General Budget Review - Public Facilities: All Non-Parks Divisions

Three. My name is Scott Burns. I'm co-chair of budget appropriations. I'll call the meeting to order for tonight, which includes public facilities. Uh, have the committee members introduce themselves, then other council reps, and then the representatives from the city side. So, I'm co-chair of the budget committee.

Committee member Amy Marie Vizopichia, Councilman 134th, uh, budget appropriations committee member Martinez 139. Okay, that's all the record. All right, so Conso, why don't you lead us off and we'll work just identify yourself, please.

Okay. Conso, public facilities. Okay. Um, director of facilities. Okay. Reg, public facilities. Aaron Curry, deputy director of public. Joe Thiago, deputy public facilities. Okay. And I would like us to acknowledge or remember um Mary Bell Hassan who helped us in the past and is uh looking to help the budget committee again to uh get through our cycle. So um welcome back and thank you. Uh, we have the Jackson's taking care of us. Pastor Barry Jackson of victory production. Jackson, victory production. All right. Very good. Uh, so you want to say something?

Yeah. Let me um repeat what I said before. Now, you know, I'm guilty. I am I am so guilty. She'll be sticking to the numbers and sometimes old age sets in and uh but no, really, we're going to talk about the numbers and staffing in the in the department. So, we'll get an idea on what you need and how we can help. So, let's keep it mad.

Exactly. So, I won't get mad. I just apologize. All right. Very good. Um, yes. So, we'll we'll we'll check each other. Uh, so we just received from Mr. Bergos um a handout. So why don't we uh exhibit this and then Mr. Bergos and company want to address it, that would be great.

I will exhibit public facilities presentation at 04242025A second. All in favor? Okay. Thank you. That's exhibited. Um, Mr. Fergus, do you have an extra one? Anyone here? That's good. Uh, all right. Very good. So, uh, do you want to speak to this or take us through it and then, uh, it's not have it on the

Yeah, I think we'll be play along on paper, which is old school. It's all good. Julia is very shy. If you all haven't picked up on that yet, he's got the suit on now. He's got to speak. Call just speak. So if he goes to the I mean facilities um the boarding request uh basically what some of the requests that we are are requesting for this upcoming year. Um basically we we want to you know concentrate on um as you can see here the capital side was increase um you know we can talk about the numbers you know you know you guys are um ready for it. Also we're requesting the capital pavement increase. Uh as as you guys know this year we are um getting ready to to do some paving uh this year. Fortunately due to you know some some issues that we were having uh trying to get things you know with the city of Tony most likely things are going to get pushed back um the paving but most likely we're going to um you know execute that uh for this upcoming year. uh something that we talked about you know yesterday when it came to the increase um on the seasonal budget for the railway seasons. We're pretty much on the same you know very similar to um the issues that we're facing at the parks department in which um you know it is despite the uh you know it's necessity for us to have that increase in the railway season you know due to the fact that if we are to leave within the budget as you all know we pretty much will be starting at the negative um you know if we can get that increase definitely you know um have us in a good place to at least to try to maintain the services that we currently are um offering to to the to the residents and your constituents. And finally, the last one is just for the full-time positions in which we have even though we had a um you know good amount of of of full-time positions that we wanted to ask Um, however, you know, being understanding of of the project, um, we we're trying to cut it down. Um, which we will be talking about that coming up. If you guys go to the following page, that's pretty much the all that we are as of now. The public facilities administration or I don't know if you have Any questions? Um you guys can review it. So basically just states the staff as as they are now. Um also um the vacant positions are if you have any you guys have any questions on that.

Um council. Yeah, just a couple questions. I'm looking at public facilities, public facilities since we had 26 and I'm looking at these vacancies that you all say office manager, project managers, um, assistant, project coordinators, what what what are they do um that would require that you need What does this assistant special project coordinator do that you all need? It's on page where it says new positions required.

Oh, you on the page? Yeah, I'm on the PowerPoint. Yeah, we run. So explain maybe to the committee why these pro why these positions are necessary in your department as he didn't get here.

Well, you just mentioned he mentioned he did mention that vacancies filled. Help me understand why these vacancies are important to your department. So, I'm just going to jump over the first one, Elvis Mandel, we're going to go into the the two project managers that are needed.

Yeah. Um, you know, Michelle um add to that. So, the two project managers basically we have a significant amount of projects right now and we don't have the staff to get those projects up and running. That's that's one of the things that we we need these project managers. We're going to need explain some projects that you have so I'll understand what your project managers do that you you just said you don't have them to get your projects what projects that you the intention of the two project managers is to build out the construction services division. Um, so this is I need two bodies specifically, you know, I need one to help with oversight in school construction. As you guys know, we're wrapping up FAF. We're jumping into John Wimthrop. There's potential of two more schools coming out. So, you know, I definitely need hands on deck for that. And then the other one would also serve to do some of the other projects within the city that I oversee as well, like the bathroom renovations here. Um, I get dragged into the Beardsley Zoo project for the tiger exhibit, those kind of things. So I figure if we have two bodies, it would help to kind of spread out the work a little bit.

Deputies. Well, just to jump in. So this was the thing that I highlighted during my budget. So you'll see on page 229 that one of the project managers is mostly paid for because they're converting what used to be called the contract compliance person into this position. So it's just an increase. The other position is coming from my budget. It was a vacant position from last year that's going over to this budget. It's a one for one swap. I just want to let you know that that's paid for. But that was that whole thing about creating a construction management team. So you don't have to add those. Those are there already. Now that that office manager thing is is a different issue which we get into. But with respect to the two project managers, those are in the proposed budget ready to go.

Now here's the problem I have with Jack. I keep saying this. contract compliance officer. We need that. And I'll tell you why we need that. Because we have nobody in the economic development, nobody in this city n that monitors right these contracts. So we give them we give them abatements and we say you got to hire this, you got to do that. But nobody in city hall.

Mhm. Now, something's wrong with that because we should have a contract compliance person so that when this council approves something, they're monitoring to make sure they do it. We don't have nobody to make sure that these contractors are living up to what they do. So, if there's ever a position we do need, that's one of them. Unless you would have one of your deputies take on that role to monitor these projects because we don't have nobody to monitor it. And if I'm wrong, council members, please correct me.

You want me to jump in? So, just so you guys know, and you know, I operated as a compliance officer for a few years for the city as well. My job was never to go and make sure that the contractors were doing everything that was outlined. That's not how that works. It's really just to oversee certified payroll to ensure that they're being paid the correct wages. um compliance officer jumped into the MBE, you know, the ordinance that we have to make sure they were adhering to that, but it was very small pieces. Realistically, if you're going to have compliance, you're supposed to have a division to rely on one person to do over all these contracts. It's just not realistic, though.

But not to have nobody. I mean, not to have nobody. But if it's just certified payroll, then the certified payroll can come to whoever's running the project. Because I'll tell you if even with my own as far as Bass it goes and all if you go in my emails I've got tons of certified payrolls from all the contractors. Same thing with the arena project that I oversee. So I mean there are components that we could possibly just kind of throw on for other people to be responsible for if that is the case.

Well my other reaction we just had our first kind of draft look at the disparity study. They have a little bit more work to do in a conversation. council is gonna get a full briefing going on there. No, it's not nice. But um I think this is going to be a whole topic.

Yeah, because they proposing to really change the way we do things and there's a lot of synergy between things you're all saying and what they're saying. So I would punt on this conversation a little bit because I I hear what Michelle is saying that the construction management issue that we have in the city is kind of separate and apart from what you're looking for, which I agree with. But I I do think that outside the certified payroll issue which you should keep in your project the stuff that you're looking for in my view probably should be more of the SMB office and I think that we need to blow up what we do and start again from scratch and I want you to hear that presentation and ask questions stuff so maybe we can we can hold that issue.

U I I don't know that this position swap is really what you're looking at. So, I only brought that up because you said y'all were going to swap contract compliance with and so I think that that's very important. So, we're working on it. We'll wait and see.

Okay. Um I'm going to go to Councilwoman her and then committee member Ortiz brought that up, but I'm glad to see this marriage study is being done. I'm hoping it gets done pretty soon. Um, it's not only payroll and I know how it's put in, but once we see that study, I think we're going to have to redo the ordinance and look at some of the other municipalities and how they do this and watching the union contracts, watching the employee contracts, watching the the work that's being done on on site as well. It's so much bigger than that because there's so many violations and we've all been involved in that. So I think once that study's got done, we're going to start looking at the ordinance because I pulled every ordinance from around the municipalities office.

Okay. I'm not going to deepen that down. Yeah. Office management. Um could we just finish this because I think Tom, did you have anything else?

No, man. Okay. And Amy, did you have anything on this compliance?

Yes. Okay. if if you don't mind. You did go that way. I guess that won't go. We'll finish that and then we'll come back to your point. Uh this was brought up a while ago, not just for uh in the public facilities line items, but the um city attorney did bring it up that they were looking into looking into getting someone to oversee the contracts and the comp. We used to have them years ago and I'm not here to say, you know, that we did this before, but she wants to re get it back into uh session. I guess it's something she still needs to be looked into and discussed uh with the other attorneys and the city administration. And I point a different element of compliance, title six compliance, which the city attorney's office has spearheaded, for lack of anybody else really spearheading it. And so we're going to be tackling that. But you see there's so many when you say the word compliance like compliance with what? So title six city attorney certified payroll project management team facilities SMB compliance and other types of things like um hiring ex fellons if that's in the contract could be SMB. You know what I mean? So different things but that is that is being handled.

Okay. Councilman Newton's going to have to last word on this and then we'll go to Council. bring this up because I read in the newspaper somewhere that we got companies working on projects not pay paying prevailing wages. Now if we had somebody that monitor there wouldn't be no contractor doing work not meeting the prevailing wages and I read in maybe I read in the newspaper that it did happen in Bridgeport. So that's why I raised these questions. We need somebody hands on. I see a lot of hands.

That was a private project. There's no city project, okay, that we don't monitor prevailing wage. We have a contract compliance officer, right? But we don't have any projects going on right now that require prevailing wages. We are still recovering from COVID and as we're on the upswing and you know with shovels in the ground we can now monitor better as we did in times past but that was a private that was a private project and just let me I I don't want to reopen the conversation but the ordinance that you're referring to with the tax evance it gives no office in the city of Bridgeport the authority to challenge a developer for not adhering ing to the goal. It's just a goal. It's only a goal. And if they don't adhere to the goal, there's nothing that the city can do to impose some kind of punitive damage because they've not followed the goal.

