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2014-2015 FISCAL YEAR BUDGET PROCESS
The upcoming 2014-2015 budget process will begin shortly. This will be the hardest and most costly for the residents of Lisbon and especially difficult for our Town Council. After suffering approximately six years of mismanagement and excessive spending, this council will be asked to come up with a budget the people can live with. No one has to remind citizens that for the past several years we have been forced to live with our taxes going up yearly. So what can we do to reduce the impact on our citizens this year?
I believe a great start would be to eliminate any pay increase this year for management. Our managers are at least 30% over paid. There needs to be a ceiling cap for all managerial positions. Tenure should continue to be paid every five years. If the town can afford a pay raise, it should go to the workers and not management. However, I do not believe the town can afford to give anyone a pay raise this year thanks to the previous management.
Next according to Chief Brooks, the Police Department has one full-time Administrative Assistant who is paid $10,000.00 more than any other Administrative Assistant. According to the last job description, half if not more of this Administrative Assistant duties, was dealing with the Communications Center. But during the last Conflict of Interest hearing, Chief Brooks stated she no longer was performing these duties and yet her salary was never reduced. The town is paying for duties this Administrative Assistant is no longer performing. Also, during his last presentation, Chief Brooks mentioned there are two part-time secretaries each performing 20 hour weekly. So tell me again, why is there a need for a full-time Administrative Assistant and two part-time secretaries in the Police Department?
Now, let’s look at the Police Department vehicle situation. If I remember correctly, Chief Brooks stated in a Sun Journal article that Lisbon is a small community and only one or two officers are on duty at any given time. Well, if we have 14 officers, why do we need 9 vehicles? Of these 9 vehicles, according to Chief Brooks, he wants to replace 3 or 4 this coming year. Exactly where are the taxpayers going to come up with the money to pay for these vehicles and why do we need all these vehicles in the first place?
The Communication Center (Dispatch) is a heavy burden on the taxpayers. Each year, the taxpayers pay over $500,000.00 in County Tax. It costs the taxpayers over $275,000.00 in operations cost yearly and this does not include the cost to upgrade or replace the equipment. This equipment is extremely costly. Dispatch of Police, Medical, and Fire is a County function because the County is the Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) for all 911 calls. Lisbon is not and will never be a PSAP! This council should look into the possibility of consolidating the Dispatch Center (Communication Center) with the County Dispatch Center. If the County Commissioners approved this move it would relieve the taxpayers of close to $500,000.00 tax dollars. If the County consolidated these two centers in Lisbon, the town could charge the County rent for the space since it has to remain under the control of the County Commissioners because they are the individuals responsible for the PSAP. This means the taxpayers would save approximately $500,000.00 in tax dollars and gain additional revenue for rent.
If this council does not cut the excessive spending, the community will experience another year with an unfavorable expenditure budget variance. This means the town will spend more than the approved budget and will have to take it from the Undesignated Fund which is already below the recommended balance to keep the town from going bankrupt. Last year, the town used $223,541.00 of our Undesignated Fund without telling anyone.
Can you imagine what will happen to our taxes this year, if this council does not make some serious decisions?
Larry Fillmore
I believe a great start would be to eliminate any pay increase this year for management. Our managers are at least 30% over paid. There needs to be a ceiling cap for all managerial positions. Tenure should continue to be paid every five years. If the town can afford a pay raise, it should go to the workers and not management. However, I do not believe the town can afford to give anyone a pay raise this year thanks to the previous management.
Next according to Chief Brooks, the Police Department has one full-time Administrative Assistant who is paid $10,000.00 more than any other Administrative Assistant. According to the last job description, half if not more of this Administrative Assistant duties, was dealing with the Communications Center. But during the last Conflict of Interest hearing, Chief Brooks stated she no longer was performing these duties and yet her salary was never reduced. The town is paying for duties this Administrative Assistant is no longer performing. Also, during his last presentation, Chief Brooks mentioned there are two part-time secretaries each performing 20 hour weekly. So tell me again, why is there a need for a full-time Administrative Assistant and two part-time secretaries in the Police Department?
Now, let’s look at the Police Department vehicle situation. If I remember correctly, Chief Brooks stated in a Sun Journal article that Lisbon is a small community and only one or two officers are on duty at any given time. Well, if we have 14 officers, why do we need 9 vehicles? Of these 9 vehicles, according to Chief Brooks, he wants to replace 3 or 4 this coming year. Exactly where are the taxpayers going to come up with the money to pay for these vehicles and why do we need all these vehicles in the first place?
The Communication Center (Dispatch) is a heavy burden on the taxpayers. Each year, the taxpayers pay over $500,000.00 in County Tax. It costs the taxpayers over $275,000.00 in operations cost yearly and this does not include the cost to upgrade or replace the equipment. This equipment is extremely costly. Dispatch of Police, Medical, and Fire is a County function because the County is the Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) for all 911 calls. Lisbon is not and will never be a PSAP! This council should look into the possibility of consolidating the Dispatch Center (Communication Center) with the County Dispatch Center. If the County Commissioners approved this move it would relieve the taxpayers of close to $500,000.00 tax dollars. If the County consolidated these two centers in Lisbon, the town could charge the County rent for the space since it has to remain under the control of the County Commissioners because they are the individuals responsible for the PSAP. This means the taxpayers would save approximately $500,000.00 in tax dollars and gain additional revenue for rent.
If this council does not cut the excessive spending, the community will experience another year with an unfavorable expenditure budget variance. This means the town will spend more than the approved budget and will have to take it from the Undesignated Fund which is already below the recommended balance to keep the town from going bankrupt. Last year, the town used $223,541.00 of our Undesignated Fund without telling anyone.
Can you imagine what will happen to our taxes this year, if this council does not make some serious decisions?
Larry Fillmore
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