Winslow Council Discusses The City’s Budget Options

By Sam Conner
The Winslow City Council spent much of its Tuesday evening meeting on a discussion of options to consider in producing a balanced budget. Given the difficult economic times most cities, counties and states are facing, the prospect of acquiring enough funds to continue all of the services the city now provides and keep its employees is not likely. For this reason, City Manager Jim Ferguson said he wants city staff and the citizens of Winslow to be thinking about what could be done to produce a balanced budget and cause the least damage from curtailed services or reductions of personnel. Ferguson noted that this was a follow-up on discussions held at the city’s recent strategic planning season by staff, council members, candidates for council offices and interested citizens. He said that the city faces some serious challenges and needs to consider a variety of options. No final action was considered at the meeting and won’t be considered until later, but the council, staff and the public need to be thinking about the options and their consequences. Ferguson said that the city needs to reduce expenditures by approximately $1.1 million. The city has cut staff by some 45 persons in recent years, and all departments are working to reduce expenditures. Some of the things he said would be considered were holding the line on spending across the board. All departments have been instructed to look for ways to do this. It may become necessary to reduce the hours of some employees, to reallocate some tasks and possibly to reduce salaries. He said that he believes most employees would prefer to take a salary cut rather than lose a fellow employee. Still, there may be some reduction of staff considered. “There will be many meetings with staff before the city is able to find a way to develop a balanced budget. Most every other local government has similar problems, and some have already taken drastic measures of reducing staff and salaries,” the city manager explained. Ferguson said that encouraging retirement could be a useful measure. He noted that he was open to any ideas. Mayor Robin Boyd said that he would like to consider using some capital funds to keep the status quo regarding personnel. He and Ferguson suggested that using some of the city sales tax to create a retirement incentive might be a possibility. There was some talk of increasing the length of time the sales tax would be in effect. Councilwoman Judy Howell said that the city needed to decide what is essential and what isn’t. She sees police and fire protection as essential, but thought a choice may need to be made between the indoor swimming pool and the visitor’s center, for instance. The council seemed agreed that the problem is real and the solution may not be easy, but will be necessary. This topic will continue to be an issue for city staff, council and the citizens of the city. What is not known is whether the economy will rebound in the near future or continue as it is for years to come.