Okay. So, we need to look at that ordinance and put some teeth in it to to hold these contractors accountable. Okay. Thanks for Rich. Yeah. Okay. So, we're good with this topic.

Okay. Uh yeah, I just wanted to Yeah. Or you want to add to the compliance question?

Yeah. Uhhuh. Okay. Yeah. Go ahead. I I I want to know how long has it been since the city attorney office was looking into this situation?

What did I say? No. No. Oh, okay. Thought I was a comed a comedian in this. What how long has been I don't know how long it's been through the chairs. Um I just know that uh city attorney Taisha Thomas brought it up uh at one of the meetings that we've had and uh she was looking into that. So again that's that's something that Tom Godette can bring up to her also when they meet tomorrow on something else just to put that on the back burners to let them know. Don't you know how but things I things don't just happen overnight. There's a big process but it's longer with municipalities than in the real business world. So that's how it goes. I I know that. But it shouldn't take they should have been looking into it last year and we bringing it up today. That's what I'm saying. You know what I mean?

Okay. Thank you. All right. Good. All right, Rich. All right. Well, all right. I'm going to leave that to that horse. But anyway, office manager. Now, you had a big instance last year. Now we come to back up. It's still the same.

Correct. Correct. Well, we we didn't we didn't have uh the position last year. Right. It was there was none of there. Question where you're going with it this year. So this year I mean if you guys to the chair refer to the page 229 um for for the proposed budget there was there was uh x amount of of uh salary that was allocated to that position. Um after further conversation um you know we were looking to to change the title uh perhaps reduce that salary from from where it stays right now. Um so you know in doing that we will change the responsibilities uh kind of aim more towards the department needs. Um, as you guys know, you know, port facilities handles 11 11 divisions under and it is it is a necessity to have a an office manager manager. Um, okay.

Um, Frank, you want to speak to it? Yeah. So, I I just want to provide some clarification what's in the PowerPoint versus what's what's in the budget document. within the budget document is a proposal to take a special project coordinator and transition that into a senior into an office manager. Um, what I believe public facilities is requesting is that rather than do that, I think the intent of what they're bringing to you in this presentation is to not transition that special project coordinator into an office manager to keep it as a special project coordinator, but add an office manager. So that that's I just want to clarify what's in this budget versus versus what what they're proposing on the office manager. I believe there was an office manager in the FY25 adopted budget.

There was not. Okay. Um I do know just from some history that that there was an office manager position. It was transitioned to the city's at the city city attorney's office and left the public facilities budget. And so they are looking to essentially recapture that position to some degree. So that is their proposal as I understand.

You good rich? Yes. Anybody else on that? Yeah. You skip this. Go ahead. Sorry. Okay. So, office manager, you definitely need last. I think um the office manager that ran a adequate, consistent, and proper um office management within the public facilities was Virginia, if I'm not mistaken, was on point um with everything. So, office manager is definitely needed in that compartment. Um, I'm going to skip over to um I know Louie didn't um get to increasing realway seasonals. We the elected officials are the ones that deal the time.

Yeah. Yeah. Um before we jump to that, I just Tom, did you want to speak to the office manager?

Office manager real quick. Just we talked about this today. We've been negotiating this for a while. Yeah. As you may remember from last year when there was some transition going on. we were solving a problem for public facilities with that position. There's some grievances, things and the transition of that was really good for the city attorney's office and the employee is doing great, but we left the hole. Of course, plugging that hole um has been a challenge. They have an employee right now that is on a very small, very, very small extra duties agreement to kind of cover some responsibilities. They are asking you just to be specific about what the ask is. They're asking you to take this office manager position out. Refund the you want to be right. Uh Frank, what's the position?

Special project coordinator. Yes. Refund that position at the rate that that person would have made had none of this happened. And then Louise said he was asking for a project I'm sorry, a an office manager. what we talked about this morning's a slight amendment to that of asking for an admin much like what we have in the rest of our departments like in my department finance OPM you know they each have admins that make significantly less than what the office manager quote unquote makes but would serve the administrative functions of the department still come a cost right would still have to add that money but it's less than what it would have been if you had done a full office manager title Have I captured that accurately?

President. Yes, you have. Okay. So, that's kind of a a a compromised position if the council's Okay. Um on this, you want to speak?

Yeah. Okay. Um with that switch over positions, is it a switch over union? Is it what what is the that process there? Um typically the admins are in Luna opposed to in BCSA. So if the person is in one union, they're willing to switch over to another if they're in a union. So under this um scenario, it would not no switch. It would be it would be a a new a new person, right? Because the special project coordinator is paying, like Tom said, is being paid a little bit more to fulfill some of these duties. that agreement would go away. They would be paid they would they would they're still in the same union now with the special duties siphon or without they're still in the same thing. What they're proposing is a new position to act as an admin for the office that is significantly less than the office. But they're saying it's the same person. So they're saying they're switching the person to that position.

No, no, there is. No, no. Um, the idea at one point was to potentially take the person who is doing it incapacity now essentially and just have that person do that. The the department has decided not to do that. So that's the idea. Can we just go by what is going to happen? I hate to do that because I'm getting one thing and then I'm saying another and then you're saying it's no. So we're going to hire a new person and that person's not going to do it at So basically what'll happen is you're going to add an admin to the department not a special project coordinator you would add an admin whatever the or administrative assistant might be the appropriate title and approximately those usually pay in the 70s thousands for get the number and that would be the position you're adding to the budget and that would be a totally new person of course someone else within apply and all that stuff but it would be a totally new person would not obviously be the person who's acting in that capacity now because it makes significant less than an individual makes.

Go ahead. So, I think what I'll I'll ask of probably Frank, uh, just give us obviously what what's being asked for is a little different from what's in the book.

Correct. So, if you just give us a nice clear breakdown about what's filled, even if it's a acting role and what's requested, then we can figure out what the dollars are and figure out what our thoughts are then.

All right. Um, did you know? Yeah. Let me just a question. One of these one of these positions and you said somebody's already in line or they got somebody in line already these position. How how the position?

No. So there's there's somebody currently and Louis can speak to this. There's currently someone in his department that is there that they threw some extra responsibilities at that is doing it now. There is nobody for this. If the council finds a fit to fund this new position, there is nobody in mind. It has to be posted within YouTube for 5 days first before it could be filled by anyone from anywhere else.

Okay. I just want to make sure that it's a fair process that we're setting up a job for somebody. I I'll leave that alone. I'll leave that alone. Okay. Okay. So going back to where I left off at increase in roadway season, I have to tell you that we as the elected body better stand very hard on this. As the saying is out here now, we better keep our boots on the ground because if we cut any seasonal positions that have been allocated throughout the years here in the city, this city is going to look worse than what it's looking right now. And I have to say that the public facilities department is just as critical as our health department. A lot of revenue comes in through that department. These individuals are working very hard to um fulfill a lot of stuff and even build um build revenue for this department. I mean um one thing Aaron is working on and I wasn't aware of it is um placing some fees at the transfer station which is going to be great great great for the city of Bridgeport. And once that ever leaves out of the city attorney's office and we implement that, that's going to be a few dollars that are going to come in um which will be helpful to the budget. But critically right now, we have to maintain our goaway seasonals. We have to maintain all seasonals that we have in the city of Richmond because they are the ones that are making things happen here. Um I've been doing

A lot of research into public facilities. They have a limited hand of individuals who are CDL licensed, who are unfortunately not able to drive the machinery and the big trucks that the city of Bridgeport has, which puts us at a disadvantage to other cities. Um, so my recommendation to each and every council colleague that votes on this budget is to consider keeping the numbers as they've been, with no decreases to the seasonals, because they are very critical to the city of Bridgeport, um, in a lot of areas. I mean, we're talking about a lot of areas. We're not just talking about cutting the grass and and and cleaning up garbage; they are very critical in a lot of areas. So, I just wanted to touch on that because I see, um, our public facilities director has it on here, but I keep seeing that seasonals is being cut in the budget. For whatever reason, we cannot cut the seasonal. Thank you.

Okay. Um, Frank, go ahead. I just I just want to, um, just provide some clarification to that. I I think what's being requested in the PowerPoint is additional seasonals. We did not cut any of the seasonal, um, budgets, um, except for a $10,000 increase that we spoke about yesterday and a $200,000 increase in the golf course for seasonal labor. Those were the two increases that I can think of, seasonal labor. Otherwise, the seasonal line has stayed the same. What I would, a caveat to that would be that if it is decided, um, maybe something that we could look at is the $200,000 increase to the golf course for seasonals; maybe we could spread a little bit of that to, um, roadways as an option. That's something that we could take a look at, but but no seasonal budget was was cut.

Okay. Um, go in this order: Uh, Councilman Biz Poniche, Councilman Newton, Councilman Ortiz. Thank you. Um, just a, um, renewal thing, that this book was done in February. So any paperwork and exhibits that we get are a little bit new. So it's probably given a time for revision of what their needs and wants and don't needs, um, are done. So that's why there's a big there's a little bit of a difference on here. So, um, I I kudos to the departments that do give us the update at once and then are are, um, broad with their, you know, requests, and it's pretty much on point, I think. So, I thank you.

All set. Yeah. Let me let me speak. I want to speak on the seasonal aspect of it, and is that be something that the city really needs to look at. Now, you think about this: They can only work I think four months. Four months, and they got to wait and go all the way around the cycle before they get back. And I've been asking this to me, it makes more sense to hire folk, and I know you want to talk about well they get benefits. Listen, if we're going to I think it's time to do it right. Okay. You got I don't know how many seasonals. I'll make up a number, 20. I'll just use 20, 30. It makes more sense to make them full-time employees for our sake, because then you got the manpower around the clock. You ain't got to train them. You ain't got they're there. They've been doing it. They got the CEOs. Got than the way we're doing it, because it just doesn't make sense to me that we'll hire all these seasonals, really part-time seasonals, because after four months they unemployed, they can't collect no benefits, they got to wait for another cycle before they get on. It just makes more sense to me that you would be better off hiring 20 people or 25 people in public works that work around the clock than what we're doing now with this seasonal stuff. It really does, because it gives them an opportunity to have a full-time job. You know what you got. You ain't got to worry. Keep coming to ask them, "Well, we need more seasons."

