Monroe to discuss city staffing plan that saves $196,000

MONROE — Mayor Robert Zimmerman took office this January promising to look for “efficiencies.”

Tonight, he’ll discuss what he found.

City administrators will roll out a plan during a City Council workshop that would restructure high-level jobs, saving $196,000 this year.

The changes won’t require layoffs, with interim city administrator Gene Brazel saying staff is secure for now. Instead, the city will free up money by changing its approach to a few departments.

“This opportunity doesn’t come around very often, where you have a bunch of vacancies and you’re able to move people around without firings,” said Brazel, who helped develop the plan at the mayor’s request.

The plan is the latest in a series of cost-saving moves meant to relieve the immediate pressure on the city’s strained budget. The council already this year grappled with a potential $125,000 shortfall.

The restructuring will shelve three director-level positions. Theoretically, each of those positions is meant for one person. In reality, however, high-level staffers are covering multiple desks.

For instance, Brazel is serving as interim city administrator and director of public works. Brad Feilberg is in charge of the finance, emergency management and engineering departments.

The changes will allow Brazel to serve solely as city administrator, while promoting Feilberg to a new role: interim assistant city administrator.

That would eliminate the need for three directors. Day-to-day work instead would be covered by lower-paid managers, with Brazel and Feilberg monitoring the departments.

City officials estimate the plan would save $160,000 in the city’s enterprise funds — which cover areas of public works — and another $36,000 in the general fund.

The general fund already faced a big shortfall once this year. Projected revenues fell short at the end of 2009, putting the budget on track to finish this year $125,000 in the red.

The city addressed the problem in early February by charging administrative fees to its capital improvement projects, an enterprise fund.

The fee requires that projects pay for work done by staffers whose jobs are covered by the general fund — the city administrator, the finance department and many others.

The fees buoyed the general fund, putting it $103,000 in the black.

Those fees also cut into the capital improvement budget, however. In the long term, they will leave the city with less money to spend on widening streets and replacing water lines.

“It’s sort of a short-term thing,” Feilberg said.

The fees were unanimously approved by the City Council. City administrators hope to win similar support for the restructuring plan.

“It does affect budget,” Brazel said. “I want them on board.”

A few City Council members said Monday they were still reviewing the plan, but none expressed opposition.

Councilman Tony Balk said he has some questions, but called it a creative response from Zimmerman and city staff during a tough year.

“Now we just have to look at it closely to make sure it’s going to work,” Balk said.

Andy Rathbun: 425-339-3455, arathbun@heraldnet.com.

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