. One database programmer to help manage
requests for assistance with database programs from other departments; one
computer systems analyst to better distribute workload and one
telecommunications specialist to facilitate the installation of the automated
meter reading system and provide capacity to address a growing number of
telecommunication needs within the organization.
·
One
human resources analyst with the Human Resources (HR)department to remain in
compliance with HR staffing guidelines of one HR full-time equivalent position
per every 100 positions. The addition of
one analyst will allow the Town’s Human Resources department to maintain the
expected level of service to the organization.
Conversion of the existing Employee Safety Coordinator position from 30
hours/week to full time in order to realign the position with organizational
needs.
CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS
BUDGET
For the
eighth consecutive year, the Town’s capital improvement planning process
includes the development of a recommended budget for the coming year as well as
a ten-year capital improvements plan.
Prior to this, a five-year plan was used. The move to the ten-year period provides the
Town of