Got it. Okay. So, let's think about it. Okay. How many seasons will y'all plan to take on? It doesn't see that much right now. I mean, if through the chair, I mean, if if we were to stay within what we've been asked, as Paul mentioned, you know, yesterday, that that would be at one-third of it would be completely, you know, eliminated. So right now it is it is challenging to even, you know, maintain services with the season of the week actually have, in which in the past decade, you know, that budget has been exceeded. I'm in favor to give you more seasonal because the amount of complaints I get and hearing will testify as much as yourself can testify how much I do send y'all pictures and stuff and stuff that doesn't get done. Right. And I do appreciate y'all getting it and getting it done. But what y'all got to maintain is you don't have enough. And I know y'all don't have enough. Right. It is a shame that we had like this in a budget meeting over and over again for something y'all shouldn't have been given a while ago. Even for my own colleagues that been here long enough should stop doing that because they've been doing it for a while. Not giving exactly what other citizen needs, and it's a shame that you sit there in your own jars and you constantly go through this every year. I'm talking about my own colleagues. A shame. I have no problem giving what y'all need, because y'know the work y'all do. Y'know y'all get the complaint from me easily.

I get back to chair. Yes. I just want to ask a question if it's allowable to to ask when you say, um, to our our our director here, when you say being asked, who are you referring to? You're being asked because you're the director of this department. You, your deputy, and your CEO should be the ones that should be laying out the the the carpet to what your department needs. No one should be coming into your department telling you how you need and what you don't need and how to fund your department. So when you keep saying being asked, who are you referring to?

Well, to the I mean, just basically, you know, due to the budget constraints that we're facing right now, we were asked to, you know, try to stay within the budget, and I think, you know, we were trying to do so, you know, in good faith, um, that's why we, you know, we not asking as many uh position requests that we would ideally would like to, um, but that's basically just trying to stay within the budget, but but it's fair to say that these position requests that you all are asking are actually needed to run an operation here in the city of Bridgeport.

Okay. Yes. All right. Um, well, you know, if I could help here, just think really to try to knit together both what council person and OPM director were saying, because nobody's really wrong so far, but the point isn't really being as sharpened as it as it could be. And the reality is what's been budgeted and what's being spent, just like we talked about last night in parks, are two very different things. And so the OPM director, okay, fair enough, is saying you've got to live within your budget. Well, if you look right there on your own on the page 255, you can see what got spent the past two years. Two years ago in FY23, it was 681. Give you half a second. Last year was spent 949. Both of those years were against an approximate $250,000 budget. Two years ago in fairness was 270. But the point is, if we are really going to pull back our operations down to within the budget level and really live within it, what you all will experience is a drastic change in services, right? Because you cannot go from spending 9.49 back to 250 and no one will notice anything. And so we are asking for a more realistic number if we're really going to live within it. If I if you go back now, both of those years were particularly high because of bulk, but even if we went back before bulk, I have some draft notes of my own here. I'm sorry you don't have these, but if you go back to FY22, just an example, the budget was 250. We spent 450 approximately. That's 200 over, which is a lot better than last year at 700 over. So even if we were go back to what had been a relatively normal year, it's still 200 realistically higher. Now wages also have gone up over this time as well, while our budgeted numbers have not. And so that combination of trying to do more to provide the services that y'all and the mayor are looking for us to do combined with these higher wages are are are putting us between a rock and a hard place. The budget director is within his rights to say live within your budget. But at the same time, we're saying if we do that, those service levels that y'all are used to are going to get wiped. And that's what we're trying to draw your attention to. And we don't pretend that you can magically give us everything. But we have there has to be something or you choose a much lower level of service. Did that help?

Um, Frank and then Reverend Lee. I just want to just respond to to one question and then maybe a general comment, but you know, in asking what what right you asked the public facilities department what what did people ask you? And I just want to be very forthcoming and say that as part of this budget process, I asked them to come to me with what they entered into Munice and go over their budgets with them. Um, and we did have that meeting about what they proposed in their budget. And I hope to have every many more meetings where we go over what's budgeted and and what they need. Um, as far as the budget, right, Paul is saying that, you know, although there may have been dollars budgeted, they had spent over and there may have been flexibility in in in those years either by vacancy savings or maybe savings in other areas, um, that allowed them to do that. Ultimately, the budget before you is with a is with a it's a budget with a plan, right? And we tried our best to stick to the plan. We need to have a plan, but throughout the year things happen and there is some flexibility. Um, so you know in prior years they've if we've somehow made it we've somehow made it work. Um, but this year I'm trying to project into a future things that we all know about decreases in grant funding going away. Um, decreases in grant funding due to changes in the federal government. ARPA going away, that's currently $12 million in our budget. Um, um, and and overall increasing expenses. And so, you know, if we want to keep taxes flat, um, these are the type of decisions that we make. And it doesn't mean that after we pass this budget, um, perfect example, like you said, this budget was printed in February, we're already looking at different proposals. So, it doesn't mean that when we pass this budget, it becomes set in stone. But this is the plan we have for now. And I think this is the plan uh a decent plan based on what we know and if things change right then the plan may change. Um, so that that would just be my response to that.

Okay. Um, yeah. Um, getting back to the seasonal worker, I I somewhat agree with Ernie. There are some people that is is on doing seasonal work work and you know we talking about four months by time you know they have caught up with their bills and the child support and all that stuff they out of job again. How about if uh the ones that really care cuz you have some that not doing anything with the seasonal work work. How about if the one that's uh dedicated and and whatever else for seasonal work, if they do a great job, you know, during those four months, why can't they be hired, you know, fulltime for the city? I you know if if it was the only kind of work that I would do that I could do I would be real nervous because by the time I pay my light get caught up on my light bills and my child support and spousal support and all that car on stuff I don't have a job anymore you know and some of the one they I I you know I see them work out there they work hard that should be some way and I think that at one hour meeting uh I'm Not sure whether you was on then or not, but in one of our meeting said that some of the seasonal workers are hired full time at some point, you know. Uh I would like to know uh the percentage that are being hired, you know, and I know and I'm going to do one of my mama things. Some of them not worth a dime, but however, you know, there are some that worth a quarter. So, um, the the the why don't we think about that because you know it it's hard for someone that have a family and and then they work you know four months and get comfortable and wow nothing. Do that make sense to you?

Absolutely. Yeah. Thank you. and and you know and and you know and that and that's my thought and and I know that you know and and you know and I know that the city might be losing money and all that stuff but I think that it's time for the city to start losing money for their taxpayer and their citizen that lives here. You know we can't focus all on what the city is going to say. you know it going to cost the city this well you know it going to cost us this cuz we are the one that the taxpayer we the one that pay the light bill we the one that do all this other stuff so it's time to start talking about the citizen of the city of Bridgeport that's just a thought you know you the boss so yeah I knew you could go say something I knew that's my friend right there yeah okay chairs so just so you know uh I think within this past year we from we had turnover of probably like 10 seasonals who became permanent. So we did you know follow what we proposed to you guys in prior years of taking seasonals and turn them into permanent employees. So with you know people who resigned or retired or even just failed to come back to work were replaced with hardworking seasonals that show you know strong work ethic and and come to work every day. So they were offered permanent positions instead of looking to the outside.

Oh, okay. So, I think it was roughly like a little bit more than 8 to 10 people that were brought on this year.

Good job. Thank you. Good job. Good job. Right. Good job. Yeah. Um, Tom, we get I didn't hear nobody talk about the low sip money that we get from the state and why doesn't that play a part of maybe them be able to hire more seasonal people from the dollars that we get from the state?

um, lo is actually for, um, cap. So loaded money is typically credited to, um, street paving here, which is due to I think almost always the way it's spent and cath historically if it's ever been used for another purpose, but it's typically where it's used, and I'll just say to everyone's point, Lee's point, we have a a former seasonal in the room who's now the public facilities director that just shows how much you can rise. Louis was a seasonal, good. It only took him time, but he see what hard work gets you. Now, you don't have to worry about your deals.

The last one. One more thing and then I'm just Yes, that's right. I know you're asking for more seasonals. How many more seasonals are you asking for? I know you're asking. I mean there I think we were looking to an increase of I think boy was like 50, so I think we're looking at another 50 at least another 50 thousand. See, when you count seasonals, it's really hard because as you correctly pointed out, they only work for four months. Y so so the the total number that you have over the course of year versus the total number you have in a given time can be a tricky little count to make. Um, but basically what we're talking about is when we just delivered $950,000 worth of service and now we're going to go down to $250,000. Um, that basically puts you at roughly a quarter of of the work that that you're used to enjoying. And so we're looking to get that up, whatever number we can get back up. We thank you all for the $50,000 that's already in here to go up. We appreciate that consideration, but we're helping to point out that that 50 only will take you a very small way. Um, we're also realistic that jumping all the way to another 600 is not likely to be possible, but can we get there, you know, closer up to 200 total? Um, that I, you know, I I know Frank is cringing as I say these words. Nonetheless, um, it's the choice between the spend and the services. And if if if you spend less, you get less service. And if you're okay with that, fine.

Well, let me let me say this. And the CEO sitting here, one one thing I will say about Joe, he hates a dirty city. If anybody's ever followed him around and he sees some chump and stuff on these streets, he goes berserk. So if there if if there is a way that we can because guess what we owe to the taxpayers, okay? We really owe to the taxpayers. I'm just hoping that and I know public works has done a good job with the seasonals and all the people that they have. But we do need to bring that number up a little bit. We really we really do the mayor is definitely about the clean city. So, you know, I don't want him to get upset and veto our budget.

And I'm glad you said that. You don't want him to get mad and veto our budget right now. The book that's in front of us is his budget. This is not our budget. And you know, I've heard a couple of times this week, the council this, the council that. This is not our budget. This is something we're working on to correct if we feel that it's needed to be corrected. As Anita said, this is what where we're at to make these corrections and make these changes. So, jot down in your books those those who actually show up and when we have to do the grunt work, we're going to have to make some hard level decisions because I'm not going to get blamed for the mayor's budget and it's it's just not going to happen. If he likes the clean city, he should have added more money. Thank you.

You got it. All right. So, uh, I'm going to say one more thing on this in a moment, but uh just to kind of direct us and and keep us moving. Um, there are 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 nine divisions theoretically that we're going to try to hit on tonight. So, let's march through them. Um, I think we're doing a pretty good job of talking about numbers and priorities. So, let's just keep on that. Uh, the the one piece about uh the the seasonals, we have had this discussion before. Um, you know, there's there's a couple years ago we had a little bit of a deal of exchanging some seasonal money for some full-time, but as we probably recall, that budget wasn't enacted. Uh, and that went by the wayside. Uh, and so, you know, we want to make sure the city's taken care of. The bulk pickup, we did that two years in a row. It was expensive. We knew there were costs. Um, and Mr. Cino, thank you for the the data point on on the seasonals and roadway. Uh, so three years ago was at 450. Last year over 900. That's a doubling. Okay. So if we're getting back down to something you know normal expected then you know that's that's something to to bear in mind uh on the whole and again we'll we'll look at you know reality versus the rest and you know you also hear from us that we want decent management as well. So uh there's two sides to it.

