Independence Township board members agree the time to act is now ? it’s coming up with a budget plan on which they all agree that’s the problem.
‘If it was Dec. 31, I wouldn’t vote for that budget,? said Trustee David Lohmeier, speaking of recommendations Supervisor Dave Wagner brought to the board at a Nov. 24 special meeting. ‘We can put critical services out and not pass anything else. We can have our own small government shutdown if we have to.?
Wagner’s budget proposal includes eliminating most Parks and Recreation special events such as Tons of Trucks, Friendly Forest, Fourth of July, and Easter Egg Hunt, and closing Deer Lake Beach.
‘These cuts in the Parks and Rec. department are very troubling, but it’s one of the necessary things that have to take place. We don’t have parks millage that could subsidize it and stand on its own,? Wagner said. ‘Unfortunately it does come out of general fund, which we can basically no longer handle.?
His plan also includes cutting 5-6 full-time employees throughout the township along with several part-timers. Wagner said the AFSCME union contract does not allow the township to keep part-time workers if they’re laying off full-times, something he says they’re working on with the union.
He had two meeting with union employees a couple weeks ago.
‘Everyone wanted to vent a little bit and be able to speak their piece,? said Craig Richardson, AFSCME Union president. ‘We’re trying to help to be a solution and not the problem.?
Wagner said anything to eliminate job loss is ‘greatly appreciated.?
Lohmeier said cuts are too deep in services taxpayers use, and not deep enough in areas they don’t.
Trustee Larry Rosso agreed, and said his philosophy is not to impact programs as much as possible.
‘That’s important to me,? he said. ‘The building department is really more of a problem because it doesn’t really have much business.?
Closing departments is still being considered, Wagner said.
‘I am proposing we don’t close the building department, I think it’s too valuable and we don’t need outside people working for residents and businesses of this community,? he said. ‘We’ve worked very hard to establish a very well run department.?
Wagner said the Building Department, which also includes planning and zoning, has shrunk from nine employees down to ‘four and a half.? He said they’ve also cut back on planning commission and Zoning Board of Appeals meetings, which saves in consulting fees.
Lohmeier recommended sharing administrative duties across all departments.
‘We needed to look at the second floor more like one staff, as opposed to these little silos, treasurer, supervisor, and clerk,? he said. ‘Everybody has a cost center.?
Wagner said he reduced his budget 50-60 percent over the past two years and said board members don’t understand there ‘definitely needs to be separation of powers? amongst departments.
If clerk and treasurer share employees, there would be ‘no check and balance,? he said.
‘In my office, it was mentioned I should just eliminate my help all together and not have any assistance, which is just absurd,? he said. ‘This office handles a lot of sensitive information and confidential documents are involved, and for me to have four or five people assisting me randomly is just incomprehensible.?
Trustee Mark Petterson agreed he would have liked cuts across all departments, but it’s not an option.
‘If we don’t make enough cuts now this year, we’re going to suffer for it more next year,? he said. ‘I don’t agree with the cuts in any of the departments, but Independence Township has been living beyond it’s means for a very, very long time and I hate to say it, but it’s time to take some cuts.?
Treasurer Curt Carson said they shouldn’t cut personnel.
‘Putting more people on the unemployment line doesn’t help anybody,? Carson said. ‘We need to run government from a minimalist point of view. Then determine the services we’re going to offer and then build the structure around that.?
Wagner said he’s working hard and is ‘disappointed? the budget process is not over yet.
‘We’ve had a record amount of meetings on this and additional expense that we didn’t need to occur at this time,? he said.