by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
Sheriff John Rutherford went in front of the City Council Finance Committee Monday — in street clothes, no less — for two major reasons. First, he wants to be 100 percent clear about what took place Thursday during the morning session of the budget hearings when the Finance Committee approved an across-the-board cut of 3 percent. Rutherford also wanted to address a bill that would see 97 employees of the State Department of Health become employees of his office and provide State Constitution-mandated health care to inmates.
“We are dutifully going about trying to make cuts in the Sheriff’s Office budget on top of the $9 million we have already made,” said Rutherford. “There is a lot of confusion about what happened last Thursday.
“If the 3 percent is across the board, I can’t cut the individual salaries of employees because about 90 percent of them belong to the union. I can cut positions, but I can’t cut salaries.”
During the first budget session, City Council President Richard Clark proposed a citywide, across-the-board cut of 3 percent off the budgets of all City departments that are part of the City’s $782 million general fund. Those cuts cannot affect the pension plans of the City’s general employees, police and firefighters. After much debate, the proposal — which means a net savings of about $20 million — passed and means each department will have to go before the Finance Committee during the remaining budget hearings to lobby for some or all of the 3 percent to be restored.
“It is still within our purview to set the budgetary guidelines. It is still within our purview to set the 3 percent across the board,” said Finance Chair Stephen Joost, acknowledging that Rutherford’s budget is affected by the current collective bargaining negotiations between the police union and the City.
Rutherford said he has already trimmed $9 million from last year’s budget despite submitting a 2009-10 budget that’s $18 million more than last year — a figure he says is reflective of the pension obligations. He also said it’s the wrong time to ask him to make budget cuts given the fact that crime and the murder rate are both down — indications Rutherford says prove having more officers on the street is working.
“I am really looking at $20.7 million out of last year’s budget,” he said. “In every likelihood, I’ll have to lay people off to make up the difference.”
Joost said that every department is facing similar critical decisions.
“At the end of the day, we have got to find the savings,” said Joost. “That’s just where we are at.”
Finance deferred the inmate medical care bill due to several unaddressed issues and out of deference to the Council Rules Committee, which deferred the bill Monday morning for similar reasons. That care is currently provided through a contract with the State DOH. Rutherford said by absorbing the employees, he can save about $700,000 annually over private care. He also said there is a time crunch.
“We are up against a wall,” he said. “Unless any of you have some medical skills and want to come over and treat my inmates, come Oct. 1 we have a problem.
“We don’t have time to negotiate and put out an RFP for a for-profit, which we don’t want to do anyway.”
Finance member Bill Bishop also serves on the Rules Committee. He said there were questions surrounding liability and the impression that government was expanding at a time when cuts are being made.
“The Committee felt this was thrust in their laps and did not feel comfortable voting on it,” he said.
In other news from the Finance meeting:
• The Committee deferred three bills sponsored by Council member Glorious Johnson that would repeal the three fees levied by the City two years ago. According to the Council Auditor’s Office, those fees in the proposed budget will generate about $90 million. Joost says that’s $90 million the City cannot afford to do without.
Joost also said he hesitantly voted in favor of the three fees and believes they are worth looking at again — just not right now.
“We need to have a discussion on the budget as a whole to see where there are surpluses or deficits,” he said, adding this is not the appropriate time to bring them up.
• The Finance Committee did approve a $333,000 settlement with the owners of a BP station and convenience store on Harts Road. The City, through the Better Jacksonville Plan, has been widening that portion of Harts Road and obtained the property through eminent domain.
Attorney Tom Beverly of the Office of General Council, said the property owner’s appraisal came in at $386,500. He also said the negotiations took several months and ended up in mediation. The $333,000 figure includes $215,000 for damages and $118,000 for attorney’s fees. It does not include an outstanding claim for expert fees and other costs that Beverly estimates will cost between $115,000 and $172,000.
356-2466