Okay, Reverend Lee, I'm about to fall out my chair. Uh oh. Uh oh, please. The uh it's the mayor's budget. He put the money in there. This is his proposal.

Correct. That's his proposal. Correct. But if we go along with what he said and don't correct what we think is right that we are agreeing with what he say. So, you know, it's just not on the mayor, but it's on us, too. You know what I mean? So, you just can't say if the mayor budget he should have given us more if he want. No, that that's not true. If we want changes, we have to change what he wrote in his budget. I'm sitting in my chair now, so you can go on with that. I'm gonna breathe better knowing that.

Good. Good. Uh, Eddie, I I guess I guess to to follow up what Councilwoman Lee is saying and maybe it was said and maybe it wasn't. And you just said the number of 950, but I and you did also say that we did the book pick up two years in a row. I Excuse me. I I I I compare that 950 number from that 450 number to the fact that we did do bulk pickup two years in a row and that has brought up our seasonal number. So if we decide we're not doing bulk pickup then the number will go back down again. So it's not something that we live with. We ourselves in that decision of funding bulk pickup. And um remember that our former OPM director and our for and our two two public facilities director ago did not want to do hiring of full-time staffers to book up. It was we are relying on seasonals because it's cheaper for the fringe and the and the mers. So we're living with what we've created to save on the MS and the fringe. That's what natural always told us, right? So if if that's the case then we need to really look at how many people get aggregate out how many workers and I know I know they can't do this right now it would be to to decide in the long term when we go to debate this how much do we really spend on both pickup seasonals versus year round that's the number we need to because that's the true budget number the 950 and we need to keep that in the forefront when we have this discussion okay um point where I'm taking I handed out um a piece which Councilman Herring, if you want to take your lead on this uh the document parking enforcement status FY2025 at 0424 2025.

Is there a second? Second, Amy. Right. All right. All in favor? I. All right. Thank you.

All right. So, this is a little bit of data from uh Mr. Bizaro who's who's uh in charge of this division for parking enforcement. It's not the full year. Um, but on the third page that shows meter collection uh basically this calendar year. for January going forward. Uh, and then uh on the whole uh citation revenue of uh on on the first page is 530,000 and and the intermediary page is uh the number of citations by violation. Okay. So again, last year we talked about increasing the fines to increase the the number which would also include the the penalty. Um, and we also talked about which we're not going to touch on tonight but um you know police doing more to ticket tractor trailers overnight um because that's quality of life issue as much as anything. So uh we did get from Mr. Pizarro, when we were talking about raising the the the fee, a little more of a breakdown. I'm going to go back to them and try to get, you know, what we really are getting from the meters, fines, penalties, etc. Um, so we do have something here. Go ahead.

Seeing that we can't get the police department to um ticket these tractor trailer, you might as well let the parking people that do this. They work nights. I I thought they were working weekends in my district. So, don't tell me they don't work nights, but I these these um parking vehicles aren't only at night. They're parked all over everywhere. And so, we can't get the police to do it. It's like we the people go in our districts and t cars or farms and maybe do it. we might get a better Yeah. So, I'm just bringing this up because again, we've talked about it. It's a fairly big number. Uh, last year we were looking for 1.9. Uh, Mr. Magnary is proposing 1.5. Um, two locations. Oh, I'm sorry. We're on 228. Okay. Sorry. 228. Okay. Uh I al Mr. Bizaro sent me something late in the afternoon. I didn't include it here because this was already done. Um, but he said he's

Sent um to collection service another half a million. So, I'm not sure if it's exactly what's uncollected or not, but um you know, we we'll try to get that to get a sense of what's again kind of a realistic number in terms of uh violations and and uh the details there. So, um you know, again, it's it's a number we can play around with maybe a little bit. Um and I'm looking at the revenue side, um see what we come up with exactly.

All right. Okay. I wish you could answer the questions.

Yeah. Maybe we can circle back.

Okay. I mean, I I guess the only thing I I kind of offer I mean through basically three months here, the data is 85,000. Uh times four, you're looking at 340, right? Or so. uh which is below the 525 we were hoping for last year. So I think we need to be perhaps realistic.

Okay. All right. Um anything else uh from anybody on 228 or 229 in terms of revenue or positions?

Yeah. I just want to help you.

Sure. I understand um because I'm I'm seeing uh Dazaro's sheet here and you just mentioned 85,000 so far. In fact, um, as of 23rd when I ran my report, there's been $235,000 collected in parking meters so far.

Okay. Yeah. So, this this is March uh uh January through March. What he gave us 85 though is not 235.

Did I say 235? I am I'm for for the whole year from from July till Yeah.

Okay. Tuesday. That's good. Thank you. 235 said 85.

Yeah. Okay. Yeah. I I I just shared what I had.

Okay. So 235 is what you have for the whole year.

Okay. Great. All right. Thank you. Um All right. And if nothing else on public facilities admin, let's go to garage. Um, Frank, do you want to just read through what you got on the books and then uh, sorry, 234. There's no revenue there. So, uh, no revenue here. Um, no changes to any of the positions. Um, and then the the budgets, the operational expenses are um, at the same level. Um, so there's really there there's not much else else here as far as changes.

Okay. All right. Any uh anything on that? You want to

Okay. This is where you have a couple vacancies though.

That is correct. Correct. Okay. And they're advertised or where are we on that?

Uh through the chair. Yep. Yeah. So currently we're advertising we're doing interviews weekly. Um just trying to get a person like I guess technicians to meet the qualifications for the the heavy duty equipment that we utilize on the day-to-day is is a struggle. you have it where they're either inexperienced and lack the knowledge or they just are not entertained by the the the amount we offer or at the same time they don't get comfortable with um starting at 4:00 a.m. to reflect our sanitation or even working on garbage trucks. So there's a lot of things that are distasteful for the people that we have been interviewing in the last few months I would say. And at the same time the reason for the loss of our employees have been for better opportunities. So we find it where I lost two people to other towns. I lost two other people to uh utility companies and then I had where we we promoted one of the guys internally to try to see if he fit the needs as a a manager. But it's it's a big struggle at this time.

Thank you for that perspective. I have a question.

Yeah, Eddie, go ahead.

So, on the fleet mechanics, I I don't know. I know that you probably don't know this all at the top of your head. Are all of these mechanics coming in at step one? Is there a possibility that we can start some of these fleet mechanics and often step two or step three?

So, it's more competitive through the chair. So, yes. So, so the way that it's set up is that if they come with a certain level of qualification and certifications, then they skip all the way to the top and at the same time through that we are in distress per se that all our current mechanics are at top step. So, we can bring them in at a higher rank. So, what we do is when we advertise, we put it at the range, not at a set uh step. So, we have room for negotiation, per se.

So if all your mechanics are are the top step, is it safe to say we should be talking to civil service maybe to review it to make us more competitive and to to maintain people so we can have more trucks out there on the road through the chair?

Yep. So currently we have it where 1303 contract has been at the first step of negotiations with labor and they're looking to do the underwriting so it can come to contract committee. So with that said that what's going to be presented will make us competitive. So it's going to increase and make it where it's attractive to other audience other people in other towns. Some of the challenges that we are facing is that the deductions that people see with having to pay the medical compared to other towns and and certain things that other towns offer that are attractive such as double time on holidays, double times on weekends is things that we just don't have in place at this time. But you will be seeing that contract come to um the contract committees uh probably within I think next month if I'm not mistaken.

So right now the four that you have are capped at the max.

So currently I have yes they're at the max and I do have from the four I have actually I only have three cuz one of them is on workers comp.

You have three. Yeah.

Think that's all I have. Um just couple questions probably more for Paul but maybe not. Um you know we always ask about diesel and gas. Um and then the other piece in terms of you know I'm looking at automotive parts. Um I'm on 239. Sorry. Uh any sense of you know what's happening in in DC? Have you seen any concerns in terms of price ratcheting or anything like that yet or or is that well TBD?

If I may, what I would say Aaron could certainly chime in. He's closer to the garage and the parts, but basically I think the experience of the city so far is much like this the experience that all of you are having in that is the the the the full effect of those tariffs have yet to fully hit. Um what we can say for sure is that um back during the last round of inflation, parts went up significantly and outside services, okay, with all these all these outside vendor lines um didn't go up for us. So there were a lot of increases out there in the population for other people getting raises. So, when we bring vehicles that have to get done, maybe they're proprietary, maybe there's something that's just outside of our skill set to do, but we must bring um our vehicles to outside vendors. That dollar that we had just a few years ago isn't going anywhere near as as far as it used to, and our budget hasn't gone up. Now, we have we did have requests for more. Um, it wasn't my intent to come here and really beat that drum hard because we are trying to be good team players with the administration. We understand that there is a real problem and a gap to fill. We we accept those things. Um, nonetheless, you asked and the fact is both parts are going up significantly, not just from the tariffs, but from previous things that have already occurred. and the price of that outside labor has gone up and our budget hasn't budged. And um so if you're really asking, are we heading towards trouble? Yep, we sure are.

Thank you. All right. Anything else on garage from anybody?

What is the the towing services? on page 239 services.

Chair. Y. So we have a lot of breakdowns with a lot of equipment. So our equipment is where we have a mixed fleet of new stuff, old stuff. So there's breakdowns that happen on a regular basis with new stuff and old stuff. Now with the trucks that we have in place are heavy duty. So what we do is we have to request heavy duty tow trucks to bring them back to the yard, bring them to the dealer and things of that nature. At the capacity that we're at with the garage, limited staffing, that a lot of stuff has to be outsourced. So when we send it to dealers and things of that nature, we have to utilize a tow truck. If it's not safe for our drivers to take it over the road because we got to meet DOT requirements. So if there's any s problems or issues with it, then we just reach out to tow trucks to to get it to where it needs to be.

Just a followup. So most of our stuff because we don't have mechanics and we don't have whatever it is we need a lot of the work that on these vehicles we have to send it out in order for them to get to to come up to par and meet our standards. So yes sir.

