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<br />There is no easy or painless cure for this condition. I will be proposing a reduction in city staff, which will impact <br />city services. Additionally, we will impose a culture of discipline in our city purchasing process. Even with these <br />changes, it will take several years to get this organiZation to a [mandaI position of which you can be proud." <br /> <br />True to his word, the city manager utilized the information gleaned from numerous meetings with department heads <br />and employees and developed a plan to reduce city expenditures while at the same time updating user fee type <br />revenues, which were typically too low in amount. On February 28,2005, the city manager presented the following <br />outline, which covered seven strategies for reduction of operating expenses, <br /> <br />I. Privatization <br /> <br />A. Take competitive bids/proposals on the following activities: <br />1. Solid waste collection and disposal. <br />2. Mowing and vegetation trimming. <br />3. Spraying of chemicals. <br />4. Street sweeping. <br />B. Pursue contracting with hospital for administration and/or operation of the city-county <br />health department. (If unable to contract with the hospital or eliminate the current <br />subsidy, the city should discontinue participation.) <br />C. Contract with local school districts for security at public schools. <br /> <br />II. Staff Reductions <br /> <br />A. City Manager's office: eliminate 1 secretary position by adding duties to existing clerk <br />in the finance office. <br />B. City Attorney's office: eliminate 1 prosecutor position and 2 legal secretary positions. <br />C. Municipal Court: eliminate 1 clerk position. <br />D. Police Department: eliminate 6 police officer positions by contracting with public <br />schools to pay cost for school services. <br />E. Fire Department: eliminate 6 fIrefIghter positions and increase the medical skills of fIre <br />department personnel to provide paramedic support to ambulance personnel at multiple <br />injury/patient occurrences. <br />F. Community Development Department: eliminate 1 code enforcement officer position. <br />G. Engineering Department: eliminate 1 construction inspector position. <br />H. Parks and ROW Department: eliminate 1 parks superintendent position by placing the <br />department under the supervision of the assistant Public Works Director, and eliminate <br />3 maintenance positions by privatization of portions of required mowing and spraying <br />certain ditches and right of way. <br />I. Sanitation Department: eliminate 14 solid waste collector positions by privatization of <br />solid waste collection/disposal. <br />1. Street Department: eliminate 4 maintenance positions by reorganizing work crews. <br />K. Emergency Medical Services Department: eliminate 9 paramedic positions by blending <br />EMS with the Fire Department. Staff each ambulance for single patient call and <br />provide back up paramedic staff from the Fire Department first responder vehicle. <br />L. Airport Department: eliminate 1 airport manager position by contracting with the fIxed <br />based operator to perform those duties. <br />M. Library Department: eliminate 1 assistant librarian position and 1 library clerk position. <br />N. Water Billing/Collection Department: eliminate 2 clerk positions. <br />O. Water Distribution Department: eliminate 1 maintenance worker position. <br />P. Water Treatment Plant Department: eliminate 2 maintenance worker positions. <br />Q. Waste Water Treatment Plant Department: eliminate 3 maintenance worker positions. <br /> <br />III. Employee Group Health Benefits <br /> <br />With an overdraft of $688,000 as of the end of the 2004 fiscal year, the medical plan has to be <br />revised to eliminate the deficit and begin building reserves. <br /> <br />5 <br />