Comments on: Ann Arbor: Engaging the FY 2012 Budget

By: Vivienne Armentrout

Vivienne Armentrout — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 17:13:50 +0000

Thanks, Steve.

Actually we have already implemented a version of PAYT in the sense of a limited volume of municipal waste (the A2 Carts). We have also eliminated the bulk pickup, free drop-off, and Christmas tree pickup.

The move to privatization is particularly suspect when it is combined with eliminating a source of revenue that already exists (the solid waste millage). City administrators don’t appear to like dedicated millages. They actually dictate what services are to be supplied.

By: Steve Bean

Steve Bean — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 16:25:23 +0000

Reading through the solid waste section of the report more carefully, it seems that Fraser might be conflating “pay as you go” (privatization) with “pay as you throw” (PAYT), which might account for the reaction of some council members. While previous budget discussions may have introduced consideration of the former, the Solid Waste Plan Update only referenced the latter.

Given that the survey was conducted about ten years ago in a very different economy and that citywide commercial recycling has since been implemented, along with single-stream collection and various improvements to the overall system, reconsidering PAYT is worthwhile. Privatization still is not.

By: Steve Bean

Steve Bean — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 16:06:20 +0000

@1: My recollection is similar to yours, Vivienne. The update to the Solid Waste Plan discussed PAYT, but not privatization. I think Dave somewhat conflated the two options in his reporting. I wouldn’t be surprised if council members did likewise in their interpretation of the plan and the options before them. I disagree that PAYT is a bad idea. Privatization (again, a distinct option from PAYT), however, would be, for the reasons you state. PAYT could result in less waste landfilled, less subsidization of wasteful practices/behaviors, and higher recycling and composting rates without much increased risk in illegal dumping. The key is in how it’s structured and presented (which the plan excerpt that Dave included referred to as “three key issues”.) Also note that the recommendation was for only a partial rollback of property taxes. The remainder would be needed along with the fee revenues in order to keep city trash collection operations running and to inform residents and businesses about waste reduction practices.

By: mr dairy

mr dairy — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 21:31:22 +0000

Hey Dave, did you get that promised follow up on the sidewalk program from Fraser? Still waitin’? lol

#7 re: shifted expenses. BINGO! Fewer employees, particularly lower wage union jobs, percentage increase in better paid professional positions and contract workers, it doesn’t take a genius to figure that out.

We’ll know where the bottom is when they come after the pensioners and their health care.

By: Vivienne Armentrout

Vivienne Armentrout — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 03:49:10 +0000

Re #6: Excellent point. I won’t point fingers at any specific person but I do know of examples. What the city administration did was to reduce the employee head count at the expense of the pension fund. The consultant-employees may even be paid at a higher rate (though I don’t know that) but are not chargeable to current overhead (benefit) funds. It’s all a matter of which pocket the money comes from. Or was that buckets?

By: Peg Eisenstodt

Peg Eisenstodt — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 22:23:42 +0000

The City of Ann Arbor regularly points out that it has cut its number of employees substantially in the past few years. What I don’t ever recall seeing is a tally of how many of those retirees were hired back as consultants (I personally know of several) and how many long-term consultants they actually have. While it may at first seem like a good idea to offer early retirements, does it really save money if they hire the individuals back and pay them as long-term consultants in addition to their retirement pay and benefits? I think it would be helpful to have this type of information reported. This might also be a question for Washtenaw County. Has anyone checked into this?

By: Dave Askins

Dave Askins — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 21:13:34 +0000

Re: [4] Derezinski is not a member of the council's five-member budget committee, which consists of Higgins, Taylor, Briere, Anglin, Rapundalo. [Link] to Legistar listing of all city boards, commissions, task forces, committees, and the like.

By: Dave Cahill

Dave Cahill — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 19:50:30 +0000

Dave, the City Council has an official Budget Committee. How does the membership of this committee compare with the membership of the “work group” (Taylor, Higgins, and Derezinski)?

Has anyone said why the regular Budget Committee is not handling the work group’s tasks?

By: Mark Koroi

Mark Koroi — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 17:45:26 +0000

“Barnett Jones, head of the city’s safety services, reiterated the same sentiments he’d expressed at the 2009 retreat. He brought the perspective of previously having worn a brown shirt….”

It is to emphasized that Jones did not belong to the group popular in 1930s Germany. LOL

On a serious note. A caveat to City Council members that support for a City Income Tax was one of the reasons given by the electorate for voting Leigh Greden out of office in 2009. Expect organized opposition to any City Council who expresses any support whatsoever for putting such a measure on the ballot. Also, Ypsilanti voters turned down such a proposal in a landslide.

By: Laura Bien

Laura Bien — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 17:35:15 +0000

Neat old article about horse snow removal, on sidewalks too, apparently. It seems to suggest that the city did not maintain a stable of horses for road work but perhaps subcontracted the work as needed from nearby farmers, perhaps.