So to tell you the truth last year we did a study actually it was two years ago uh we did comparables to other towns. So the amount the fleet and the size of equipment that we maintain on a daily basis um our operation should be running a a minimum of 12 mechanics and we're currently operating with six. So if you even compared to Waterberry Harford and everybody like that that like like I said from the CCM study which was the actual study that was put in place they recommend us to have a minimum of 12 to 15 and we're currently operating with budget six. So yes, we have to utilize outside resources to fill that void.

So you haven't tried to hire new mechanics?

I So you tried to come before the body and ask for new mechanics. Every year I come before the board asking for four, five, um, and it's always reduced. There was a time that I only had four mechanics, which was guys gracefully gave me two. Um, I requested four, but it's it's just one of those things. I have a an employee right now that has been filling in because we're so short staff that is such a great asset to our operation. He he's capable of doing part-time and we would love to have a permanent part-time position for him that the gentleman actually works as what we get in the hours that he works is equivalent to an eight hour day if not more. So, I would if if anything, I would definitely appreciate if I can get that part-time position for that mechanic. If you guys want to give me more to fit, the only thing that I have to just be careful with is this the facade the size of the operation that we're working within might not be able to handle anything above of what we have me budgeted for at this time. So, that's the only thing I got to be mindful of.

Yeah, very much.

Do it cost the city when we outsource like that the city of l you know I know the reason that we do it is because we don't have enough mechanic to to do the work so when we outsource then that cost the city more money if we had someone to uh own staff to do our own right.

Yes. So at this time for heavy duty like hourly rate, you're talking about like more than 150 if not more an hour. And if it's one of those things that we have them come out to us, then we have to spend for fuel cost and everything like that that an hourly rate can be at a $300 per hour rate. So it's a big cost and it does hurt our operation. But we tried OPM does a great job of, you know, trying to give us enough to cover that.

So, so is it is it hard to find uh mechanics?

It's hard to find. Correct. So, it is a competitive market. So, currently, like I said, we've been interviewing I have like six interview five interviews on Monday. Um, and we we try our best to get the the right person to fit the operation.

Oh, okay. So, we need to know whether or not we're able to find someone to be a mechanic for the city of Bridgeport. And then we have to decide whether or not we going to give them the money in order to hire someone. Especially the the part-time one that you asking for because we do sometime I want to save the city money. One time I do.

Okay. We appreciate anything you give us.

All right. Very good. Um we'll go on to facilities maintenance which is page 242. And again um Frank if you want to just introduce a little bit then we'll turn it over to the department and then take any questions. Um so no revenue here either. Uh one notable change that it was just collective bargaining uh change is that the service assistant was reclassified to custodian one. So there no more service assistants. It's just custodians. Um so that's what you would see on the personnel side. Uh no vacancies in here. Um moving down to operational. Um I did reduce um there's a line on page 247. It's about 3/4 of the way down. Um it's going from 400,000 to 150,000. It says Corvette Building Maintenance Supplies Service. Um that historically had been 150,000. last year was raised to 400,000 I believe to pay for a facility study. Um so we dropped it back down at this time to the 150,000. Um and then I did make um a change to uh vehicles in this department budgeting going from the 505 to um 130,000. So um that would be the the next big decrease. Other than that I don't have um I don't have any

Okay. Um, Mr. Bergos or uh, one of your deputies want to speak to any of the the line items here?

Speaking chair. Um, we would like to increase our custodian budget by two or three additional custodians every day. where um the overtime budget is through the roof cuz we're constantly filling custodian positions are all sick on vacation. So additional two to three custodians is a minor request um to fulfill the needs of all the PD, the annex here, the government, the Bentley Center, all the senior centers. Um Yeah. So that would be my request to two three additional custodians. And then I don't know if we want to consider eliminating the janitor's position and bumping them up to custodians and just having custodians across the board. I don't know really what the janitor's title is. So what purpose this serves any any longer?

Okay. Um, you want to speak first?

Go ahead.

Hi. What is the difference between janitors and c custodian? Why um you are you suggesting that? And what's the difference?

The custodians um the custodians are get a higher sal by much. they're they're paid more and they could move up in uh positions and steps to custodian 3 supervisor which we haven't tested yet but civil service is preparing um testing for custodian 3 and custodian 4 which we could use at night like for tonight for example we have no supervision we have custodians in the buildings but we don't have any supervision because we haven't tested them haven't provided the test yet to get a custodian to a step three or step four. So my my manager Jed is basically on call 24/7. There's an issue right now. They're calling Jed in the middle, you know, at night. Their shift is here till midnight. So it would be nice to have a custodian 3 or custodian 4 at night to go around and supervise and provide any service or any needs. If someone gets ill or needs an emergency or or something, provide them assistance, some supervisory um assistance, we have somebody on um on second shift, but again, so the janitors you're referring to, they're females.

No, it's just a title. It's male. We have male janitors. It's just I don't know where that title came from.

Okay. Um council, the janitor is under me. Uh the custodians are under nage and janitors do a little bit less of the job details as a as a custodian because we have them in school as well.

Yeah, that's the only difference. I if it's a difference of a title get I mean I'm I'm with you with the the fact that if if uh you know custodians are needed definitely I know the need because I I where I work sometimes our maintenance person is absent and the one that cleans up after well whatever it may be because there's nobody to come to our center Uh we have our van driver, our receptionist and sometimes our se our c our members the men the one that can handle the the heavy lift help maintain our place clean. So I I do understand about you know needing someone but again I don't you know if a janitor is hired because they can do the job and they that's why they were hired then I believe that that janitor should do a little bit more or take on the responsibility. That's that's what they're working for.

Okay. All right. Um, anything else?

Um, oh, just quick question I had. Um, there's one line here for contracted salaries. It's not a big number, but I'm just curious about it. I'm sorry, 247.

What I can try to fill through the chair can try to field the question and help me understand exactly what the question is. You curious about it?

Yeah, there's a line for contracted salaries on page 237. I I just I don't know what it's for.

Several years ago, there was a personnel situation where an individual that money always had been in the part-time line, part-time seasonal line, which was originally put there so that we could bring in Bullard Haven's kids as part-timers and and start try to be laborers along with some of our trades guys. not apprentices, can't say that word, but but to at least work alongside some of of the trades guys and start to learn. That's where the money came from originally. Then a few years ago, the OPM director at the time to accommodate a request to slide someone into um a situation um put transfer some of that money from the part-time line over to that contracted salary line. It could very easily and frankly would be nice to have it go back to where it was and resume. But I think I've said enough on that.

Fair enough. Um so I'll I'll simplify. I'll just say what I can say. Uh so the the thought is to move the contracted line perhaps to the seasonal line. That would be fine by me.

Plus Okay. All right. All right. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Yes, council. Um I I believe that you might have already covered the uh the seasonal. We we have definitely talked about seasonal, right? So, I would like to ask permission if I can throw in your two cents.

Throw in my two cents.

Sure. Thank you. I'll take a nickel. Hey, I need more. I need more. So, in terms of the seasonal um I'm again I I was not here. I was I'm coming from another meeting that I needed to be at. But I um I'm hoping that the department has asked for an increase on seasonals. They do play an important role in our community, right? In our respective community. I just um and I don't I'm I'm sharing this information this this picture with you guys. Um again, oops. Who? I got it. Okay. So again that what you see is again sometimes our seasonals are used or or hired right to help out in certain aspects in the community. That's a that's a location that yesterday was cleaned up because of uh uh it had been blighted and and you see something heavy there on on the right side. You see a picture that's a man that was laying in that location yesterday. He was taken to the hospital. So again, I feel that the the these um seasonals do the job that perhaps you and I will not do, right? So they're giving these these positions and they do the the Unbelievable. I have to excuse my my what I I'm about to say, but if I step if I am in my neighborhood, whatever, and I stepped on dog poop, right, I will throw up, I will show my I will throw my sneakers away. But these people that are seasonal, they do the unthinkable. Not only again that the department needs individuals to cover certain aspects right of what's being done in the community but also when we spoke yesterday about money these individuals should be given a raise because let me tell you I have received calls from somebody working one of the parks um and there was a mess in the bathroom I don't know how the heck she did it because I know I would have walked away. So when you consider when you're summarizing all this, please think of those individuals that are not making enough money and they do a job that I will not even do. So again, this is I'm telling you, yesterday was a very hard day on the east side and these are pictures that I took. Not only um that that's the man on the ground. So again, and this is the garbage that was in that location.

Thank you.

Okay, point taken. Thank you. All right. Um, so we'll come back to facilities maintenance. Um, any other questions from committee?

Okay. I'm gonna ask one more question which is um on the vehicles purchase line. Uh I know it's cut quite a bit for this year. I also know we've bought a fair number of vehicles with with ARPA money and whatnot. Um can you share what uh vehicles you would like to purchase and and the thought behind that?

Mr. Sure. Are you talking about personal preference? Like if I want a Lamborghini or something?

Yeah. Yeah. No. So, one of the things that you need to keep in mind is that uh as you go through these budget meetings and people ask for positions, you just got to make sure you think about what their day-to-day operation is. So, you're going to have it where the health director might come in and say, "She needs six more inspectors." But for them to inspect, they're going to have to get around. So these are the things that you also have to keep in mind for um as you guys move forward with budget that it's comes with maybe a cost for salary but it might come with a cost for daily operation. So for the fleet right now one of the things that we want to that we're going to be looking to purchase is the vet bus is getting to uh with mileage and the cost of repairs and then coming in more frequently than usual. we're going to probably need to put in for a vet bus. Then we have it where uh the mail room their vehicle is coming to the end of its useful life as well. So that's going to be needed as well. Plus we have it where like just regular small day-to-day operation vehicles. Um I don't know what the plan is for parking enforcement. I know their vehicles are coming to the end of its useful life as well. They're constantly at the garage. So, you know, having vehicles for them to, I guess, broaden their their violations is is another thing that we can keep in mind. Um, currently the harbor master has a truck that he puts in and out of the water, and that vehicle is a 20-year-old vehicle. So, that vehicle is getting to the end of its useful life as well. So, so there's a a handful of vehicles that that public facilities will need. Um, the Frank has been graceful when it comes to capital. Um, and I know we do have to prioritize, but it it does come with, like I said, everything's going to come with the cost.

Okay. Um, would you be able to get us the updated list of vehicles?

Yeah. Okay. I can get you.

That would be great. Yeah. Just to clarify that, I'd like to see nonp police vehicles.

Sorry. Yeah. If you can just break them down.

Yeah. If you can give them to us, can you give them to us by year? Like what year the car is?

Yeah. So, I think I uh I have it formatted already by department, by year, and things of that nature. And and the purpose.

