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104 <br />Chief Longo said most localities allow take home vehicles right away. He said <br />being able to take a car home is an attractive piece for employment. <br /> <br />Mr. Lynch asked what the maximum number of officers is on a single shift, and <br />Chief Longo said it varies, but is usually 20 to 21. <br /> <br />Dr. Brown, Ms. Hamilton and Mr. Schilling said they do not support eliminating <br />the take home vehicles. <br /> <br />Mr. Lynch said he would reduce the fund balance by $200,000 as we are running <br />at a $1 million surplus. <br /> <br />Mr. Schilling said he supports this proposal. <br /> <br />Dr. Brown said he will defer to the judgment of the City Manager. <br /> <br />Mr. Lynch said he would favor having a work session to deal with the long term <br />issues of the Jail and Juvenile Detention Center as he feels they are costing too much to <br />operate. <br /> <br />Mr. Schilling agreed we need to have that discussion. <br /> <br />Mr. Lynch noted that he did not support the public safety retirement benefits <br />approved by Council that affects this budget. <br /> <br />Dr. Brown said that the Social Services Department has already voluntarily <br />reduced its budget. He said Public Works is the City’s largest department and we might <br />have to do things slower. He said he thinks Public Works can absorb a cut of $50,000, <br />but he acknowledged this could affect services. <br /> <br />Mr. Caravati said he supports Dr. Brown’s proposal. <br /> <br />Mr. Schilling said he would be interested in that reduction. He said he would like <br />to see a reduction of $100,000 and have the City Manager evaluate if it should be made in <br />Public Works or elsewhere. He said it could be moved around to lessen the impact on <br />one department. <br /> <br />Mr. Caravati said a reduction of $50,000 in Parks and Recreation could also be <br />made. <br /> <br />Mr. Lynch said he thinks there could be efficiencies in Parks and Recreation and <br />he would like to see an overhaul, but he is not sure we should take out $50,000. He said <br />we need to have a plan for how to operate that department better. He said facilities are <br />not as open as they should be. <br /> <br />Ms. Hamilton said what Mr. Lynch is talking about is a philosophical issue. She <br />said we may need to have a conversation about closing facilities, which would be an <br />easier way to cut $50,000, if that is what we want. <br /> <br />Dr. Brown said he would speak philosophically against that. He said Parks and <br />Recreation has done creative thinking as evidenced by its partnering with the Schools for <br />the summer program. <br /> <br />Mr. O’Connell expressed concern about targeting specific departments with <br />specific amounts without Council targeted services. <br /> <br />Mr. Lynch suggested reducing the salary increase to 3.5% as the proposed 4% is <br />ahead of the cost of living. <br /> <br /> Mr. O’Connell said that the City is in competition with Albemarle County and <br />City Schools as well as others in the region. He expressed concern about the impact of <br />this reduction on employee morale. <br /> <br />