From Less Paper to Longer Waits, Proposed Budget Impacts Will be Felt Across the Board

This is the second in a series of articles that will look at how the proposed $353.7 million City budget will impact departments and the services they offer.

By Erica Williams
Staff Writer

May 30 -- Candidates may be charged a fee to run for office, callers will be kicked into voice mail more often, the program selection on CityTV will dwindle and the City’s Web site will be updated less frequently.

Those are just some of the impacts a slew of cost-cutting measures will have on daily civic life in Santa Monica under a proposed $353.7 million budget unveiled during a series of City Council study sessions last week.

During the sessions, City department heads presented their efforts to trim 5 percent of their budgets by eliminating positions (most of them part-time or unfilled) and scaling back services.

The following departments presented their budgets and fielded questions from the council during the first session on Tuesday:

City Council

At the City Council office, a part-time staff assistant will work fewer hours and the City may belong to fewer organizations, said Assistant City Manager Gordon Anderson.

Scaling back the staff assistant’s hours will save $20,213 in the upcoming fiscal year, Anderson said. Further reducing one position (which has not yet been identified), sharing staff resources with the City Manager and reducing council membership in organizations will save $13,750 in the 2004-05 fiscal year.

Councilman Bob Holbrook questioned the wisdom of cutting those affiliations "because they often represent the interest of our city," and the costs are "so infinitesimal."

City Manager

The City Manager’s office -- which includes administration, cable television and information systems -- plans to trim $230,260 from its current budget in 2003-04.

The cuts will result in less news as well as information programming for City TV and less coverage of community events. City TV will receive fewer funds for new programming and the office will cut spending on software maintenance, printing and new automated services. Additionally, City Web sites and election services will be updated and maintained less frequently.

All departments must get by with less, as printing and publishing services, as well as information systems services, including a dedicated technology support for the police, will be reduced. The Public Electronic Network (PEN) will also be eliminated, as well as "expert services on communications projects."

In 2004-05, a $213,987 cut in spending will be achieved by further consolidating office functions with the City Council and eliminating the office administrator position once the staff member filling the post retires.

Records and Election Services

City Clerk Marcia Stewart's plan to cut $58,876 from her office's budget will not result in a loss of jobs in 2003-04. Most of the department's savings will come from significantly reducing the use of recycled paper, putting it at odds with the City's sustainability policies.

Additionally, cutting back its overall paper inventory will mean slower turnaround times for some jobs. A public copier, provided as a convenience to copy personal documents, will be removed, saving $600 annually, Stewart told the council.

A $70,316 cut in 2004-05 will have similar effects, including the loss of one full-time position. Turnaround times on duplication, binding and print jobs will be even slower, affecting service to staff, the public and the council.

Stewart recommended that the council consider implementing a filing fee for candidates for political office to cover expenses. Typically, those candidates are subsidized by the City. The move could generate $30,000 in potential income, she said.

City Attorney

As part of an effort to trim $257,109 from its budget, the City Attorney’s office will lose a full-time “relief receptionist” position currently filled by temporary staff. That means more calls will kick into voice mail or will be fielded by legal secretarial staff, further reducing productivity, said City Attorney Marsha Moutrie.

Though the proposed $145,119 cut in 2004-05 is more than $100,000 less than the previous year, the office's ability to prosecute criminal and code enforcement cases, enforce tenant and consumer rights, and defend the City in various suits will be largely reduced.

Moutrie advised the council that the workload for her department continues to increase, making the impact of proposed cuts “significant.” The City was sued 99 times last year, she said, or every 3.6 days, a jump over previous years. Additionally, the City implemented a new ordinance every 15 days.

The City, Moutrie said, is on track to surpass last year's count, receiving 30 suits in the first quarter of this year alone. "It's going to be another busy year," she said.

Councilman Michael Feinstein asked whether the council's propensity for enacting "unusual policy" results in increased lawsuits for the City.

Moutrie replied: "While it' true that you're frequently working on the cutting edge... the majority of our lawsuits are routine."

Finance

The Finance Department’s plans to cut $199,995 from its budget in 2003-04 will result in the loss of one full-time internal auditor position, reducing the department's auditing functions "greatly," said Finance director Mike Dennis, who is retiring. The department, however, will be able to maintain its “core functions.”

In 2004-05 a cut of $202,366 will mean the loss of two full-time positions that have not yet been identified. Additionally, the cuts could result in less customer service at the Treasury counter and delays in processing department deposits to the bank.

The loss of an auditor in the prior year will result in reduced audit revenues, and state mandated reimbursements to the City could be reduced if departments cannot process the claims themselves.

The council lauded Dennis for his efforts to keep the City fiscally sound during his 30-year tenure, earning it a AAA bond rating, the highest possible rating.

That, Dennis pointed out, has allowed the City to issue bonds at "advantageous" interest rates, earning it an estimated $7 million in savings when compared to the cost of issuing lower quality bonds.

Dennis cautioned the council to look ahead to 2004-05 with a plan, not a proposed budget that locks it in. That would be prudent given that "all cities in California are in for a ride at least for the next decade," he said.

Human Resources

The personnel division's $92,909 cut in its budget will result in the loss of one full-time human resources technician position that is currently vacant. Not filling the position will increase response times for service overall.

Additionally, open and promotional recruitments and examinations will take longer to complete. The department has also reduced its temporary staff to deal with increased insurance costs.

In 2004-05, a $95,921 cut will result in the loss of one full-time position and more temporary staff, further deteriorating the department's ability to provide adequate customer service.

Director Karen Bancroft suggested the use of one-time funds to purchase and implement an online application and tracking system.