[R]UTLAND — Members of the Rutland Board of Aldermen are expecting a long and contentious meeting Tuesday when they assemble to discuss cuts to the mayor’s proposed $21.37 million budget. The budget is up more than 10 percent and Mayor Chris Louras in a letter to the board on Nov. 1 made clear his dissatisfaction with a request that the city double its contribution to the pension fund. In a July resolution, the board urged the mayor to budget pension funding at $1.35 million annually for the next 45 or more years, which he complied with.
“Because the Board chose to prioritize pension spending,” the mayor wrote, “they must also utilize their best judgment to restrict spending as they see fit.”
“In order for the Board to maintain a reasonable tax rate that the residents can afford,” he went on, “they will need to cut services that the taxpayers have come to expect and that they deserve.”
The $2 million increase in the overall budget also reflects a sharp rise in health insurance premiums and workers’ compensation costs.
In committee meetings over the last month the board has signaled that it will likely cut some new staff positions allocated by the mayor totaling about $120,000, money set aside for positions that remain unfilled at the police department, a proposed $175,000 line item for the Center Street Alley development project, and $140,000 for a new five-ton snow plow. According to Alderman Chris Ettori, a similar amount was written into last year’s budget for a replacement truck that was ordered but still hasn’t come in.
The board is also considering halving or eliminating altogether $50,000 earmarked for homeless veterans that many aldermen, after consulting with area homeless shelters, view as unnecessary and a knee-jerk response to concerns raised during the debate over refugee resettlement that Rutland needed to devote more resources to its veteran population. In addition, the board has suggested it will reduce from 5 to 3 percent a cost-of-living increase for non-union employees, funding for the maintenance of a new pool that will not be completed until 2018, and auto allowances for each city department that are based on a flat rate, not mileage or other factors.
“I think the board is estimating over $1 million worth of cuts,” said Alderwoman Sharon Davis, who chairs the community and economic development committee.
Other proposals to slash the mayor’s salary by nearly 50 percent and eliminate $16,000 for bias training for the Board of Aldermen will most likely not be seriously entertained. The board, which can cut but not add to the budget, must approve a version by Dec. 31. City residents will vote on the budget on Town Meeting Day in March.
The Center Street Alley project has been in the works for several years and in 2010 the city received a $1 million federal earmark to transform the alleyway into a vibrant pedestrian park with shops and restaurants. According to Brennan Duffy, executive director of the Rutland Redevelopment Authority, the design and planning work has been completed and the city has recently received bids on construction costs which top $1 million. There’s about $650,000 left in earmarked funds and the $175,000 budget line item was designed to help close that gap.
Duffy said the RRA is planning to use some of its own funding reserved for capital projects to make up the difference and he is also asking the board to consider using the Zamias impact fund — an annual fee levied on the Diamond Run Mall — to help complete the project. “We think it would have a significant positive effect on downtown and the city as a whole,” Duffy said.
A number of board members, however, seem loath to support a project that has already received government funding and that they don’t consider a taxpayer responsibility.
That’s going to be a no,” said Davis.
“I personally think those who are doing the alley renovation should live within their budget,” said Alderman Tom Depoy.
Ettori said the $175,000 is seen by some board members as low-hanging fruit but the city should contribute something to the project to show that it is committed to economic redevelopment and the revitalization of downtown.
“If it means city taxpayers support a minimal or nominal amount then I would be in favor of that,” he said.
Board members are reluctant to cut funding for homeless vets but several have argued that the city already subsidizes housing for veterans, mostly through tax breaks to the tune of $200,000, and that the purpose of the mayor’s $50,000 allocation is unclear. Alderwoman Davis said her understanding from conversations with the mayor is that the money would be used to help veterans find transitional housing. Last week the general committee voted 3-2 to halve the amount but eliminating it altogether will most likely be on the table at Tuesday’s meeting.
After speaking with leadership at Rutland’s Open Door mission, Davis said she came away with the impression that additional funding for homeless veterans wasn’t urgently needed. “The board isn’t cutting homeless pay,” Davis said. “The taxpayer has stepped up to the plate.”
Sharon Russell, executive director of the mission, said she had no intention of getting involved in a matter among the mayor, the board and city residents.
“We never want the mission to be a burden to the taxpayer,” Russell said. “In all these years we have not been.”
The most contentious issue however is not an increase in spending but rather a reduction in salaries for the fire department. This year’s budget proposes a $36,414 cut to department salaries, the result of restructuring that would reduce one active firefighter per shift in order to fund a full-time administrator with the rank of captain. In an unusual move, the Public Safety Committee, after meeting in executive session with the fire chief, mayor and city attorney, voted to reject the mayor’s proposed fire budget.
“I personally have some big concerns about the changes that are being brought forth,” said Dave Allaire, who chairs the committee.
According to Davis, it appeared that communication between leadership at the fire department and the rank and file had broken down and there hadn’t been a lot of planning.
“There’s a lot of concern about whether those reductions meet the public safety requirements not only for employees but for public safety in general,” Davis said.
Deputy Fire Chief James Miles, who has served in the department for 30 years, said the proposal to reduce the number of firefighters on each shift from seven to six to fund an administrative position made “absolutely no sense.”
“I think it’s a safety issue both for firefighters and the public,” Miles said.
Board President William Notte said he believed the majority of the board “feels strongly that the (fire department) budget is too low.” Notte said the committee’s rejection of the budget is uncharted territory for the city and that if the mayor does not present the board with a revised proposal before Dec. 31, it’s unclear how a resolution could be brokered.
“There’s an opportunity to meet in the middle,” said Davis, “and I hope they take the time before Tuesday to do so.”
“Obviously at some point there’s going to have to be a budget,” said Allaire. “The fire department has to continue to operate. Whether that happens Tuesday night is anybody’s guess.”
The board will meet for its regularly scheduled meeting on Monday, during which some budget matters will be discussed. However the heavy lifting will take place at Tuesday’s special meeting beginning at 5:30. According to Allaire Tuesday night’s meeting could drag on for hours and the board may consider breaking it up into two separate sessions.
“We’re going to have a long conversation on Tuesday,” said Ettori. “We’re going to be there all night long.”
