CITY CLERK: (Bureau of Public Information)
989-759-1480
S.C.E.N.I.C. (Inspections Division)
989-399-1311
Greg Barton:
989-737-5655
Ralph Martin:
989-737-5694
Darin Jerome:
989-737-5857
John Stemple:
989-737-5756
ALL COMPLAINTS TO THE CITY:
989-399-1311
211 THIS IS THE NUMBER TO CALL FOR HELP WITH CONSUMERS, SHELTER, ANYTHING YOU HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT FOR EMERGENCIES:
ALL EMERGENCIES:
911
NON-EMERGENCY NUMBER: (DESK)
989-759-1289
CENTRAL DISPATCH: (NON-EMERGENCY)
989-797-4580
CRIME STOPPERS:
1-800-422-JAIL-5245
ARSON:
1-800-44ARSON (27766)
TRUANCY: ART O'NEIL (SAGINAW HIGH SCHOOL)
989-399-6000
Sunday, January 27, 2013
COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SAGINAW
MEMBER NAME
MAYOR: Greg Branch
anngreg@chartermi.net
MAYOR PRO-TEM: Dennis Browning
dbrowning125@charter.net
COUNCILWOMAN: Annie Boensch
boenschforSaginaw@gmail.com
COUNCILMAN: Norman Braddock
normanbraddock@yahoo.com
COUNCILMAN: Larry Coulouris
lcoulouris@yahoo.com
COUNCILMAN: Dan Fitzpatrick
dlfitz@ameritech.net
COUNCILMAN: Floyd Kloc
floydkloc@yahoo.com
COUNCILMAN: Amos O'Neal
amossam@charter.net
COUNCILMAN: Andrew Wendt
wendtmsu93@yahoo.com
MAYOR: Greg Branch
anngreg@chartermi.net
MAYOR PRO-TEM: Dennis Browning
dbrowning125@charter.net
COUNCILWOMAN: Annie Boensch
boenschforSaginaw@gmail.com
COUNCILMAN: Norman Braddock
normanbraddock@yahoo.com
COUNCILMAN: Larry Coulouris
lcoulouris@yahoo.com
COUNCILMAN: Dan Fitzpatrick
dlfitz@ameritech.net
COUNCILMAN: Floyd Kloc
floydkloc@yahoo.com
COUNCILMAN: Amos O'Neal
amossam@charter.net
COUNCILMAN: Andrew Wendt
wendtmsu93@yahoo.com
Saturday, January 26, 2013
Saginaw controller:
Saginaw controller: City needs to address deficits now to prevent emergency financial manager
By on January 26, 2013 at 5:00 PM, updated January 26, 2013 at 5:01 PM
View full sizeCarl Johnson, city controller from Plante Moran, speaks to the Saginaw City Council about, among other things, the city deficit during the council's strategic planning session on Saturday, Jan. 26, 2013, at the Castle Museum. But Johnson said that could happen eventually if city leaders do not act immediately address the government's structural budget deficit.
"You have to have whatever plan you are looking at in place, ready to go, on July 1," he said. "It's just so key that you be as proactive as you can. The consequences are so devastating if you don't do it. It's twice as bad."
Johnson said the cause of the gap between revenue and expenditures in Saginaw ranges from the rising cost of retiree pensions and health benefits to serious decreases in revenue sharing from the state. The bottom line, he said, is that Saginaw is spending more than it is taking in.
And there is not enough left in the general fund balance to cover that shortfall.
"You have to live within your means and you need to prioritize," Johnson said.
City Manager Darnell Earley said city staff has already implemented cost saving measures across many city departments.
The way to close an expected $3.2 million budget gap for the upcoming fiscal year, Earley says, will include staffing reductions in the fire department and outsourcing police services to the county. If a contract cannot be agreed upon with the county sheriff, he said, staffing reductions will also need to be made in the police department.
That backup plan would mean a reduction in force to 55 police officers and 35 firefighters, if city council approves the measure.
Johnson said one thing city leaders cannot do is refuse to act, which could mean the city would start digging itself a financial hole that would become increasing difficult to get out of.
"You have to address the systemic problem of the operating shortfall," he said.
Councilman Norman Braddock said he agrees that the assignment of an emergency financial manager, which would take power out of the hands of elected leaders, would not be good for Saginaw.
"That's something I don't think any of us want to see," Braddock said.
But the councilman said he thinks the city needs to move forward with the removal of a cap on property tax receipts as well as looking on the expenditure side of the budget.
Earley said he thinks the city should not return to voters with such a request until after leaders have done the "heavy lifting" of balancing the budget now with spending cuts.
The city manager said his staff plans to continue pursuing a contract with the county and other alternatives to the staffing cuts before presenting city council with a draft budget sometime before the end of April.
Interim Chief Lipe's City Wide Meetings: 12/12-07/13
Interim Chief Brian Lipe’s City Wide
Meetings: December 2012-July 2012
December 20th 2012: Houghton Elementary School:
Tuscola & N. 9th
Street Entrance 5:30 PM
January 24th 2013: Covenant Association: American Amalgamated Workers Union
1614 Mershon St. 5:30 PM
February 28th 2013: First Ward Community Center 1410
N. 12th St. 5:30 PM
March 28th 2013: Adams Boulevard Association, Michigan Lutheran Seminary 5:30 PM
April 25th 2013: Brockway Carmen Park & St.
