It’s like August in March.
Typically, a group of City Council members spend dozens of hours in August and September grilling department heads as they make changes to the mayor’s budget before it’s finally approved.
This year’s a little different.
A group led by City Council Vice President Clay Yarborough several weeks ago began taking a deeper look inside city finances as part of a special budget analysis committee.
But, instead of a hectic pace of crammed briefings, quick question and even quicker decisions, the early reviews have been slower, calmer.
Mayor Alvin Brown doesn’t have to submit his budget until July 15. Yarborough said with months to go, the sense of urgency isn’t yet there and he’s asked those who come to the committee for an overview of their area and what savings and challenges are present.
It continued Thursday with the tail end of the Sports and Entertainment Office and Fleet Management, the latter of which has had hours devoted to it the past several years.
Fleet Management Chief Karim Kurji didn’t pull punches with his report: Vehicle replacement has constantly been put off, making the city lag behind and increase maintenance costs. A new fleet management system is needed to keep up and the facility, built in the early 1970s, needs major work.
Kurji said the department is expanding pool cars and “right-sized” cars when possible to help. Outsourcing parts was “one of the best decisions” he made in his two and a half years on the job, he said, and will save about $360,000 this fiscal year. Parts in good shape from out-of-service vehicles also are used to offset costs.
He hopes savings can be invested back into the department, but he said he’ll need council’s assistance — and much more funding.
He started a three-year replacement plan — council members asked to push it to five years — to help determine what needs to be budgeted.
Fleet Management has a $40 million budget for fiscal 2014, $23.2 million of which is for fuel costs. The department has 3,660 vehicles and replaced 276 vehicles this year, 207 in fiscal 2012-13 and 171 in fiscal 2011-12.
Afterward, Kurji said $20 million would be the significant investment needed and match past requests to catch up. About $7 million was approved this year before late additions for fire department vehicles.
Yarborough said he appreciated Kurji’s honesty in the report. Later, he said it was an example of why such an early budget review is needed and provides a “value-added discussion.” It also gives council members an early idea of what departments will need before figures are submitted and will help them later when they start making priorities.
On the other side, Kurji said he appreciated the early opportunity the review provided.
“I think it’s very good, it’s there, it’s not in July after the budget gets submitted,” he said.
Next week, the group will hear from the Downtown Investment Authority and CEO Aundra Wallace.
Yarborough said he wants to hear an overview of the authority and the status of its redevelopment plan. Authority members and consultants have been working on the plan for months in anticipation of a spring submission to council. After it’s approved, the authority will be able to spend from its budget without council approving spending.
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