Finance commissioners said they may want to impose spending cuts sooner rather than later in a bid to lessen the fiscal stress they anticipate next year.
Janet Moylan, a Board of Finance member, said departments should probably be asked to supply information detailing what steps they would take to reduce their spending by 5 or 10 percent.
Mayor Art Ward said he agrees on the necessity of eyeing the possible cuts.
“Now would be the time to do it, before we get into the meat of it,” Ward said.
He said he would likely discuss the idea with department heads this week.
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Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
33 comments:
Apparently "fixing pot holes" has already been included in "cuts".
Each department should lay off 1 employee - sorry, but the tax payers should not take the brunt of higher taxes. Employees and unions should know that laying off employees would need to happen before a drastic tax hike
Good Thinking: AFTER you INCREASED the Park Department budget!
The Board of Finance already cut meat and muscle, when they told the department heads to submit budget requests for less than what the departments needed.
When is the City Council going to wake up and get into this? Or are they content to let the Board of Finance do the dirty work, so they can shrug it off and say "hey, we didn't make this problem, the Board of Finance did!"?
Ward has no idea what he is doing.
Jess, what IS he doing?
Way to go BOF
Approve more projects (STREETSCAPE), add to maintenance costs (pwks) cut PWKS budget.
Please explain.
Oh, maybe that is why services in other areas are being reduced.
Run Bill, run!
We need someone like you again!
1:43pm he is doing nothing, except collecting a pay check.
Start the layoffs.
Not to long ago Ward did this, asked for 3% then asked for more. Art can't squeeze blood from a stone. How about leadership? Try being a leader for once instead of a follower and promise maker.
Ward asked for the 5 & 10% reductions when he first took office - which did he act on?
Mr mayor how many mgrs does pwd, water, park and sewer dept have with out getting into city hall I would think that the town is very top heavy. let the bristol press do a article on how many mgrs there are and whats there salary.i would bet it`s around 1half to 2 million dollars a year. let the facts be told.
3:23pm nothing - it was smoke screen.
Time to start seriously looking into early retirement incentives for city employees. The pension money is monopoly money anyway and does not cost the taxpayers a dime anymore. The most senior members of public works, public safety, etc usually make the most money. Let them retire early and put off replacing the positions until more finacially feasable. Some negotiations with the unions, but much better than layoffs.
What makes me want to believe that former mayor Stortz's letter of last week may have prodded the BOF into doing something?
"Ward off Disaster" dump Ward now and save the money.
5:25, Guess you just really like to fantasize.
Why are we paying a disability payment to Couture and he gets a pension a he is working. All his friends from city hall are talking about it. Why is this happening.
Shut off the Aerators!
So the department with twenty people (sewer department) should lay off one person, and the department with two people (Purchasing) should also lay off one person. Simple solution = simple mind.
6:25
Which Couture?
7:07, If you shut off the aerators, the ponds become choked with algae and bacteria, and then we have to have them dredged and cleaned. The aerators are cheaper.
August 31, 2009 8:07 PM - common sense would mean you would need to lay off more then one person in a department that has 20 employees - but I am pretty sure the city could lay off 10 to 15 people easily. Plus offer early retirement to some.
There will be tons of cities I am sure that will start pitching that they have not raised taxes in this crappy economy soon. They will start luring people to move into their towns or even states. CT needs to play their cards right and so does Bristol. You don't need a flood of people leaving.
To Odin:
Weren't you the one challenging a candidate for their views on fighting for the taxpayer by stating in a previous post and this is a direct quote from you:
I don't mean to embarrass you, Rich, but the Board of Finance sets the level of spending and taxes, not the City Council. You really ought to read the job description before heading into your interview.
So it's ok to have the city council let the BOF "Do their dirty work." but when a candidate wants to change that all of a sudden it's a different tune. Can't have it both ways my friend. Do your reasearch before you post.....
Yeah, that does sound a little inconsistent. What I should have said was that these are unusual times that call for unusual action by the City Council. The Mayor and the Board of Finance rammed through an irresponsible budget, and if they want to cut even more services, the City Council should stand up to them and oppose it.
GIRARD is the couture. Disabilty pension for his shoulder. T hen caught working for carpenter doing phisical labor work shame on bristol unions.
4:11 you don`t know what your talking about stop take the wrong advice do your own thinking don`t be like the mayor in this town he listens to almighty klocko and this gang.
ODIN, still inconsistent - government 101 - city council and finance both adopt the budget, not one or the other.
3:23 has a good point lets see how much money we are wasting lets start cutting from the top.if that`s the case very interesting the tax payer should know. THAT IS PUBLIC INFORMATION SO PRINT IT.
What ever happened to Wards GPS analysis of employees whereabouts?
That musta cost money: what did he learn?
Another secret???
8:14
Artie is tiptoeing through the tulips.
He doesn't want to make any waves: with what the republicans are doing, he doesn't want to screw up and lose the election.
It is his to lose.
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