Walker recommends budget cuts

By Jimmy LaRoue
The News Virginian
The Waynesboro City Council will have a chance Monday to deliberate on $1.5 million worth of possible cuts to the city’s budget.
City Manager Doug Walker put forth the cuts because the council introduced a lower tax rate than he had previously proposed. The council will need to cut nearly $600,000 out of what is now a $39.4 million budget by May 22. Walker said that is the date, by city charter, when the council has to pass a tax rate ordinance and introduce a budget ordinance.
The budget has to be balanced at that time, but it doesn’t have to be a final product, Walker said.
Councilwoman Lorie Smith, reached Friday evening, said she had taken a cursory glance at the possible reductions and would be spending the weekend analyzing them to determine where cuts could be made and, at the same time, protect service levels.
“I think, in general, with all of the different budgets that I’ve worked on, there’s always room to create efficiencies,” Smith said.
However, she said the council would have to factor in the impacts of any cuts.
“I think the council will have to dig deeper into [the budget] than we normally would,” Smith said.
Councilman Tim Williams, after about an hour of looking over the proposed cuts, said he would have preferred that Walker prioritize them.
“It’s his job to know where the cuts would be the least disruptive to the city,” Williams said.
While Williams said it would be “no skin off my nose” to make the cuts, “I’ve got to do the city manager’s job now.”
Walker said following Thursday’s council meeting that the city “was focused on finding $600,000 in reductions.” He said it was all about the choices and presenting the consequences of each choice. He said that is similar to how the city has made cuts in the past.
“Where we’ve worked from is the city manager’s recommended budget,” Walker said. “So now that there is a reduction in the revenues, we have to kind of take a fresh look at, OK, what is that next level of cuts that the City Council would be interested in. It’s all part of the fluid process of making the city manager’s budget the City Council’s budget, because they’re the ones who obviously have to adopt it. I’ll have to do whatever I can to help them get there.”
Williams said, off the top, the nearly $30,000 in consultant fees jumped out at him.
“That seems to me like we’re paying for something three times,” Williams said of the separate staff salaries, computer software and consultants.
Slashing the stormwater management and maintenance budgets account for 48 percent — $736,793 – of Walker’s proposed cuts. He and city staff members have also identified more than $300,000 in cuts to the police and fire departments.
Earlier this year, Walker put forth a $41 million budget with a 74-cents-per-$100-assessed-value real estate tax rate, which would have meant a nearly $100 tax increase for many residents.
However, Councilman Frank Lucente introduced a 70-cent tax rate ordinance, necessitating the cuts.
Walker told the council Friday that the budget deficit had been reduced by $14,000 since its meeting the previous day.
“Hopefully the council will be able to reach some agreement on Monday regarding the budget,” Walker wrote in a message attached to the recommended cuts, “so the staff can be prepared with a balanced budget ordinance for your meeting scheduled for Thursday, May 22, at which time the budget ordinance needs to be introduced.”

Recommended cuts
Stormwater Maintenance: $385,698 (5 months of street crew to be absorbed back into the VDOT allowable bridge maintenance by reduction in paving budget)
Stormwater Management: $351,095 (3 new positions and associated expenses)
Police Department: $189,470
Fire Department: $154,644