In an attempt to balance the general fund budget, Aberdeen Village Council members approved more cuts to staff, reducing three positions to part-time.
In the latest round of cuts, the utilities clerk, mayor’s clerk and one police officer were affected.
Previously, council had approved reducing the administrator’s position to part-time, reducing salary from $30,000 annually to $20,800, and slashing the fiscal officer’s salary by $10,000 annually, to $20,000. Also, the water/sewer superintendent was hired as an independent contractor and will be paid $20,400 annually rather than the salary of more than $32,000. The village also saves on insurance and other costs by hiring an independent contractor.
Mayor’s Clerk Bernice Jones was cut from 40 hours per week to 32 hours, said Councilwoman Billie Eitel. Jones had previously volunteered to pay 20 percent of her insurance, which she is now also required to do since council approved all employees pay that percentage. Eitel said the changes to Jones’ position and insurance will save the village $7,600.
Utilities Clerk Lorna Julian was cut from full-time to 30 hours per week. Julian did not have insurance with the village, so the savings will be approximately $3,500 annually for the village.
“I’m OK with it,” Julian said Wednesday.
Julian said she was expecting cuts, though she was unsure how drastic those cuts would be.
“Thirty hours is acceptable,” Julian said, adding she will have to reorganize and re-prioritize to ensure the most pressing tasks are addressed first.
“Nobody really understands how busy it is,” she said.
Julian said her motto is “worker’s work,” so whether she is in the office 40 hours or 30 hours, she will do her job.
The police department did not escape cuts. Eitel said one full-time police officer was reduced to part-time, at 32 hours per week. Lt. Keith Reinhardt had the least seniority with one exception, Eitel said. The only person with less time in the department has a grant-funded position.
“It’s going to make it harder … to make the police department run efficiently,” said Police Chief Clark Gast of the cuts to the police officer and mayor’s clerk positions.
“I just feel like that police department in general is taking a lot of the hits in the cuts,” he said.
Because of budget cuts, Gast said officers are sometimes on call versus on the streets for a shift. While he has been told Aberdeen still receives 24-hour coverage because an officer is still available for calls, Gast sees it differently.
“I’m talking about officers on the street when we talk about 24-hour coverage,” he said.
Eitel said Reinhardt lives in Northern Kentucky and the department may put officers on call rather than have 24-hour coverage. If that happens, Reinhardt would not be able to be on call because of the distance he would have to travel.
Mayor Garland Renchen said cuts are necessary to ensure the village operates within a budget and avoids deficits.
The village is anticipating at least $50,000 less in revenue for the general fund budget in 2010 due to the failed renewal of a 5 mill levy during November’s election. The levy will reappear on the May ballot.
In a statement with the recommendations for cuts, Eitel said the council cannot prepare a budget on the hopes the levy will pass.
“We, as council, have been given these problems and issues concerning salaries and unfortunately we have the responsibility to cut costs now; if not we are facing more financial problems in the near future,” she said.
Eitel said cuts to the street, water and sewer funds help the overall budget, but general fund cuts are “absolutely necessary.” Eitel advocated reducing Julian’s hours to 32 per week, since she is paid out of the water and sewer funds, though final approval was for 30 hours.
Also discussed at the council meeting was the water treatment plant.
Jones and Henry Engineering presented a proposal of a pole building, Eitel said, that would cost more than $2.8 million.
A second company also gave a presentation at the meeting, Artesian of Pioneer, Ohio, with an estimate for a concrete building costing $2.3 million.
Council approved Dallas Hurt from Sweeney, Cartwright and Company to pursue funding for the project. If he cannot find funding, the village will not be charged for his efforts.
Administrator Don Hafer said a location has not yet been decided on for the plant, but there are at least two sites being considered. Hafer said he hopes a decision will be made on the location at the next council meeting.
Contact Misty Maynard at [email protected] or call 606-564-9091, ext. 272.
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