Yeah. Because I think I think that matters when we're talking about end of life for vehicles. And I know that um we were just at one meeting talking about we need zoning officials, we need inspectors, and you're absolutely right because people share cars. But um there's there's a way to to get this done in another fashion and find some different kind of money that we can reprogram and that that's something we'll we'll think about but we need to know what before we make that decision who has what for what purposes cuz uh I will say I see a little white car all the time parked inconspicuously somewhere all day long running sometimes doing nothing when I drive around the block up and down for two

Okay, I just know the department. I don't need a plate number, but

All right, nothing else. Let's go to roadway, which is on 250.

Again, Frank, if you got anything first, uh, and I'll just preface it by saying there are seasonals listed here. So, you know, I again, I don't want to beat a dead horse. Uh, but, you know, keep that in mind. All right, Frank, go ahead, please.

Yeah. So, um, not any changes to staffing here. Um, no no vacancies listed currently. Um, and then we did talk about the seasonals already, and and I don't think we need to continue to go over that. Um, so there's really not much um change to the operational expenses. Um, equipment. Um, I did reduce um to 25,000. Um, that that's the only I have.

Okay. All right. Um, again, I'll turn it back to the department if you guys have any comments or thoughts. We did look at this a little bit earlier, but you know, that's okay.

No, I just being good team players, Mr. Cochair.

All right. I don't know what that means. What does that mean, man? In y'all terms, and you keep saying that we want to be team ball players, but if you need something, you know, you need it. I mean, it means we're trying to prioritize, if I respond, uh, trying to prioritize what and really present to you what we need the most. There may be other things down the list. Um, but we fully appreciate the difficult position the mayor and your you all and the city in general is taxpayer is in, and we fully appreciate that and we're trying to work and and stretch as much as we can. That's what being a good team player means.

Uh, I have one um point just to you know, share, highlight or ask really, but whatever. Uh, page 251, road rehabilitation expenditures, uh, goes back a few years through this year. Uh, that's essentially the paving line that we like to talk about.

Correct. Um, but I'm not sure if that includes the pothole dollar figures as well or not.

I don't think it does.

So road rehabilitation expenditures counts everything.

That includes everything.

Yep. If we spent money on fixing roads, I put it in.

Okay. Cuz there it looks like there is a separate line for pothole repair.

Yeah. Well, then it breaks it down.

Yep. But but everything is in that first number, and then then then we're asked for thing, you know, the other items, and so I try to comply and answer those.

Sure. Okay. Thank you.

Um, Yeah. So, uh, you know, we talked a little bit earlier in our budget discussions about money available for for paving. Um, and we know there's something of a plan scheduled to get our city roads up up to speed, and we know it can't happen overnight. I mean, could, but we have to borrow like crazy. Um, but that's just something to to keep in mind.

Reverend Lee, go ahead.

Thank you. Um, if there's a possibility like um those have the long roads, I I'll just for my for my example, okay, you have Chapter Hill Road, that long long, you have uh Pat Street, you have uh roads like that, if we put down that we want those roads paved, more than likely we can't get anything else.

That's right. You know, if there's a way that uh the neighborhood just not just just not the north end, but all the end, if there's a way that when we have roads like that, there's some there that should be something special set aside so that those roads could get can get paid. If I in Plat Street is in my district, if I ask for that road to be to be paved, I probably can't ask for anything else because it's so long, you know. And uh the same thing with Chopsa Hill and and Reservoir Avenue and Pac. And I'm sure in other districts, you all have the long roads like that, too. Have we ever thought about uh having some kind of plan or something that those roads could be paved separately or whatever or ask us for money so those roads could be paid, you know, you know what I'm talking about because I did put down Plat Street. They did plat plays which is this long but not Plat Street which is way out there.

Uh-huh. Yeah. To the chair.

Yeah. Go ahead. So the way the budget is is that on an annual basis that you see that we don't receive too much funding when it comes to paving. You know that the three million that we see on average has to go a long way. Um, it's it takes where uh the 3 million that's split between 10 districts. So it's $300 300,000 per district. But it's not just where you do like the paving. It's where you have to take care of preventative maintenance at the same time. So you have it where loops that come into place, curving that comes into place. You have it where uh any ADA like requirements might come into place and other things. So there it it's where that 300,000 is is kind of stretched. And with the cost sometimes going up, it it's like you said, you're you can't get a lot of that out of that money. You know, we we requested in the beginning that we get an increase in paving because it just benefits you, you know, the council people and their districts. So, it's those long streets. It's it's hard to say to put money aside for it because it's just going to take away from that that big number. You know what we can do is that we can try to reach out to Eelina and her team and apply for some grants, but like what's coming down the pipeline, a lot of grant funding will be limited in the upcoming years.

Well, we bond for everything else, and a lot of my council colleagues don't agree, but I think that uh because we talking about taxpayer and I have a somewhat new car. When I go down Pat Street, it be bumping all over the place. So, you know, so I and I understand what you're talking about, and that's why I'm I'm saying, you know, because we don't get much for our tax dollar, you know. So at least we can have some nice roads that we can do our car. And I just ask, do you think that there is something we can do beside the grants or whatever else the case might be that we can present to the mayor and to the council, you know, about those roles like that being paid, you know, that that that's it. I know we doing what we can with what we have, but there got to be something that our roads can look better. Um, you can ride better. Let me put it like that. I'm a bad driver, so you know.

Uh-huh. Okay. Um, Councilman, the problem is is that we don't spend money that we got from the roads to be paid. You look at our budget, we don't spend all the money paid that we could.

Really, we don't do that. We'll talk about that. But there's got to be a way. Now, you know, I don't see any problem with bonding to do the wrong roads, 30-year bonds. Those roads that ones that haven't been paid, it has to be over 30 years. 40 years. And you all already know, we asked you about Ridgefield and some of the areas that those are long streets. They'll never get paid. Not not with the kind of monies you they give us the pave streets, but that would eat you up all the money you absolutely like. So maybe the council, we could look at some of this bonding monies that haven't we haven't utilized and start looking at some of these long streets putting it towards that because if you pave it right, it'll last 30 years unless utilities come out and mess them up, then it's the city's job to go after them to fix it. So, I do know that we really need to do it because some of those streets will never get paid based on the amount of money that we get to pay our streets, especially the long ones and they're all over the city. So, we need to look at that.

Yeah. I so one of I had the opportunity to sit with many of you in the at the table, you know, just to talk about paving and then what we try to do is put that plan in place with the council people you know in those districts, those long streets, we try to peace mill it so we might not be able to do it where it's all in one shot, but we like to do maybe you know in sections and in portions, but I know it gets hard as we try to keep it where it's consistent in years because there's other priorities that take place and like once You said uh utilities companies sometimes that we might have a plan, but then we get thrown with an automotive because the utility company might have some type of emergency rope on it. But one of the things once again I'm going to speak on is that you guys giving us opportunity to rebuild that permit department and what they have been doing is saving the city a lot of money by placing the the the utilities. So we have it where they're holding them to the ordinance to do either curb to center line or curb the curb. And I told him, make sure he keeps track of that because the savings that you would see from making it at the cost of the utility company is is is beneficial. I think that so far this year from, you know, the way that they placed aquarium, I think brought in like probably like 600,000 if not more that we can put back into the baby. So, you know, so it's it's not they're doing a great job. So, and we we got to take credit when we came. We did help fund those positions.

Correct. So we we thank you and vice versa.

That's right. Do it.

Yeah. Council president.

So I Oh, just joking. I just took Fred, you need to give auntie a little a little Christmas gift and increase our notep fund so we can get his streets paid. But my point to my point to that is my joke about the reason I said that is because we can and the council can do this and I it just came to my mind that we can Each year these long roads like Main Street which is hard to get paid, Chy Hill, Oldtown Road, we can carve out a portion of MOSIP funds that we're going to dedicate for the city so it doesn't come out of the council members 300,000 so we can talk to public facilities about carving out some of those funds and if Fred and the delegation can get us a couple of more maybe get a couple more longer streets done and we can continue as a practice. So, one and as Ernie said, use some of that old bonding money to start that. So, we just have to create an action plan with public facilities because we can say we can say, you know, a certain amount we want to do A, D, and C street and cuz they're the longest streets and then um get those finally done cuz there those are roads that I go up and down too and sometimes it feels like I'm driving in Beirut like it's all bumpy. A bunch of whole like landmines went off on the street.

I say before we make our final decisions, we go back, we look at what Ken is anticipating and maybe this year we can look at the hard the longest worst streets we have in the city and maybe pick up one or two of them.

Yeah. They can tell us which are the worst.

That's a bargain. That's negotiation.

That's right. Get us some money.

That's right. That'll work.

Please, please.

All right. Um, one one last question on roadway. Um, I'm looking at two page 255. There's other services. There's a little bit of a bump there. Uh, I I I mean, it it was actually bumped last year and it's still there. So, I I don't remember what that was or what the thought on that is. uh, towards the bottom it's it's uh object number 56180 under services special services.

Yeah, Paul has the answer for you.

Okay. Um, basically that line uh the vast bulk of it is directly relating to parking meter and parking collections. Um, it's almost all revenue driven. In other words, the more revenue you bring in, the more this expense goes up. Uh, somewhere around five or six years ago, council made it clear that the what what we would normally call a revenue share. Didn't you all didn't want to see it just as a reduction in revenue. You wanted to see it on the expense side. So this is the expense side. So this number goes up when revenues go up.

Okay. Okay. Thank you.

All right. Uh, moving on to sanitation recycling 258. Um, again, Frank, uh, I don't think there's a lot here, but go ahead.

Um, sorry, I'm just scrolling through the page.

Sure. Um, yeah. So, not enough here. Not a lot here. Not a lot of position changes. Um, and operating budget is is generally the same. Um, the one I'll say is is there are seasonals related to sanitation and recycling, but they're budgeted in the I believe the roadway maintenance is where they're paid out of. Um, so that would be the only note that I have here, but otherwise I have nothing else.

Well, while we're here, Mr. Um, one of the things that that I I may may have been touched on earlier is um what we charge at the transfer station for commercial haulers, not residential. That that number hasn't moved in 20 years. Maybe it's been 89.50. We're about that always was enough to cover the tip fee that we pay along with some amount of administrative cost in terms of having to bill for that and collect it. That is about to go underwater. meaning the tip fee because of the situation with with the with our contract um we're about to be paying more to tip than we're collecting in the charge for that commercial tip fee. So we're about to go up pretty significantly in that to try to put it more in um line with where it has been historically. Some of your peop your constituents are likely to call and complain. There are people who are getting a really good deal um that are not going to like getting charged more. So heads up, angry calls are coming if they haven't already come.

