Budget Woes In Norwalk
Revenue shortfalls are the main worry in Norwalk setting in motion a series of operating budget cuts that are perplexing. In context, Stamford and Bridgeport are struggling with the same issue, and arriving at the same conclusions. Overtime, the pricey labor side of budgets has to be trimmed back if not eliminated. And it is overtime, that is behind the bizarre recommendation out of DPW, that has leaf removal and Saturday leaf, or as the DPW-speak puts it, yard waste drop off eliminated. The problem though is the timing. The cut backs are effective November 15. A glance out the window shows plenty of trees with green leaves still on them, and no shortage of leaves on the ground.
Leaves, branches and other decaying matter, left to the the whimsof weather, will make their way into the storm water drainage catch basins, some with filters, and likely end up clogging the system that the City just spent some engineering time, unglogging. And if, because you’d need a perfect storm to kick this scenario into motion, if the system gets clogged, well then there’s a whole lot of emergency Will Robinson overtime kicking in.
But on paper, well there’s your DPW $529,469, trimmed from the budget there. With the added future forecast of no overtime on snow removal. Yeah right, if the streets remain unplowed over non snow removal budgetary constraints, people will rise up and throw election day snowballs. So either the snow removal trim back is a fantasy number, or things are set in motion for one bad snow storm to create a public relations storm of another kind.
Budget cuts are inevitable, but the flip side of cuts is increasing revenue. Which doesn’t have to be taxes. DPW, under the ordiances can fine property owners for obstructed sidewalks. Whether it be snow or other detrius. There are plenty of $25/day fines that the City could be collecting if it would actually enforce the ordinances we have on the books. Likewise, the ordinance that says garbage must be placed upon curbs in sealed containers. Let’s see some actual revenue making enforcement out of DPW and maybe see less of the impact on city services.
There’s another aspect of cost savings that was not mentioned in the news reports, but I know the Mayor has been encouraging for a few years. The issue of conserving energy by utilizing rooms at city hall less often, or sized more appropriately for the number of participants. It has been the Mayor’s suggestion that the council chambers be used only for large meetings. Naturally there has been some grumbling about that. As well as requests for fees to use rooms by organizations who they themselves struggle with operating costs.
Maybe its time to look at the whole picture of meetings, governmental and non, to determine the best time to schedule based on operating costs instead of tradition. Energy costs, whether electricity or heat, are a big chunk of the budget. It can be as simple as taking the stairs at City Hall on your next visit, instead of automatically taking the elevator.
The Common Council should be looking at these budget cuts as well. They are the funding arm of Norwalk’s government. They should be contributing to the budgetery discussion, at the very least, paying more attention to budget requests as they happen. It’s too bad that many council members got caught up in the emotional deabte about garbage on meadow street instead of focusing on reducing trash hauling fees for the city over all. On January 1st, there will be garbage trucks delivering waste to be transfered somewhere else. It is a commercial operation that has been and will continue to operate. The added cost of that council decision is now going to be felt. And the people who thought they had “stopped” garbage from going to Meadow street will discover that they stopped nothing, but it looks like leaf removal this fall.
