by Max Marbut
Staff Writer
Many people who work for the City were shocked when they opened an e-mail from Chief Administrative Officer Alan Mosley late Monday afternoon.
Mosley made it official that the fiscal year 2007-08 budget is going to be trimmed by 10 percent, and services and divisions will remain part of the plan “if the service is a core function of this local government.”
Mosley also announced City Council will be asked – within 60 days – to approve a new structure for City government based on eight “business units” including, Finance, Infrastructure, Constituent Services, Economic Development and Redevelopment, Public Safety, Central Operations, Strategic Planning and Compliance and Technology.
The e-mail also warned, “Some services that have been historically performed by the city may be eliminated. As a result, some of our colleagues and friends may be asked to serve in new rolls (sic) or may be leaving employment with the city altogether.”
Mayor’s office spokesperson Susie Wiles said the changes aren’t about City employees as much as they are about how the City works as a business.
“We’re not looking at people, we’re looking at function,” said Wiles.
She also said budget cuts during the last two budget cycles were across-the-board and implemented to “trim the fat,” but that won’t work this time.
When asked to define “core function” Wiles said the list of criteria has yet to be established and there will no doubt be what she called a “robust debate” on the subject. She did say Mayor John Peyton believes core functions are things nobody besides City government can or will do – public safety, for example.
Mosley’s e-mail also pointed out, “While most of the changes will be made because of the potential impact of the state’s property tax reform, others will be made because we have an obligation to create a more streamlined, responsive government that delivers the best possible service to residents at the lowest possible cost.”
Wiles said the mayor’s office had already been planning this major restructuring for a couple of months, “but we sped up the process last week when we saw what was coming.”
She also said while it’s too soon to comment on specific services and programs that may be reduced or eliminated, “This government funds programs for virtually every demographic and interest group in the community. The budget comes down to priorities every year, but now it’s more acute. This year we will hit the muscle. It’s real and it’s dreadful.”