A.G. Gancarski
The fourth and final section of Monday’s Transition Task Force budget review was a romp through the Public Works budget. For any of the previous three budget liveblogs, check our site’s Local tab.
The Transition Task Force has three more days of this, as the Lenny Curry team begins its budget process on a departmental review basis.
2:45: The back wall of the room is flush with Public Works execs with binders. This is going to be lively.
2:49: Mousa is in the room now. David Bauerlein of the T-U is the other media member in here.
2:52: The major revenue increase comes from FDOT: a traffic signal program. $800K. Otherwise, no increases. This is a new agreement, predicated on a statewide agreement which imposes a few more maintenance requirements. Money goes to general fund.
2:53: On to Operational Expenses. Salaries line up almost $2M over last year. There is an ~$11M request. Apparently predicated on a separation between stormwater and ground maintenance employees.
2:54: Mousa has questions about the reporting system. The use of “historical” hours versus “real” hours. Public Works claims not to have a tool to track the split.
2:57: Some disagreement about figures. Apparently there would be an $11.13M total budget if all were in General Fund. This causes Mousa some consternation.
2:59: There apparently is a fluidity with the same workers from different accounts. Committee members are confused by the allocation. A rainy year, however, would require more groundwater work, which requires flexibility that seems to elude precise forecasting of the labor allocation to given tasks.
3:01: “We’re doing work” manually “that should be done by an interface,” says a Public Works guy.
3:02: Overtime up 165%. This relates to demand from traffic engineering system related to special events. Often, these cannot be reimbursed, leaving Public Works in the hole. “That scope has creeped” with more events downtown.
3:08: Workers Compensation allocation is “up over a million dollars.” Claims history and salary and benefits drives this. Jim Robinson says that an emphasis on “worksite safety” is being used to mitigate this. Mousa thinks it’s claims that are driving this.
3:13: Utilities up $2.3M. The JEA LED Roadlight conversion, including a cost of service study, is driving this. There will be a $1M annual savings once these are in. Glenn Hansen told Mousa that JEA did not have a correct fixture count countywide, FWIW.
3:22: Landfill charges up, general liability insurance up. Mousa is not thrilled with the insurance and workers comp increases.
3:25: Mousa: “How am I supposed to know where this budget stands?” The byzantine accounting throws him, as does Jim Robinson maintaining that workers comp is an “uncontrollable” cost.
3:26: There apparently will be a “reallocation” of the budget that will take at least a few days.
3:27: Mousa: “This isn’t a true picture of what we’re looking at.”
3:35: Re: Tire and Sign Buyback driven by Blight Committee, the $150K expense is coming out of the contamination assessment fee account, which it should not come out of. That account can only go to fund contamination abatement and landfill issues.
3:39: Mousa: “You can’t find $150K in your $46M budget? Why does it have to be a sacrifice of something else and not a reduction of various line items throughout? I’m looking for you to be creative.”
Mousa is blistering Robinson.
3:41: Litter Control being discussed now. Apparently, it has not been funded for many years. The “full value” would require $3.5M per year to fulfill. Apparently also, the mowing contracts require that they clear the roadways before mowing.
3:45: Mousa is incredulous about the data used to create this number. Jeff Foster of Solid Waste says that it is a compilation from all departments impacted.
3:50: Fleet repair and maintenance, and fleet replacement, all are slated to go up. Gas goes down. Landfill charges down $144K.
3:54: Decrease in landfill charges attributed to increase in recycling.
4:00: Professional services down almost $600K. Miscellaneous charges down $143K.
4:03: On to landfill closure. 25 acres at Trail Ridge will be closed, and that will result in $14M pulled out of misc. services and charges. Equipment rentals up by $17K; repairs and maintenance up $100K.
4:07: An animated discussion of tipping fees and user fees. The ordinance says that Council will provide funding source. Is that source outside of Enterprise Fund? Mousa seems skeptical.
4:08: “I can prove that most of our litter is being blown out of garbage trucks.” — Mousa.
4:12: On to the Mayport Ferry. The anticipated revenues are being reduced by $230K. A $400K contribution by JEA will go to operation if COJ is still in possession. The Ferry could be turned over to JTA, pending negotiation, by October 1. The revenues are less than the expenses. No one in the room knows who exactly is handling these negotiations.
4:16: The federal grant is about to elapse, folding the full cost of this contract back into the COJ budget. For FY 16, operating grant going away, and in December boat is out of water via haul out for 30-60 days, putting a “significant strain” on operating budget. Mousa is expressing skepticism about the process. There will, apparently, be an “uncomfortable situation” requiring a contribution from the General Fund if JTA does not take this over.
4:20: Discussion on the economic viability of the ferry continues. If the state doesn’t kick in funds, the city is left holding the bag.
4:23: There is a policy that requires 30-45 days of operating reserves for the ferry.
4:30: Mousa is asking a series of questions about the stormwater labor force. Spoiler alert: he’s not thrilled with the multiple attempts to answer.
4:31: Mousa seems skeptical that mowing around retention ponds, et al, is a part of stormwater.
4:32: Looks like another meeting on Thursday on this subject with “clean paper.” Mousa was less than impressed, in general, with the labor force allocation and the elastic budgeting. This seems to be an example of the “intrusive” budget work he was discussing last week at JU during the Fiscal Responsibility transition committee meeting.
