Kedron ‘bubble’ draws citizen comments

Discussion of the projected $3.5 million deficit in Peachtree City’s 2009-2010 budget dominated Thursday night’s City Council meeting.

City Hall was packed with a standing room only crowd as others sat directly on the floor.

City Manager Bernie McMullen laid out a list of proposed budget cuts and noted that he is still recommending the elimination of 23 landscaping positions in the public works and recreation departments, which would save a projected $840,000. Along with the cuts, McMullen said he also would be recommending “some kind of” a property tax increase.

And, he added, the cutting is not done.

McMullen said he met with a few employees recently who wondered why their department was being focused on for cuts.

“Being blunt what I told them is I’m not finished yet,” McMullen said “And unfortunately that’s the truth. I’m going to be looking at every single area. I have to.”

Much of the public comments on the budget cuts dealt with one city facility that has not yet been proposed for any cuts: the Kedron Aquatic Center.

McMullen said he is not yet recommending any cuts at Kedron, but he made a presentation on the costs to run the facility as an indoor pool during the winter months. After about $39,000 in revenue from users, it costs the city $162,000 a year to operate the pool as an indoor facility using the “bubble.” Also, the current bubble is 13 years old and may soon need to be replaced as the initial lifespan for it was deemed to be five years by the manufacturer, McMullen said.

McMullen said he looked at increasing charges on users such as high school, recreation and masters swim teams along with classes, pool passes, lessons and birthday parties. Such increases would bring in $97,000 but would still leave the city operating the facility at about a $100,000 deficit.

Mary Cartwright pointed out that when the Southern Crescent Aquatic Team had its tournament here, visitors stayed in local hotels and spent money in the city.

“You’re looking at revenue that has gone away,” Cartwright said, adding that recreation facilities are not supposed to be “a major moneymaker.”

Councilwoman Cyndi Plunkett replied that the problem is Peachtree City residents are paying for a facility that’s used by residents outside the city.

“The fees we get from five schools is $1,400,” said Mayor Harold Logsdon. “That has been woefully inadequate for years.”

Plunkett said she would not support any cuts to the city’s recreation programs because they play a role in improving public safety and citizens’ health “so for me those are non-negotiable.”

That comment drew widespread applause from the audience.

Councilman Don Haddix said he felt taxpayers should not be subsidizing 75 percent of the facility’s operations, which he argued is “too high.”

Logsdon said he agreed with Haddix on that point.

“Then we should close the library first because that’s 100 percent funded,” Plunkett said.

McMullen’s other budget cut proposals for the 2009-2010 budget include:

• Reducing staff levels in developmental services, particularly in the building department. Then, once the larger projects come back online, the city would contract out inspections.

• Eliminating all pay raises at a savings of $700,000;

• Doubling employee healthcare contributions for a savings of $120,000.

• Charging police and fire employees who live outside the city limits and take home city vehicles. This would add nearly $26,000 which would “offset part of the expenses” of vehicles taken outside the city.

• Eliminating all paid leave benefits to all regular part-time positions including annual leave, sick leave, safety hours, and holiday time (estimated savings: $45,000). Regular part time employees earn four hours per holiday and vacation time at half the rate of regular full-time employees. The majority of these employees are at the library. Non-regular part-time firefighters would continue to get 8 hours pay for any city holiday worked;

• Closing the Clover Reach and Pebblepocket pools (estimated savings $57,000). A private contractor has asked to continue using both pools for lessons “and a willingness to share expenses,” McMullen said, noting that option would be presented to City Council by its March 19 meeting;

• Possibly outsourcing the Kedron Fieldhouse and Aquatic Center (unknown savings). Several private individuals have said they can operate the facility at a considerable savings to the city, McMullen said, so a request for information and qualifications will be developed by city staff to determine if qualified firms are interested and how they would operate the complex. The goal would be to have a contract in place before the start of the 2010 fiscal year;

• Possibly consolidating the recreation and public works maintenance crews under public works (unknown savings); and

• Restructuring cardboard recycling managed by the city (approximately $24,000 in savings). City staff and Keep Peachtree City Beautiful are working to find a vendor that will haul it away at no cost. If not the service would be eliminated and residents could drop theirs off at the county transfer station or local solid waste haulers that also accept recyclables.

One commercial developer and a representative of a local remodeling company said they got incredible service from the city’s building department and they would hate to see contractors handle inspections, which could lead to delays and unhappy customers.

Local resident Jeanie Etheridge made a presentation to council on the budget issue and pointed out that the city used nearly $2 million of its cash reserves in the last two years to balance the budget. She noted there has been no millage rate increase for the past five years and questioned why the city “continued to spend more money when revenue sources have not increased.”

Etheridge suggested extending the replacement milage on city vehicles. She noted that the police department is projected to buy five more cars this year in addition to sport utility vehicles.

“We want to know how is that going to improve our protection,” Etheridge said.

Etheridge said the county should “kick in” for the approximate $60,000 cost for the annual July 4 fireworks.

Etheridge questioned why the job cuts were being suggested for this budget year if the budget problem is next year.

“We have until September to get this budget fixed,” Etheridge said.

Etheridge also noted the irony of the proposals to take away cost of living increases and cut jobs in the same year that raises to the City Council members are going into effect.

Resident Tim Lydell said the city’s budget should have drawn interest from residents during the public hearings that were held.

“If the rest of you were here at those meetings expressing your opinion at that point of time we might not be in the position we are in today,” Lydell said. “... We are a democracy. We get what we want in government if we actively participate. If we sit back at home and watch TV and don’t come to the public hearings then we deserve exactly what we’ve got here today.”

Lydell said council doesn’t have a choice to some degree as they must either cut jobs or raise taxes. The time for getting input from the public, at this point, is too late, he said.