We're talking again commercial tip fees here, not residential, right?

Um, but that's that's a big deal because we've never been underwater. We're about to be.

They got to pay. the price.

Um, so on on that, are are you talking both uh primarily at the transfer station or something?

Yes. Yeah. People that go through the transfer station. I mean, keep in mind we're providing we the city are providing a service, a convenience to them. They don't have to go through rescue resc. They're saving themselves time. They come to our transfer station instead. And so yeah, we cannot have them getting a bargain in the process.

Yeah. Okay. Uh, Councilman Newton.

Yeah. Our transfer station. Is it is it true that we only hire seasonal workers to work at our transfer station? If that's true, why? Cuz I heard that and I thought that was kind of strange that would hire just seasonals there.

Um, now I have some of our fulltime people working over.

Yes, Mr. Chair.

Yep. Yeah. So currently we have it where we utilize we have permanent staff there and we do fulfill the needs of any gaps that we have with seasonal. So once again I don't know if you have visit our transfer station but it gets a lot of uh compliments of the condition that it's in. So we do have it where our wave master is at. he is a permanent hire. Um, the lo the operators, the guys who who run the stuff, the containers back and forth to where they need to be. Um, but for the the the upkeep is kind of is part of the season, but we do have it where it's a it's a mix cuz I' I've heard from some seasonal people there who have been there for a minute wondering why they never got called in for a for a job. They've been working at that plant for a period of time and um you know cuz I've been up there jumping some stuff and every time I go up there same seasonal every time I go up there they said you can be talking to Lou and um I said look man I I'll see what I can do but I noticed that so I wanted to know why seasons are just station there.

So through the chair, so if you if you look at the positions when we get to that section that the the the laborers that are associated with that position are required to have a CDL because of the equipment that's there. So we always encourage our seasoners to obtain that CDL because it will put them to the like I guess a top of the list when it comes to permanent employee. So a lot of them they're their own worst enemies and they don't take the initiative to you know look for additional funding to help them receive that. But the ones that do like I said they do become candidates for permanent hires.

Okay. Okay. So all right. Uh so I guess my question would be uh on the tipping uh fee for the com commercial rate. Do we need to change that through ordinance or or can that be enacted within your role? Uh and where's our revenue on that?

I can answer the second part more easily than the first part through the chair. So for the first part, we we are it is in uh city attorneys at this time. So city attorneys is reviewing the uh the request for a resolution of the old ordinance to be increased. So it will be coming in front of ordinance committee probably within the next couple of months. So you'll be seeing that.

Can can you share what the proposal is?

Yeah, I think the So there's multiple uh breakdowns of the proposal. So roughly right now that hasn't been concluded on yet. I think that we talked that it was going to go up I think 20 $120. Um that's to 120 or by two 120 I think.

120. Yeah. 120. That's what the increase is from from 88950.

Yeah. Sorry. 80 to 120. And then there's going to be like different rules and regulations that are going to put in place that's going to require residents that there's held to a certain tonnage under a certain amount of tonnage because what they're doing is they're abusing it. And once like Mr. Cino said that this is an easy out for a lot of these people who are working as uh personal gain compared to residents just looking to empty their trash or do a yard clean up. So, okay, good. Sounds great.

Yeah. And and your your revenue line is actually for whatever reason back in admin on page 228. It already has been increased on the mayor's proposed. So, I would be cautious about trying to jack that more. I'm always of the mind you want to get some of those revenues in before you really budget too high.

Got it. Got it. Thank you.

Y see. Good. All right. Anybody else on these on sanitation recycling?

Excuse me. Yes. When you say commercial, are you talking about big trucks or if if like my next donator has a um a little pickup and he helps us when we need to build big stuff, it would that person be considered as as a business commercial chair?

Yeah. depending on uh the amount of tonnage that he does in one month. So if he exceeds a certain limit because he's charging like let's not say you but he might have it where he's charging everybody in your neighborhood and he's bringing it into the city and he's dumping then we will charge him because once we take it on then the city we more manpower that we need to operate it and then it's comes a higher cost for us.

But can't you see the difference between this little cookie who took somebody's mattress, somebody's refrigerator and even if he does it frequently, he is helping us or whomever because I mean I could per perhaps go dump it at an empty lot, but I chose to call this man to help me probably be paying 25 bucks to just take it away. And now we're going to increase this dollar amount which will hurt that little guy.

Kind of hurts my heart that you say you dumping in alley, but we ain't going to talk about that. Uh we always root for the little guy, but once again, if it if they're operating as a business, it it's it's not where he can do it at the benefit of the city because at the end of the day, we're struggling. We're, you know, we're trying to make sure that we have the proper people in place or stay within our limits. So that once we pick up additional costs and it's additional manpower that take for all the stuff that he's bringing in, it becomes our challenge, our burden and everything like that. So, it's it's one of those things that it's it it has to be put in place because it we don't want to hurt the little guy, but there's so many other people that are taking advantage. So, if you outweigh it, it's just like it's it's definitely needed.

Taking a big hit. and and to uh our deputy uh Aaron, the city's taking a big hit because um for every dump that goes there, the city has to pay. Whether it's metal, whether it's cardboard, whether it's branches, whether it's leaves, whether I mean, I think it was Saturday, the line was around the corner on Boston Avenue, and you can tell that a lot of those individuals who were in line were not household garbage only.

That's right. You have people that wear business shirts that are going there to them. I mean, I just sent A hearing a a video the other day of someone talking about he uses his pickup truck, which is a raggedy pickup truck, to go pick up garbage and take it to the dump. And I mean, he's probably going to the dump five or six times a day and probably collecting two or $300 from whomever's garbage he's picking up, right? So, um, I had called Scott about this before I even knew Aaron was pushing on this ordinance. And when I brought it to Aeron's attention, he already was in way ahead of me with it. So, I'm happy to see that you all are ahead of the game within your department to increase revenue because if you just do the chair, if you go to Stratford or any other, yeah, they're paying and try to do that, trust me, you're going to pay. But again, if if um if you were I mean it's okay, it's costly, but if you take the trash that was picked up yet today from Artic and Brooks and and that's just one one area and you compare that to the men for the city of Bridgeport that would have had to work yesterday to clean up that mess. What would have been more costly? Your men working at that lot or those volunteers, 15 of them that picked up all that trash, needles, you name it, and it was there. So again, let's be a little bit

Okay. Uh, last piece I'll I'll just share on sanitation. Uh, again I want to give a little credit to Mr. Cino. The uh region that negotiated the tipping fees. We knew it was going up and it went up last year. Uh and it's going to go up again this year. Uh so it's about $90 a ton. Uh but out in the open market you're well over 100. So we're still doing okay. So, you know, take our wins when we can, right?

Okay. Um, unless there's anything else, we'll move on to transfer station, which actually we've kind of already touched on, so I don't know if there's much we need to add here. Um, I think it's pretty straightforward.

Correct, Mr. Frank?

Yeah. Okay. Um, anybody want to jump on that or want to just kind of keep moving?

All right. Unless there's nothing.

Yep. So, we hit the fair child wheeler in the zoo uh and recreation which brings us to I think it's um right. All right. And and I I I just pause for a moment. Just want to acknowledge that indeed Councilwoman Bay joined us some time ago as did Councilman Boyd. Uh and Mr. Norope from the airport is here as well. So, um, Frank, do you want to uh speak a little to the airport? That's on 304.

Um, yep. Yep. Starts on 304. Just if you could, Frank, a little bit what's going on there. And then, um,

Yep. Yeah. So, for the revenues, we we kept those flat. I took those under the consideration of staff at the airport. um for positions an assistance special project manager was reclassified to an accounting clerk too. Um there's one vacancy in that department. Um as far as operational expenses go um just utility electric services were just tred up a little bit um just to reflect uh kind of actuals um as a whole. Um and that's all I have for that department.

Okay. Um, Mr. Norco, would you want to speak to your own department? Any, uh, particular issues you want to highlight in terms of,

Uh, where revenues, expenses, revenues are up. Um, I believe that we have room to grow there, and that's something that we're going to be doing in the future. Thank you.

For sure. Some leases, you have a temporary tenant and uh, little blue sky hanger, which was great because we had a delinquent tenant in there for years. Uh, they were subleased to Atlantic Aviation at one point, and they uh, they were having trouble with that, and they no longer wanted to run that hanger. So we took control back, approached by uh, maintenance company that was maintaining the plane that the delinquent company was using. So, and it was broken down. So, they were able to—they needed time to get the the the plane fixed to get it out of the hanger. So, they've been in there, and so they've been a great tenant so far. I mean, I can't say they're a permanent tenant, but they they've been on time with their payments. And so, we went from not making any money on that hanger to making a deal. So, pretty decent money on that—was like 6,000 a month. Um, so 3-wing took over the gamma hanger recently, and we were generating about 4,000 a month on that hanger. So now we're—we actually increased that to about 10,000 a month on that hanger, which is good.

And we have to renovate a little bit; air control building and that in the airport going back to I guess the 1950s or so, they allowed civil air to occupy that building, and we uh uh covered their utility expenses and once—if we get the money—the capital money to renovate the building, they're they're going to have to assume those those expenses. So we'll pick up, you know, a little money there on the utility side, but I know. We're We're doing pretty good at the airport. Okay.

Uh, Marie, what were we—are we the owners of the building that had to fire? Yeah, the one that the small little building that burned down, right? So, what's the status on that for coverage and and rebuild, etc.? Um, no plans to rebuild that building. It's it's just a—it was a small—um, I don't even know what it's called. It's not a shed, but it's got—dates back to World War II buildings. Um, it's going to get down soon. Do we lose anything of value that we need to cover for expenses or anything to add to the budget? Okay. No. All right. Thank you.

You're welcome. Question. Okay. Um, I'm I'm gonna ask two then. Um, maybe a little awkward, but I'll ask it. Um, you're listed as the manager. Are you fully the manager or acting? Acting. Okay. Acting manager/superintendent. So, all right. And again, maybe awkward as a followup, but do you know what the—I know the job posted, but uh—Okay. I have no idea if anybody's applied for it. Okay. All right. Fair.

Um, the other question I have, and and uh, just looking at, you know, the monthly reports and all that, uh, and this came up a year ago and it seemed like you guys kind of got things back in order, but, uh, it seems like the reporting on revenues in particular, we get zeros the last couple months. So, do you, um, she knows that—get us like something more more up to date. So help us with our projections and sure—know really what's going on there. Um, because that that's helpful to—I mean, the airport—big revenue generator in some regards, and and we don't want to cut ourselves short, but also we don't want to overreach, but so if we can get some of that that data, that would be terrific.

