CBRAC Cost-Saving Measures, By Department

The 2013 Citizens Budget Review Advisory Committee (CBRAC) included numerous cost-saving measures for each village department after examining the 2013-14 village budget, attending all budget sessions and interviewing department management during the process.

The committee's full report was released earlier this month to the Garden City board of trustees as well as the Joint Conference Committee. The following is an overview of the recommendations:

Garden City Police Department
Within the Garden City Police Department, CBRAC members recommend maintaining approved staffing levels at 52. Currently, 50 officers are on active duty, with several nearing retirement.

The committee recommends the department hire only from the academy versus neighboring communities to fill any vacancies and increase the contribution to healthcare and retirement costs for upcoming contract negotiations, "given the success of the recent Suffolk County contract where new officers are expected to contribute to 15 percent of their healthcare premiums," according to the report.

The committee also recommends the department purchase new scales for truck enforcement and train additional officers to "keep the equipment in use as much as possible" to offset the risk of lost revenue and less enforcement; increase the number of officers eligible for speed enforcement; and increase fines (or introduce a tiered approach for fines based on the number of violations) for those illegally parked in handicapped spaces.

Garden City Fire Department
With regards to the Garden City Fire Department, CBRAC members, while "sympathetic to the families impacted" by the board of trustees' decision to layoff department employees, said they are supportive of the conclusions reached by the consultant hired by the village "in light of rising labor costs and deferral of capital and equipment spending."

Further, the committee recommends the village go ahead with capital improvements at two fire houses, including repair of the roof, brick damage and staircase in the West firehouse; and expansion of the doors and size of the truck bays and repair of the kitchen facilities at Headquarters.

"We view the condition of the buildings as liability issues for the village given that some of these buildings are used by outside organizations," CBRAC members state, adding that the department should defer the purchase of a ladder truck for another year "given its limited use" and look to examine cost of service life extension overhauls or even purchase a used ladder truck.

Department of Public Works
As for the Department of Public Works, the report recommends a village-wide review of sanitation/recycling collection schedules to determine if one pick-up per week can be eliminated village-wide. Committee members also want village officials to evaluate the tonnage of recycling being collected to see if pick-ups can be reduced to every other week.

Further, members suggest the village's e-cycling program be modified from a collection/drop-off program to purely a drop-off program, given the costs associated with the program.

The report also recommends the village issue a Request-for-Proposal for the "cleaning and/or maintenance" of village hall. "In 2012 the total personnel cost to clean/maintain Village Hall was more than $360k, excluding one-time costs," the report states. "This consisted of two daytime employees and a night cleaner."

With regards to capital improvements, CBRAC members recommend restoring funds available for road paving to previous levels because the "quality of the roads in the village has noticeably deteriorated;" performing a cost/benefit analysis on borrowing money to expand the installation of LED lighting in the village relative with the anticipating lower electricity charges from LIPA; and purchasing slightly used equipment rather than new.

Garden City Public Library
Eighty-two percent of the proposed Garden City Public Library budget is labor and labor-related costs, according to the report. CBRAC members suggest library board trustees "work to identify opportunities to leverage services that are being provided by the village, such as integrating payroll staff and systems, put out an RFP for providing cleaning/maintenance services to the library and look addressing provisions in the upcoming contract negotiations that are restrictive with regards to personnel costs in an effort to free up resources to expand the collection of new material," according to the report.

In part, the committee recommends the library consider installing an automated checkout system; cap the number of Librarian II to a set number to reduce personnel costs; and ask the library to publish annually its key metrics to better understand library operations and staffing levels. This report should include items like the number of programs offered and attendance at each; the number of items circulated; the number of visits/individual patrons checking materials out and more, the report states.

The committee also wants the library to hold focus groups, similar to those recently held by the Recreation and Parks Department, to hear directly from library members and stop offering free printout from the lab but rather place an annual cap on the number of prints per library member.

The CBRAC believes the needed brick work should be completed on the building to "avoid further damage to the interior and potentially the books and equipment."

Recreation and Parks Department
As for the Recreation and Parks Department, the CBRAC wants officials to revisit "cost/benefit of outsourcing field maintenance, factoring in retirement and healthcare costs as well as the reduction in equipment use and maintenance," according to the report, as well as revisit the merger of parts of DPW with Recreation and Parks all while identifying tangible cost reductions.

Committee members believe Phase II of the pool project should be put on hold so officials can first see if the "year-over-year increase in membership is sustainable."

CBRAC members suggest better communication with residents - through mailers, ads, email and online - could increase participation in programs currently being offered. Members also want the department's website enhanced "to allow for resident sign-up for email alerts on deadlines, programs available by age group, etc."

To increase membership at the pool, the CBRAC suggests the department offer "fun passes" or "30-day trial passes" to new members; possibly open the pool closer to Memorial Day weekend; and increase lounge seating at the adult pool.

The report, in part, also recommends enhancing tennis offerings, including the creation of a list serve and use of the facilities for birthday parties.

Water Enterprise
With regards to the Water Enterprise Fund, CBRAC members recommend a third party evaluate the repair/overhaul of the pumps as opposed to spending $320k over the next four years on new ones, according to the report. The committee also recommends an analysis be developed to compare the long-term costs of the current repair strategy for the water tank versus a total replacement strategy, including location of the new tower.

To view the full report, including a complete list of recommendations by department, see the attached.