Listed below is a message from Council Member Joey Boudin:
Mayor, Council and Citizens:
Tuesday we had a good workshop and spoke about many good ideas. Now, I am prepared to put more permanent policies in place to ensure the taxpayer money is responsibly spent. Here are my top 10 ideas that I am ready to put in place ASAP.
1. Amend the budget to reflect and formalize the Mayor’s handwritten changes and any other changes the Council has.
2. A workshop with someone from AMR and others concerning our emergency medical calls with a policy implemented by Council.
3. A clear take home vehicle policy that outlines who, when, why and where they are to be used.
4. A review of all rental rates, lease agreements and a rate established for the event deck and portable stage.
5. An organization chart or document that defines each employee’s duties, responsibilities, hours required to work, etc. …. by name.
6. A hiring freeze implemented by Council that states no person can be promoted, hired, rehired, or transferred with out Council approval.
7. A rate established for 111 Court Street that is comparable with fair market value. When the current tenant’s lease is over, whoever occupies it next can budget for it.
8. A formal request from the Council to the Hancock County Board of Supervisors to fully fund the Hancock County Library System for 2015 and future years to come.
9. Appoint a full-time City Clerk who will monitor all rates, charges, payables, receivables, etc. on a regular basis and supply the Council with reports required by law and required by Council Members more rapidly and will work diligently on past and current audit findings to ensure we do not continue to have them year after year and to streamline the audit process so we may get a reduction in the cost of our annual audit.
10. Stop all non essential travel expenses.
The current debt according to my notes and reports are:
$1,600,000.00 – Bond
$ 650,000.00 – City Hall Note
$ 362,000.00 – Ten new police cars
$ 294,000.00 – 4 tractors
$ 580,000.00 – Ladder truck
$3,486,000.00 plus $365,000 balance from revolving line of credit
Our current annual payments seem to be $680,000.00 without the line of credit.
If we are up against the wall and cannot make our payments, why don’t we refinance our total debt, getting our payments around $450,000 yearly, giving the City $230,000 additional working capital? Then the City can get another $200,000, being conservative, on emergency calls and another $300,000 from 2.75 millage to the Library.
These 3 things can generate $730,000 and then factor in savings from other policies, noted above, payroll, insurance, fuel, maintenance etc. and add another $40,000 for annual rent for 111 Court Street.
With all of us working together to be more efficient, the City could, I feel, easily pick up an additional $1,000,000 per year. Then, not now, we can look at additional capital projects. We cannot afford the projects without raising taxes, something I cannot and will not vote for.
If anyone has some other or better ideas, I would like to see them.
Yours truly,
Joey Boudin
Ward 5 Councilman