City OKs utility, IT positions
MONROE - The Monroe Common Council unanimously approved two new city supervisor positions Tuesday and officially appointed two city employees to those jobs.
George Thompson becomes the city's Director of Water & Wastewater, effective Oct. 3. His revised employment agreement includes a beginning annual salary of $75,000.
The position is part of a plan to merge the two utilities' functions, authorized earlier this year by the Board of Public Works and Salary and Personnel Committee.
Thompson was previously the wastewater department superintendent. Mike Kennison, water department supervisor, will remain in that position.
Rob Jacobson becomes Technical and IT Services Director, a departmental administrative position, at an annual salary of $57,000, effective Oct. 3.
The new position adds directing, coordinating and supervising all technical and civilian support services functions, including all city government computer and communication systems, to Jacobson's current duties of administering and maintaining the county-wide Spillman data system and network, as well as the police department vehicle fleet, radio system and computer equipment and other information technology.
- Tere Dunlap
City Administrator Phil Rath brought the budget as it stands now to the committee Tuesday for a first look. While there's no dollar amount attached to the budget yet, the draft form includes increases in debt service, capital accounts and street construction compared to last year, Rath said.
Total expenditures in 2011 were budgeted at $13 million.
Debt service is up about $245,000, the sum of capital accounts is up $546,000, and street construction and maintenance is up $327,000, compared to the 2011 budget.
The operating budget, what department supervisors submitted to run their departments, is only $9,400 higher than last year, even including the increase for street construction and maintenance.
The amount supervisors are asking to be set aside in capital accounts for future anticipated big ticket items is one area of the budget the committee will consider in future meetings.
Next week, the committee will entertain funding requests from entities outside of city government. Representatives of those organizations may be present to make their requests, Rath said.
The Green County Development Corporation is requesting about $28,700, down slightly from its 2011 funding of $30,000.
The Green County Humane Society has requested to meet in a "non-formal" setting with committee members or city personnel to discuss its request, according to Rath. GCHS received $15,000 last year for animal control services. Representatives advised the city during negotiations last year that it would be seeking $30,000 in 2012, Rath added.
A new request this year is from Family Promise, an organization formed to help the homeless. Family Promise is partnering with the Green County Homelessness Prevention Coalition and area churches to alleviate some of the financial burdens on the county's human services department. The group is seeking whatever the city can contribute.
The Monroe Chamber of Commerce is requesting $15,000, the same as last year, for economic development services.
Monroe Main Street has been funded $25,000 annually in the past, but for a couple of years, that funding has come from Tax Increment District (TID) No. 7 fund, which is beginning to collapse under its own debt service costs.
Debt service will be a second issue the committee will take up next week.
TID No. 7, encompassing the downtown area, is an especially difficult situation, coming into the new budget cycle with a $200,000 shortfall.
With assessment values going down, the TID "has more expenses than revenues, and has had for quite some time," Rath said. "Debt service overwhelms what's left."
Rath suggested a few options for the city, which is responsible for covering the debt if the district cannot meet its obligations.
The city could increase the tax levy to provide for its debt service, not a popular option with taxpayers, Rath said.
The city could simply fund the shortfall out of the fund balance, a move that would "quickly drain the fund balance," if done on any regular basis, he said.
If another TID becomes successful, it could provide a donation to the failing TID, or the city could provide a loan to the TID, to be reimbursed with interest, which would be "buying time" until the TID can become successful, Rath said.
The best option is to encourage growth in the area, but even large growth would not produce enough revenue for the coming year.
"For now, it won't sustain itself," Rath said.
The Finance and Taxation Committee is expected to meet at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 11 at the city hall. Committee members are Chairman Chuck Koch, Reid Stangel, Chris Beer, Tyler Schultz and alternate Thurston Hanson.