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Dayton wants your cost-cutting ideas as it faces big revenue loss

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By Lucas Sullivan, Staff Writer Updated 1:44 AM Thursday, May 27, 2010

DAYTON — City revenues are down across the board through April as income tax collections continue to slide $1.5 million below already conservative projections, according to information the finance staff gave city commissioners Wednesday, May 26.

“We are at the same income tax (collection levels) as we were in 1994,” Assistant City Manager Stan Earley said.

Revenue from investments is nearly $400,000 off budget predictions as a tough European economy has helped returns slide from 3.5 percent in 2008 to 0.7 percent so far this year.

City Manager Tim Riordan will embark on a “listening tour” next week to hear suggestions from citizens about how to strip  $6 million from the city’s $155 million budget in order to plug a deficit.

Riordan and Mayor Gary Leitzell or a few city commissioners will be at the Southeast Priority Board, 2160 E. Fifth St., at 7 p.m. June 3 to hear ideas from citizens on what Riordan called “difficult options.”

The options being considered are to:

Raise new revenue, including a possible income tax increase.

Cut expenditures by reducing or eliminating services.

Stop investments in infrastructure, technology, equipment and development.

Also from Wednesday’s meeting:

Dayton Fire Chief Herbert Redden said the fire at Franklin Iron & Metal, 2015 E. First St., last week, ate up $23,000 in overtime costs, and $29,000 of fire-suppressing foam to battle the blaze.

Redden said it will take more time to determine the cause of the fire and he plans to try to recoup some costs from owners of the scrap yard. He also said his investigators are working on new guidelines and/or restrictions for scrap yards in order to help prevent such a fire that took nearly 30 hours to extinguish.

City commissioners awarded a $100,000 contract to Heapy Engineering to conduct a “geothermal district feasibility study.”

It is the city’s latest green idea to try to reduce emissions and offset electric and gas costs by tapping into a bed of aquifer underneath the ground.

The water, which maintains a 56-degree temperature, can be used to heat or cool buildings.

City staff said a formal report would be completed by the end of the year, though Riordan added it has to make economic sense for the city to tap into the aquifer.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2494 or lsullivan@DaytonDailyNews.com.

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