Tough call awaits new City Council

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3:02 PM Friday, November 13, 2009

Just when it appeared Middletown City Council was ready to bite the proverbial bullet on the 2010 budget, it hesitated — and passed a tough decision off to the new council that will be seated in January.

Earlier this month, council appeared poised to approve the 2010 budget recommended by City Manager Judy Gilleland and top administrators, which called for cuts in almost every department, including police and fire.

Before the Nov. 3 meeting was over, lame-duck council member David Schiavone had led a minor revolt and talked a sufficient number of colleagues into preserving positions to be eliminated in the divisions of fire and police — and thus undermined Gilleland’s goal of stabilizing city operations in the next budget.

Last month, we applauded Gilleland’s pragmatic approach to the city budget. She explained to City Council on Oct. 6 that she preferred to make more aggressive budget cuts and reorganize city departments now — to establish a complete budget for the next three years and thus spare city workers constant uncertainty about their jobs — rather than “limping along” every fall and agonizing over possible reductions and service cuts. Although it is an unpleasant and difficult task involving the elimination of jobs, we were impressed with city administrators’ willingness to accept current economic realities and to look forward.

So it was disappointing to see that approach undermined when Schiavone recommended that council delay eliminating four positions — three in fire and one in police — as was recommended. Schiavone suggested keeping the positions unfilled but still in the budget, and then require the new council to make the final decision by the end of the first quarter of 2010. In order to balance the budget — at least on paper — that requires the city to dip into its reserve fund again, a move that Schiavone has resorted to in past years in order to protect police and fire staffing.

It’s difficult to criticize Schiavone and the three other council members who voted to delay the decision. Police and fire protection are among the basic services a city must provide its citizens.

However, a five-year income tax rate increase — passed by voters two years ago to maintain public safety operations — has not produced the anticipated revenue, as the economy soured. So city officials looked to trim police and fire positions that would have the least impact on safety on the streets.

But Schiavone essentially pulled the rug out from under city administrators — who have worked on this budget for months — and grandstanded one last time with a last-minute “fix” to prevent fire and police staffing cuts. It’s a pity that council waited until November to have this conversation.

Of course, Schiavone’s idea is no fix at all. All that his ploy does is kick the staffing decision over to the 2010 council that will have three new members. His plan also forces the new council to decide whether to consider assessing residents for street lights — one idea that’s been kicked around to generate new revenue — in order to cover the costs of the saved jobs. If council decides to go that route, it won’t be popular with residents, and it’s likely Schiavone — who leaves council at the end of 2009 — knows that, too.

The wisest and most realistic remarks of the night belonged to council member Bill Becker — a former police chief and city manager who has sat in Gilleland’s chair — who offered that “this community cannot afford what we’re paying in public safety. ... Pretty soon we’re going to have nothing left but police and fire.”

Unless it’s overturned when council convenes this week, Schiavone’s stall tactic will ensure that the new council members will have a short honeymoon — because these important decisions about police and fire jobs vs. street light assessments will be awaiting them in January. And if the current council isn’t willing to support what the city manager is trying to accomplish, perhaps it’s for the best that the new council be handed the decision.

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