It Was a Short Council Meeting – But Is That a Good Thing?
The Helotes Council meeting last Thursday was called to order at 7 p.m. All of the Council members were present. Rick Schroder, the City Administrator, is apparently out of town this week, so he was not there.
There was no one present wanting to speak at the public hearing on the Economic Development Corporation’s FY 2010 budget.
Nancy Smith was the only one who signed up to speak during Citizens to be Heard. She wanted to tell everyone about Casa Helotes’ “Junk in Your Trunk” event to be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, September 26, 2009. They are renting parking spaces at $10 each for anyone who has something they want to sell. I guess it’s like a garage sale but in their parking lot. Just put any items you want to sell in your trunk, come to Casa Helotes, pay them $10 for the use of a parking space, and offer your goods for sale. Everyone is encouraged to come out to sell or to buy. It should be easier for everyone than having multiple garage sales all around town.
The four items on the Consent Agenda: approval of the minutes from the last meeting; approval of the bi-weekly Revenue/Expenditure Report; approval of interdepartmental budget adjustments totaling $17,867.62; and approval of the immediate issuance of a Request for Proposal for municipal towing and wrecker services for the City, were all approved without any discussion of any kind.
The other item on the agenda was the discussion of the proposed FY 2010 City budget. Once again, Schoolcraft instructed the Council members that they could speak once, and then after everyone had spoken they could speak once more. Tonight the Mayor limited their discussion of the budget to 5 minutes each. (Last week it was 15 minutes. Is limiting the time the Council members can discuss the budget really a good thing? It does shorten the length of the meeting, but are short meetings really the goal?)
Legendre commented that the City employees’ health insurance premiums had been cut nearly in half (last year it was around $700 a month). He reminded the other Council members that when they were looking at the salaries of City employees they should remember to look at their total compensation, including all their benefits, not just their base salaries. He also reminded everyone that he would not be able to attend the next meeting in which the vote on the budget will be taken.
Gary Johnson said that he had already talked to Rick Schroder about any questions he had.
Cynthia Massey commented on some funds that had been moved to the Parks budget.
Rich Whitehead said that he thinks that the projected revenue from sales tax is still not a realistic amount. Under Mayor Schoolcraft’s leadership, the City has saved “enormous” amounts of money. (He is referring to several projects that have been handled in-house instead of contracting them out, e.g., the fence at the Helotes Natural Area, installing the playground behind City Hall, the fire fighters fixing up their own temporary quarters, etc. All of this contributed to the predicted $300,000 surplus for FY 2009. The City still has $2.7 million in reserves. The state says that cities should have reserves up to the amount necessary to cover 6 or 7 months of operating expenses, and by the end of FY 2009, we should have 9 months in reserve. He still thinks the budget should include an additional 1% merit pay increase for all City employees, which would total approximately $18,000.
The Mayor asked City Treasurer, Susan Wootton, to explain what the reserves should be used for (she gets to talk tonight since Rick is absent). She said that a city should have 3 months of operating expenses in reserves, but 6 months is preferred. If Council dips into the reserves it should be for a long term asset, not for office supplies or salaries.
Gary Johnson said that it is hard to compare the proposed FY 2010 budget with the actual FY 2009 revenue and expenses because of all the changes Rick had made to the accounts. Rick is handling the budget on a cash basis whereas before it was done on an accrual basis, and he changed where and how the expenses are now recorded. Johnson also feels that the proposed revenue expected during FY 2010 is “soft,” and he expects it to be firmed up by the September 24 meeting when they will finalize the budget.
Schoolcraft commented that when the proposed budget was presented to Council it ceased being the Mayor’s budget. It is better to be conservative in their estimates. He thinks the sales tax guesstimate is on the high end. He also wants them to remember that they can adjust salaries at any time during the year, and he has no problem with that.
Legendre repeated that he thought going up another percent on the salaries of the City employees would be a mistake.
Whitehead said that San Antonio fire fighters make almost twice what Helotes fire fighters make, and Helotes fire fighters are better trained. San Antonio’s budget has a $30 million deficit, and Helotes is projected to have a surplus of at least $183,000. Earlier this year, Council had given the Mayor $25,000 (which was $13,000 more than was required) to purchase the playground equipment. So the $18,000 required to fund an additional 1% increase in City employee salaries should not be a problem. We have the money, and it’s a good use of the money. At a previous meeting, the Mayor had said that if the Police Department needed a new patrol car, it would not be a problem to buy them one. If it is not a problem to get $30,000+ for a new car, why not use $18,000 to increase their salaries. City employees save us lots of money and donate lots of their free time working on things like the Mayor’s “Volunteer Day.”
Cynthia Massey feels that the fire fighters accepted their salaries when they were hired. It costs more to live in Helotes, and if they’re not happy, they should move on (kind of funny, because a lot of City employees don’t even live in Helotes). She thinks the proposed budget is a good one. We are tightening our belts, and trying to do what’s right. They are getting a 1% increase, and we can look at salaries later in the year. She is pleased with, and in favor of, the budget as it stands.
Villanueva stated that he has studied the budget, and he applauds the work Rick has done. Rick has made some changes that he (Villanueva) is sure were suggested in years past but fell on deaf ears. (He never misses a chance to blame everything he can on past Councils.) It is good to be conservative. The police officers and fire fighters should get a pay adjustment, but this is not the right time. The health insurance premium the City employees will be paying in FY 2010 is almost half of what they paid in FY 2009, so that will save them some money right there. He likes the proposed budget as it stands.
Legendre again reminded everyone that he will not be at the next meeting to vote on the budget. He commented that the City of Helotes has, in the past, paid a bonus for longevity, and he has not seen that anywhere else. He thinks that sometime during the year they should look at individual positions, not give an increase across the board.
In summary, Schoolcraft said that they are still reviewing the data on salaries. They are also looking at paying police officers and fire fighters certification pay which would be a flat rate on top of their salaries. This pay would be compensation based on duties and skills possessed by individual employees.
Whitehead commented that the 1% he has been asking for would have only given each employee $50 to $100 a month more, where the type of compensation Schoolcraft is talking about could amount to $3,000 to $4,000 a year, and he (Whitehead) would definitely be in favor of that.
Schoolcraft then adjourned the meeting at 7:50 p.m.