Stephen’s Association: St. Stephen’s Parish
Hall 1300 Malzahn 5:30 PM
May 23rd 2013: Cathedral District, Green House
Center of Hope 723 Emerson 5:30 PM
June 27th 2013: S.W.S.N.A. 2109 W. Michigan, Beacon of Hope Church 5:30
PM
July 25th 2013: Redeemer Neighborhood
Association, Loomis School, Loomis & Webber ST. 5:30 PM
Saginaw city manager: Police, fire layoff notices to be sent out in February
View full sizeSaginaw City Manager Darnell Earley listens to presentations during the city council's strategic planning session held Saturday, Jan. 26, at the Castle Museum. "That's what we will be budgeting for in 2014 for public safety," Earley said.
Current staffing for the police department is 73; fire staffing is 50. That means 33 officers and firefighters would be eliminated on July 1.
During city council's strategic planning session held Saturday, Jan. 26, at the Castle Museum, Earley said he is moving forward with plans to prevent the layoffs, which includes a proposed policing contract with Saginaw County Sheriff William Federspiel.
"There are issues that are outstanding and I don't know when they are going to come to fruition," Earley said.
Other potential solutions have also been offered to the city's budget problem.
Earley said he received a revenue-side proposal from Mayor Greg Branch on Sunday, Jan. 20, but said his staff has yet to review that proposal and analyze whether or not it will provide the necessary savings.
"It's essentially how can we step up revenue generation by police and firefighters," Branch said. "I think there are a lot of opportunities for us there."
The police unions have reiterated a proposal for a combined public safety option, he said. The city manager said that change would not provide the up-front cost savings that Saginaw needs to realize.
"We don't have a large fund balance to invest into cross-training police and fire like maybe some other communities have," Earley said. "We have to manage to our own circumstances."
At the end of the 2011-2012 fiscal year, the city had $1.2 million in its general fund. That amounts to about 3.6 percent of the total general fund budget, significantly less than is typically recommended to be held by governments in their fund balance.
Councilman Larry Coulouris said he would like to see more sound financial management in the future if Saginaw sees better days.
"Something went wrong when things were going very well, otherwise we wouldn't be in this situation today," Coulouris said. "Just because we have a lot of money piled up doesn't mean we should spend it like drunken sailors."
Though efforts will continue to pursue alternatives, Earley said his team plans to send out the layoff notices and will prepare a budget assuming the reduced staffing levels.
"We need to notify them," he said. "We have to move forward based on the information that we have."
Earley said those layoffs could be canceled before July 1 if an alternative is presented that can address the city's budget gap.
The budget, per Saginaw's city charter, must be presented to city council on or before April 29. The city's budget year begins on July 1.
Special City Council Meeting 1/26/13
Saginaw's employee legacy costs dominate first portion of special city council meeting
View full size Mike Strader, regional manager for MERS, makes a presentation to Saginaw City Council Saturday, Jan. 26, on an analysis of a proposed transition from the city-run police and fire pension system to the statewide retirement program. The first presentation given Friday was on the costs and benefits that would be associated with switching the city-run police and fire pension system over to the Municipal Employees' Retirement System.
Mike Strader, Regional Manager for MERS, told city leaders that making the switch would save a small amount of money in the short-term in investment and administrative fees. But the system's better return in investment is where the city could likely see large savings in the long-term, Strader said.
"Over time, MERS has out-performed the police and fire plan and the benchmark too," he said.
Assuming a $130.9 million investment in both plans, Strader said, MERS would have realized a return $40.5 million greater than the city's police and fire pension fund over the last decade.
City Manager Darnell Earley said he would like to see the city make the switch to realize both short and long-term cost reductions in time for the 2013-2014 budget or shortly thereafter.
"This demonstrates a more effective means of managing our declining resources," Earley said. "We need to get it done as soon as possible."
Jordan also presented an option for changing the pension system for the remainder of city employees, which is run by MERS.
Switching to an alternative amortization plan through MERS, he said, could lower and flatten the spike in contributions expected over the next few years. Instead of annual MERS contributions steadily increasing from $8.6 million in 2013 to $12.5 million in 2016, they would remain near the $8 million range.
Jordan did not recommend making that switch because it would result in about $13 million in added costs spread out over the next 20 years.
"You're actually going to pay more for Option B than for Option A," he said. "I don't like the cliche 'kicking the can down the road,' but that's exactly what you're doing with Option B."
Jordan also detailed changes already made and future adjustments being developed to retiree health care benefits, which costs the city about $13.5 million each year. The general fund alone budgeted $6.9 million in the current fiscal year for retiree health care.
Part of the reason that is so expensive, Jordan said, is because the 1072 employees in the system, which includes 751 retirees, are spread out into 26 different retiree health care plans. He said the city is currently in the process of trying to reduce those plans in an attempt to reduce the resulting expense.
"I feel confident that we can come up with something that can offset those costs," Jordan said. "Our objective is getting down into something less than 10 plans. My goal has been to get this done by Jan. 1 of 2014. If I can do it sooner, I will."
Next up on the meeting agenda include a summary of public safety services and changes being proposed by city administration with an eye on cost savings and other proposals for passing a balanced 2013-2014 city budget.
The city's budget year begins in July.
Friday, January 25, 2013
ATTENTION! NEW LOCATION ATTENTION!
MARK YOUR CALENDAR!!!
The Southwest Saginaw
Neighborhood Association
Invites You to Attend
Meetings are held on
the third Tuesday of the month
DATES FOR 2013:
JANUARY 15TH
FEBRUARY 19TH
MARCH 19TH
APRIL 16TH
MAY 21ST
JUNE 18TH
JULY 16TH
AUGUST 20TH
SEPTEMBER 17TH
OCTOBER 15TH
NOVEMBER 19TH
NO MEETING IN DECEMBER
TIME: 6:30 PM
PLACE:
Beacon of Hope Church. 2109 W. Michigan. Corner of W. Michigan and Superior
Come and join us in our
effort to preserve and improve our neighborhoods by fighting blight and crime.
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