April 14, 2009

Road paving budget to be slashed

Updated at 9 p.m. Tuesday:
Despite a plethora of potholes across the city, officials are eyeing a drastic cut in road repair money in the next municipal budget.
Officials say there expect some some debate about the proposal before the Board of Finance to slash $1 million from the requested $2.1 million road paving budget.
The spending plan that's on the table now would set the road paving program's budget at $1.1 million for the fiscal year that starts in July.
“I do have concerns” about the proposed cut, city Councilor Kevin McCauley said Tuesday, adding there may be “a battle to try to return” at least some of the funding before final passage of the spending plan.
“Would I like to have $2 million more to put into it? Absolutely,” said Mayor Art Ward.
But, he said, reducing the amount going to public works is “the only venue available to us” as officials scramble to try to freeze property taxes this year.
Ward said that he hopes federal stimulus cash may turn up that would allow more road work to get done.
The city budgeted as little as $1.2 million for road resurfacing as recently as 2006. But for its 2007 budget, officials hiked the figure by 51 percent to $1.8 million "to catch up deteriorating road conditions."
Former Mayor William Stortz pushed for more emphasis on infrastructure repairs, which he argued had been put off for too many years by City Hall leaders more interested in holding down taxes than taking care of roads and other public necessities.
By last year, the program's cost had risen to $2.1 million after officials said they would need that much to keep up a reasonable paving program that would ensure Bristol's 225 miles of public roads got the attention needed.
Public works would generally take it on the chin under the city's draft budget, losing $1 million in the road overlay account, $300,000 from its vehicle replacement request and $100,000 from its building maintenance allocation.
In the case of vehicles and building maintenance, the reductions amount to one third of the money sought in each category.
City Comptroller Glenn Klocko said that reaching the property tax freeze sought by officials preparing the budget would, at least at this point, be done "on the backs of public works."
"I don't want to hurt a department like that," Klocko said, but there's nowhere else to turn for the money.
Even after the public works and school cuts eyed by the Board of Finance, there remains a $1.8 million gap that appears most likely to be filled through union concessions or layoffs, or both.
During the last recession, the city's paving budget was as low as $400,000 in one year, though officials acknowledged it was too little to keep up with the need.
The city aims to resurface roads on a schedule that takes about two decades, but a lack of funding has made it impossible to meet that goal. It actually takes about 25 years to circle back around to a particular street, though adjustments are made to take into account that some roads need help sooner than others.

FYI: To read about pothole complaints, see this link and to learn more about potholes, see this story I wrote a few weeks back.

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Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

38 comments:

Anonymous said...

"...there remains a $1.8 million gap that appears most likely to be filled through union concessions or layoffs, or both."

Don't count on concessions when the City wants to waste money on projects like: $800,000 for a new firehouse, $50,000 to "upgrade" Kern Park (who even uses it?), $75,000 for security cameras in Rockwell park, and $1.3 MILLION to run fiber optic cable between city buildings.

All these projects have some merit when the money is there but in times like these to spend money on that stuff (all of which we have lived without and can continue to until the economy turns around) but to spend all that money while trying to balance the budget on the backs of workers through layoffs or not honoring the contracts that the city signed is totally unbelievable.

Show some leadership on this Mayor Ward. Peoples lives and livelihoods should come before all these luxury items.

Anonymous said...

Maybe Stortz wasn't so bad after all.

Anonymous said...

9:47, Uh ya...he was.

Anonymous said...

its an election year and Arty will balance the budget on the backs of the taxpayer and then turn around and claim he kept taxes low for us, meanwhile the dishonesty in the budget process, and all the crap we will have to fix over time, will end up costing us more in the long-run. The only sadder fact than this is that the voters will probably buy it.

Anonymous said...

The city should concentrate on the basics: Education, Health, Safety, Roads and basic infrastructure.
We can cut back on Parks for now, as well as other non-essentials.

But lets not defer the necessities and then have to double up on them in the coming years.

Anonymous said...

Ward wants to make us "Pothole City".

Anonymous said...

11:05 -

Can you say R-E-C-E-S-S-I-O-N?

Anonymous said...

Klocko has to go , the Mayor should tell him to keep his mouth shut,causes so much dissension in cityhall ,take his hidden agenda and bring to his hometown.

Anonymous said...

1:02

Yes, and I can spell incompetent, as in the current mayor!

AnonymousWestconnStudent said...

It's either pay for the potholes or pay for the legal claims to damaged vehicles.

Just a guess but I think potholes are cheaper.

Anonymous said...

Thank God for Art Ward.

Anonymous said...

1:07

I agree with you. The Mayor is the head of the City and he should be the only one who speaks to the public. If I was him I'd muzzle Klocko because he (Klocko) is painting both sides into a corner that neither one will want to come out of.

Anonymous said...

