Shaker Heights Sets Dates for Cuts, Layoffs If Increase Fails
The city has established a schedule for layoffs and cuts if residents do not approve the income tax increase
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As the Shaker Heights' vote on a 0.5 percent income tax increase nears, the city has released another statement.
The document set dates for when various program cuts and layoffs would occur if residents do not approve an Aug. 7 measure that would eventually bring in an additional $6 million. Last week, Mayor Earl Leiken issued a letter to residents that spelled out cuts that would occur if the event is voted down.
Leiken said both statements are intended to provide clarity on the city's future.
"We've had a lot of questions about it, and some have even asked us to give specific metrics," he said in a phone interview. "They want to know how much (the city would be affected) in police calls and fire responses. We can't provide that because clearly we don't know that until we see it, but we want to give people as much information as we can."
Leiken's statement set the following schedule for cuts if residents vote against the increase:
- Aug. 27: Elimination of School Crossing Guards on side streets – City crossing guards will be in place only at our major road intersections to escort children across streets.
- Aug. 31: Closing of the Shaker Family Center building effective August 31, 2013 – Meeting a one-year notice requirement, the City has alerted Family Connections that it will not have funds to provide operating support and maintenance to the Shaker Family Center and will close the building August 31, 2013.
- Sept. 7: Final Backyard Trash Pick-up – Residents will be required to bring their recycling in appropriate containers and trash in bags to tree lawns for collection by the Public Works Department beginning Monday, September 10. Scooter use will immediately cease. Route changes may follow.
- Nov. 10: Elimination of Senior Transportation Services – Senior residents have been notified of the need to find alternate means of transportation to manage medical appointments and shopping trips.
- Jan. 1: Layoffs in police, fire, public works and other departments after no-layoff provisions in existing labor contracts expire (see letter to residents at shakeronline.com as to numbers involved). The city would also eliminate support to the Shaker Youth Center on this date.
- April 1: Closing of Thornton Park Ice Rink – because many hockey and learn-to-skate participants already will have registered for the fall/winter season, the rink will remain open for the upcoming season only, through the end of March 2013.
"We're extremely hopeful that the tax will pass so that we won't have to get to these other issues," Leiken said. "I think the kinds of cuts that are being presented would be very damaging to the community.
"It's our hope that the tax will be successful and we'll have the revenue (to replace declining state aid)."
Read the full statement by clicking 'PDFs' to the right.
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AM
1:53 pm on Monday, July 23, 2012
Look at the facts and don't fall for the threats and scare tactics. Take a look at the city's audited financial statements. They can be found at auditor.state.oh.us., search. Fiscal year 2011 general fund balance was $7 million higher than 2010's. Pg. 9 of the City's notes Quote " The city's unassigned fund balance of $10,967,079 is available for spending at the city's discretion ". That's quite a slush fund. Before you fall for the city's hype, make sure you understand the numbers. Here are some potential cuts to be made without hindering day to day operations: 1)Eliminate the health department. A city with 28,000 residents, and shrinking daily, does not need to spend $498,533 on a health department with world class medical care close by. 2) End duplication of services: The mayor's office spent $210, 143 in 2011 and the CAO's office spent $226,712. No other city has a city manager AND a mayor. Eliminate one. 3) Legal fees. The city spent $464,679 on its in house legal department and $278,134 on contracted legal services. Eliminate one for a savings of at least $300,000. 4) Combine and "right size" the housing inspection, building inspection, neighborhood revitalization, economic development, comm. & outreach & planning depart. to fit within our budget. These departs. spent $3 million in 2011. 5) Eliminate the subsidy for school age care which is costing the city over $500,000. There's more, but I ran out of space. Check future posts!
AM
2:29 pm on Monday, July 23, 2012
6) Privatize rubbish collection for a savings of at least $400,000. 7) Increase the % employees pay for health care. Small cuts across the board make more sense than the sweeping, sensational cuts the city is proposing. 8) Consider competition. A private venue may be able to run the ice rink more cost effectively than the city. The core of sports in Shaker - Youth Hockey, Youth Soccer and Youth Baseball are already efficiently and effectively run by parent volunteers with a vested interest - their children! The city's only role in this is to "allow" us access to the fields and maintain the fields which we already pay for through taxes and field usage fees. If the city had competition from the private sector for certain services, they would be motivated to run more effectively and efficiently. A status quo, bloated government is no longer feasible in today's economy. Vote based on facts, not fear!
Brandon Baker
2:46 pm on Monday, July 23, 2012
Thanks for your input, I'll see what the city would have to say about these suggestions, as the Task Force didn't make many of these sorts of recommendations.