Budget Blasts 10/22

From the office of Supervisor Coggs:

The Milwaukee County Board’s Finance & Audit Committee,under the leadership of Supervisor Elizabeth M. Coggs, is holding public meetings throughout the month of October on the County Executive’s 2009 Recommended County Budget. Each day, the seven-member Committee votes on a number of specific departmentsand items in the budget.

On Wednesday, the Milwaukee County Board’s Finance & Audit Committee votedto approve the following 2009 Operating Budgets:

• 5-2 Parks (No Mayo, Schmitt): Amended to restore 48 FTE and unfund 4 FTEPark Maintenance Worker 2 positions; maintain seasonal staff at the 2008 adopted level; deny the creation of 1.0 Clerical Specialist, 9.21 FTE ParkWorker 2 (Seas) and 4.61 FTE Horticulturalist I (seas) positions; decrease unemployment compensation by $119,000; deny the consolidation of the Kingand Kosciuszko Community Centers by restoring 2.0 FTE Community Center Manager positions; restore the positions of 1.0 FTE Office Assistant 3position, 1.0 FTE Special Events Coordinator position, 1.0 FTE Horticulturalist 1 position, 1.62 FTE Horticulturalist 2 (seas) positions and 1.0 FTE Parks Artist position; create one position of Parks MarketingPublic Relations Coordinator and one position of Parks Marketing Assistant; abolish the vacant position of Landscape Architect 2 and create a position of Chief of Administration; increase funding for Capital Outlay to$502,000; provide more County Board oversight of privatizing Parks Department concessions operations; provide a maximum fee increase of 10%; decrease green fees and McKinley Board launch and Slip Fees by 12.5% for a total increase of 3.5%; provide $25,000 to both the King and KosciuszkoCommunity Centers for recreation and/or exercise equipment and deny the installation of parking meters along Lincoln Memorial Drive.
• 7-0 DTPW – Transportation Services
• 7-0 DTPW – Fleet Management: Amended to deny the outsourcing of fleet maintenance operations and restoring necessary appropriations anddepartmental cross charges and denying the outsourcing of right-of-way mowing services and pavement marking services.
• 7-0 DTPW – Highway Maintenance: Amended in accordance with previous FleetManagement budget.)

The Committee also voted to approve the following 2009 Recommended Capital Improvement Budgets:
• 7-0 Dog Park Phase II: Amended to present specific sites to the CountyBoard for review and approval.
• 7-0 Countywide Play Area Redevelopment Program
• 6-0 (Mayo Excused) David Schulz Aquatic Center at Lincoln Park
• 6-0 (Mayo Excused) Parks Countywide Restroom Renovations
• 7-0 Countywide Access Road Improvements Program – Estabrook Park andDineen Park
• 7-0 Root River Parkway Drive – 76th to Grange
• 6-1 Fleet Equipment Acquisition (No Jursik): Amended to increase general obligation bonding $250,000 to purchase a replacement pavement marking machine for DTPW – Highway Maintenance Division
• 7-0 Milwaukee County Public Art Program

The Finance and Audit Committee will continue its meetings throughout themonth of October in Room 203-R of the Milwaukee County Courthouse. The County Board of Supervisors, under the leadership of Chairman Lee Holloway,will adopt the County’s 2009 budget on Monday, November 10 at 8:30 a.m. in Room 200 of the Milwaukee County Courthouse. The County Board’s annual Public Hearing on the County Executive’s 2009 Recommended Budget is scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday, November 3, 2008, at theWashington Park Senior Center.