Following the May 14 municipal election, Union City residents will be looking at many changes in the way City Hall is run, said Union City Mayor Brian Stack at the special meeting of the city’s Board of Commissioners held on April 24.
“I want the people to see a change in direction in City Hall,” said Stack. “When they come here, I want them to see results.”
Stack said that the $73.1 million 2001-2002 municipal budget approved by the board last week reflects those changes.
Bare bones
Although this year’s $73.1 million budget includes an increase in spending over last year’s $70.8 million budget, there will be no increase in taxes this year.
“We are doing everything we can to stabilize taxes first before we lower them,” said Stack. “The people see that the tax rate has been stabilized and that there is really a serious attempt to do the right thing financially.”
When the budget was introduced last month, Fred Tompkins, the city’s auditor, with the firm Donohue, Gironda and Doria Auditors, said that the increase is greatly attributed to the retroactive pay and pay raises given to the municipal employees in the two union contracts settled this year.
In the 2000-2001 budget, $3 million has been set aside to pay for the three employee union contracts that were still pending. Two of these contracts, the Police Benevolent Association and the Union City Employees’ Association, were finally settled this fiscal year. However, the Police Superiors Union contract is still pending.
All three of these unions had been without a contract since 1999. According to Stack, the $3 million set aside last year was able to cover the retroactive pay, but more money was needed to cover the pay increases. According to Tompkins, police salaries were up $800,000 in this budget.
No other significant increase in spending is cited in this budget.
“We are really running a bare bones operation,” said Stack.
The budget includes $5.5 million in state Distressed Cities Program Funding, an increase over last year’s $2.5 million in aid.
Stack credits the hiring freeze in place in Union City for the past 20 months and the elimination of overtime in the city for the decrease in most areas of city spending and increase in state aid.
Making changes
Stack is anticipating more changes in City Hall.
After the election, Stack said that he plans to hire some department directors and fill other vacancies that the city has left open.
Right now, many departments, such as public safety – where the mayor doubles as director of revenue and finance – do not have department directors, and the city is without a treasurer and a business administrator.
“There is a lack of supervision in certain departments,” said Stack, adding that while some new directors will be hired, some existing directors will be let go.
Stack says he will only fill positions that are necessary. He said he will work together with the state when hiring these individuals.