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City leaders warn that Dayton is 'still in volatile times'

Dayton could avoid some planned layoffs

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By Joanne Huist Smith, Staff Writer Updated 2:27 PM Sunday, January 24, 2010

DAYTON — Balancing the city of Dayton’s 2009 budget was like rowing a boat with a hole in the bottom. Continual cutting of expenses hardly kept up with rapidly sinking revenue.

City leaders look for a more stable 2010, but caution that Dayton is “still in volatile times.”

Deputy City Manager Stanley Earley said income tax revenue of $110 million in 2008, that was projected to decrease to $105 million in 2009, actually fell to $100 million last year.

“We thought it was going to be really bad and it was worse. I will be really very surprised to see that kind of shift again,” Earley said. “Last year was an extraordinary period.”

The city anticipates general fund revenue of $153 million in 2010, or about $14 million less than 2009. Departments across the city will feel the pinch including an estimated 22 mid-year layoffs. A balanced budget also factors in a wage freeze for all employees in 2010, pending union negotiations.

• The Department of Public Works will reduce seasonal and temporary hires. Trash collection on holidays will be eliminated. The change in workflow will save the city about $300,000 in overtime pay.

“We started from scratch in Public Works. We had to rethink everything: staffing, equipment, hours of operation, collection services,” Earley said.

Annual waste collection fees for residents will go from $91 to $113, beginning with April bills. The rate hike will generate $1.3 million annually for the city.

About $30,000 was added in to the Public Works budget to fund 10 neighborhoods clean ups, reduced from 20 in 2009. Also, a proposal to reduce mowing vacant lots from 1.5 times per season to one, won’t happen.

• In the Department of Recreation and Youth Services, the city will abolish all program coordinator positions and create eight facility supervisors at a lower salary, one less than announced in November. The city’s six Recreation Leader II positions will go from full-time to part-time this year, only as current employees retire or quit.

There will be no increase in program participation fees for parks, however facility rental fees will go up to align them with actual operational costs.

• Two positions in the city manager’s office will be eliminated including one executive secretary and one assistant city manager job that has been vacant since Jane Howington quit in 2009.

• The Fire Department will hire 15 civilian EMTs in the next 30 days, Earley said.

“For many years we had a fairly large number of civilian paramedics. As they retired, we replaced them with firefighters,” Earley said. “Now, we’re reversing that.”

Engine or Ladder 14, about one-third of the time, will not be in service due to a shortage of staff.

“Fire management and the union have worked very hard to make sure there is effective coverage,” Earley said.

Once Dayton joins the regional dispatch center, one fire captain, three lieutenants and four fire officers who currently work in dispatch will go back to fire suppression.

Some good news

Several items cut from the budget early on, will now be funded.

• Community festival grants, to be managed by the priority boards, will be funded up to $10,000. The “challenge grants” must be matched by the neighborhoods. Details are being worked out.

• The city has restored $50,000 of $70,000 in annual funding to the Ombudsman’s office. Earley said the city will be contacting other Montgomery County municipalities to ask for contributions to make up the difference.

“Of course we’re glad some of the funding has been restored,” Dayton Ombudsman Diane Welborn said. “Our total budget to deal with government complaints is $180,000. A $20,000 cut will definitely be painful, because we were already lean.”

• The Office of Public Affairs had $15,000 of $80,000 restored to the department budget to be used for informational materials to market the city.

The Dayton City Commission will hold a first reading on this budget on Feb. 17. Until then it remains a proposal only.

“Anything could happen,” Earley said.

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