Why won't this one simple point be adressed. It says that to fill the Lagoon at Rockwell it is going to be $7million. To fix the bathouse it is going to be $2.5 million. If I am misunderstanding it, it's either $9.5 million for both projects or $5.5 for the two of them. Please, read this quote from the MAyor and tell me why we should not be infuriated. With people taking fewer vacations and feeling the pressure of the econmy, we want to get the most utilization out of our park system,” the mayor said. The most out of our park systems? Even when the Lagoon is filled, it's already been stated that people are not going to be able to swim in it. That's 5 million dollars right there that could go to the infrastructure of paving roads. Even if people were going to be able to swim in the Lagoon again, I would be against this because it is something in this economy the city could make better use of with the money. I cannot believe that the MAyor (and not just because he is a Democrat) would issue such an absurd out of touch with reality statement and nobody is ticked off. The stressed out residents of the city will need a place to go in this economy. What a friggin joke. The stressed out residents of this city that are busting thier butts to pay thier taxes to this city need decent roads to drive on so they can get back and forth to work so they can pay into a system that is abusing thier tax dollars like this. God fear someone gets injured in the maze of pot holes in this city and finds a good abulance chaser that will find some obscure clause of negligance on the city's part for not maintaining the roads. Wait till see what that will end up costing the taxpayers. I'll rest better tonight though knowing a bullfrog and a snapping turtle have a nice place to live in Rockwell park though....

Steve Collins said...

3:35 -- The entire Rockwell Park renovation, counting the first two phases that are done or nearly done, will cost $7 million in all.
Of that, $2.5 million is part of the last phase, which deals with the lagoon and bathhouse.
The numbers aren't as high as your fear.

Anonymous said...

That 2.5M could be re appropriated to cover the supposed 1.6M and leave a .9M cushion. That's the responsible thing to do.

Anonymous said...

2:43

Third option: keep roads maintained in good shape.
No claims, bettre riding, and it is being responsible.

MEENY, MINY said...

4:17 - if you knew what you were talking about, you would know that the money for the park is not out of existing revenues, it is from Bonding measures therefore there is no dollars to cut and reallocate.
Need I go deeper or can you surprise the hell out of us all and comprehend?

Anonymous said...

Why spend money on a bath house ?It makes no sense to do that unless the plan is to move the park office to the bath house, then it might make sense.

Anonymous said...

Great POT HOLE right in front of the Police Station.

Bet that Ward can see it from his window, and hear the continual THUMP THUMP as cars go by.

But Ward is following the Nicastro formula: put things off for the next mayor.

Anonymous said...

How come Meize got a new road, curbs, sewers, sidewalks, and a nice stone wall?

Or was it because of Laverio?

Anonymous said...

Where is the "loyal opposition"? Where are the Republicans?...Is Stortz what we hgave to look forward to...again?

Someone needs to sit down with Bill and remind him that he was Mayor twice and did not accomplish anything . Why did he not do what he is yaking about now, then???

Give it up Stortzy poo...go enjoy life for a change.

Anonymous said...

Lay off workers who got pay increases...(can you spell RECESSION???)or repair the roads that we ALL drive on not to mention prospective new residents or businesses that might be considering a move to Bristol...that is the equation.

Ward does not understand much beyond what he sees in the mirror. This "no repair the potholes" policy demonstrates loud and clear that he has no vision for the future.

Anonymous said...

9:47...Bill stop trying to create the image you were not so bad. Simply put you were not that good.

Please do yourself a favor...downsize your ego and go enjoy your life.

Anonymous said...

Cutting the funding to maintain the city is the easy way out. Letting the city fall apart and differing the maintance on roads, parks, and buildings is just pushing the problem into the future when it is going to cost more to repair.

People who value living in a clean, well maintained, community where the city management is not run like a dollar store will start looking elsewhere to call home.

Anonymous said...

how many potholes does ward have on his street?

Anonymous said...

Hit a POT HOLE on N. Main street today, virtually just outside the mayors window.

He probably heard me swear

Anonymous said...

At least Stortz was and is not afraid to put himself on the line, and his name on his articles.

ARE YOU???

Anonymous said...

Pot holes on stevens Street have been patched

jealous said...

7:44 - so move to Stevens Street.

Anonymous said...

Gotta give Ward credit.

He saves money by not repairing pot holes and repaving streets, and then claims that these are "speed bumps" to cut down on the speeding which his cops don't enforce.

Good move Artie!

desire said...

6:50 - maybe we'll be lucky and you'll find one that will "eat you up."

Anonymous said...

5:54

You sound just like the kings of old: don't correct the problem, do away with the person that points out the kings inadequacies.

I am thoroughly convinced that you are Art Ward.

Whoops there it is said...

9:14, I do believe that 5:54 was being sarcastic (big word, look it up) and probably doesn't actually think that a giant pothole is going to "do away" with your sorry, whiny behind...

I don't know if 5:54 is Ward or not, but I am thoroughly convinced that you're one of our less than stellar, underachieving politicians...
;0)

Anonymous said...

Oh wardie boy blogs on here all the time.

hoover said...

9:54 pm - that solves it for me, ever think about applying for the FBI?
You could be the patsy for their next screw-up - hiring you.

Anonymous said...

Since the city will not be repairing or maintaining our roads do we still need the people who's job it is to be doing just that. What will these employees be doing with them or will they be laid off as part of this budget cut?

Anonymous said...

5:33 PM,

Obviously LOTS of our politicians blog...isn't that right 5:33?

Anonymous said...

I don't see much progress with the potholes.

What is Ward waiting for?