Um, all right. Uh, anything else in terms of—Oh, yes. Airport. Uh, council president, I I don't think we've talked about—when was—do you remember, Mr. Nor? When was the last time we we raised the fuel f—the fuel field—the few—folry tree in the landing? Right. I think maybe we might—I think that was—I think Michelle did it recently. I I don't know about the fuel flowage. I'd have to look into that, but I think she increased that um, well within the last four—because that—I know a few months ago during uh, our commission meeting we were talking about raising some of those fees. We haven't met in a little bit. So um, if you can just get back to us if there's a some wiggle room to raise those fees again. Yeah, sure. I I could research that. So those are revenue generators. Sure. Since we're getting more activity in the Air Force—like a little bit here and there—something we could look at. Thank you.

Um, just one other question. Um, because I'm thinking back a couple years ago, we had to use some of our contingency because there was some serious vandalism. That's a minor way of saying what happened. Um, but I also see we have a liability insurance line. Uh, can you speak to what that covers and where we get that insurance? Um, that—I'm sorry, that's on page 308. Um, about a third of the one, two, three, four, five lines under where it says fringe benefits, but it's an operational number. Covers the building. What was the number again, sir? Yeah, it's okay. It's um, object number 53420 on page 308 in our book. If you don't—our budget book, I don't recall the name of the company. Um, pretty sure that's—covers the—like when we had the EMAs problem. I think that that's what that helps cover. um, that kind of uh, insurance claim, you know, loss of a hanger. Uh, I think that's the one that has that really high deduct—catastrophic kind of. Yeah. Okay. Because I mean, you know, on the whole we're self-insured, but you know, not everybody has an airplane.

A one other question. Reading on um, social media, we have an event coming up there through the plane exhibition. Uh, it's probably the museum. Okay. It says it's coming into the airport. So if it's that, you know, what responsibilities and financials do we need to cover on that? Besides, we we don't—they haven't talked to me about any—like—if you know anything that they need extra. I just try to look at—my my phone's not accepting the internet right now. Usually, like typically, you know, the museum has some kind of an event. Oh, they said they're having it at the airport. Yeah. If they if they have some kind of an event there, um, we usually like to have one extra person on staff, you know, I—call me on overtime to come help cover the airport. It's safer that way because—way the way it usually works is we have one operations personnel on staff that covers the fire truck and then any any other things that happen, wildlife sweeps, escort, you know, escort duty. We don't allow fuel trucks across the runway unless one of our guys is escorted across the runway. So, if somebody's having an event that there's pedestrians that are allowed to go on the ramp, which would be fenced off, we usually have somebody there just as a safety precaution to make sure nobody strays away from that event. It's something to look into because financially and for liability situations, I think they should uh, notify PD. So, they're aware—just in case they need to be there for some sort of service call or backup. I'll look at—I'll talk to the museum and see what—All right. Thank you. They they—we coordinate with them pretty well. They're very good at letting us know like what's going on. So, that's good. But then, while you're doing that, if you have a good report, can you please get Sakorski's uh, bus back to Bridgeport? That was given to them for some odd reason—which should—that's a different museum. Okay. Oh, the helicopter. Okay. I don't have any—Yeah, that one should—that should come back to Bridgeport. Thank you.

All right. Frank, you're—sorry. Just to answer—I just looked up some data on that liability policy. So, looks like it's been around for some time because as far as I could go back in Muncie, there is a policy charge there. Okay. Right now, looks like it's underwritten by Arthur Gallagher, and it would appear that it would maybe just be insurance that we're required to have—maybe—to operate in an airport. Okay. All right. Anything else? All right. All right. So last uh, department for uh—well, we have S harbor master, but um, engineering—Frank, you have to speak first and then move on. um, engineering. I I believe that um, since the budget was published and up to today that there is a um—I believe the gentlemen are going to bring a proposal uh, to uh, increase um uh, some of those salaries there. Um, there was an assistant special project manager that's been reclassified—permanent inspectors. Uh, no vacancies here. Um, and then very little operational expenses. It's really all personnel.

All right. So, um, Julie or whoever through the chair, we apologize. John couldn't make it tonight. Okay. Um, but John did want to put in a a request for position increase. So what he did is he worked with HR along with CCM um to do a a job analysis on a couple positions that he has within his department. Um, it's for the supervisor of of permitting, at the same time it's for his supervisor of traffic. Um, and then what he was able to find out that his those two employees are paid significantly—like 10,000 less than surrounding towns that provide the same or do the same job description. So he was looking to see if—or request that both of those positions be increased of $10,000 in this upcoming budget.

Question. Yes, sir. Are these positions? Are these positions new jobs? Yes, sir. Well, let me let me—I have a serious problem. Number one, I don't—you know, I'm not in the union, but I would think before, you know, that's a union issue um, to whether we should raise the salaries. I thought that the union made that determination. So, I have a serious problem—like the council sticking their nose in union business—saying—because—going to have to do it for everybody as a union. So that's what I'm worried about. So through the chair, um, one of the things that that management is obligated to do is that before it becomes a union issue is try to rectify the situation before it happens because to to turn it into a union issue, then it's bringing myself, his supervisor, the employee along with the labor staff to come up with a solution to his grievance or request. If we have an opportunity to pre—present it in front of council and get the increases through our regular budget, then it eliminates us wasting time sitting there negotiating, debating it um, over arbitration and things like that. It's—takes away from daily operation that that employee should be doing. Uh, and again, so the one of the positions is the position that manages and places the utility cuts that take place daily throughout the city. um, compared to the the previous person who held that position, he came in making drastically less than that—what that person—and has put out um a lot more, and he's not just utilizing that department, but he definitely is just an asset to public facilities overall. So—So you're—let me just help me understand because I'm not a union organization. So, you're telling me that the city council could pick a union and say, "We're going to give everybody in that union a $20,000 raise." We can't do that. I don't believe we have the right to do that. That we can sit without them going through bargaining, negotiation, and the whole process. I didn't—never—I've never heard with the city council. If you're in a union, I could tell the city council could tell your union, "We're going to give y'all a $50 raise without any negotiation or anything." I didn't know you could do that. So, maybe you're sharing something with me by raising this, and he's in a union. You know what the other union people would think? Cuz if you give him a raise, I'm going to want a raise. Okay. Help me—help me understand. Maybe I know. I don't—I don't think what the proposal is is for the city council to select people to give raises. The request is that they're anticipating that—I think this could be something that the labor department potentially works with the union on, and that there may need—this—there may need to be this money if that comes to fruition. So, it's maybe budgeting for something that um, could happen. If the money's not there, then then um, we can't do it, or we may have to find some other means to do it. Um, but it's not—just to be clear, it's not them saying—it's not you guys saying these—this union is going to get this percentage increase. It's just money in the—money in the budget matter. Okay, Beverly.

Yeah. Uh, is this the—is this the same uh, man or person that—over the flooding and the—is it? Yes. You know, this is—I I I really have a problem tonight. And my problem is is that he's never come for us, and if he comes, he's always have to leave early or whatever the case might be. And I'm going to add this too. I remember maybe about two months ago the fire chief made a presentation to the council and uh—didn't I—do you remember right—we fought that night, right? Yeah, we did. And then—and the other thing is is that—and then a couple nights later he was in—he he was said—you can come if you so desire. You don't have to come, and and you would have thought that man committed murder. This one here—I—there's a lot of questions that I I want to ask him because of the flooding, and he can't keep pushing his robe off on somebody else. And if if anybody's around this table—know—he either have an emergency somewhere or he don't show or something like that. And if—and and being a council person, you know, I take issue with that. I really take issue with it because as far as I'm concerned, if it's fair for the goose, it's fair for the gander. And and and I think that he should come if he's asking for something. Don't tell me—don't tell somebody else what you want; you come and tell us what what you want. If you're too busy to come, then you need to give up that job and give it to me, and then you go do that little job that I have teaching—making no money. So there you go. That that's just my opinion now. I have a right to my opinion, but I'm very annoyed with him, and I'll tell him to his face. I'm not talking behind his back; I'm telling him to his face.

I hear you. Thank you very much. Can I make a suggestion? Since he's not here, I don't want—he needs to be here, you know. And me and Scott discussed this that if the department heads don't bring—enough—to come and talk about what they want, then we shouldn't even be listening to it. And I know emergencies happen, things happen, but he should be here saying to us, "This is what I need. This is why—" That's right. So, I'm going to ask that we move on from here, and when—if he can make—if we have some time for him to come, let him come cuz he can speak better for his call back. Okay.

Um, Councilman here, uh, we we'll move on in a second. You know, we're giving these raises, and we brought it up again yesterday. We're giving 14, 10, 8, and the lower salaries get 3%, and then continue to get just the 3%, which is maybe $1,000, maybe it's whatever, but we need to put in an evaluation process because I get evaluated every year. I'm part of the union. It's on the other end of the spectrum, but they're the same unions that we have in this table and in these jobs. Mhm. It's not difficult. I know CEO is supposedly working on something great, wonderful. It hasn't been done yet. And I'm really looking forward to having that done. And it's not a negotiation process with the union because it's in their contracts. So, it just has to be done. Everybody should be evaluated from the top to the bottom. And that—I wouldn't have a problem giving a $10,000 increase. If we know he's done a great job or she's done a great job or they've done a great job, then let—have the concrete information to prove it to us. So, I know I'm gonna back a brick, but I'm going to keep on that brick until it breaks. I know I don't speak for the only city that I know cuz I live here. Yeah. We get raises, people don't get evaluated. They don't go through—How did you do? Did you reach your goal? All right. Yep. Yep. We've been through it. We've been through it. All right.

Um, is there anything else on engineering um from from the department heads uh that you want to touch on? Um, yeah, I think it's really important that um that Miss—that Mr. pure equity comes back—comes in because there are projects that we have both on capital and if if we're talking about necessity, and I know that some of these positions are specialized—is maybe they're they're specialized positions—I don't know—I can't speak to it—I'm not—I don't work in engineering, and I'm not an engineer, but Councilwoman Lee's point—he should be here because there are other questions that are part of his goals that we do really need to know, and we just had the conversation about using LOIP for paving. So, he's the one who can give us the best answers outside of Deputy Director Curry on that stuff. So, he needs to—he needs to be—we need to call him back. Mr. Curry, nothing against you. Okay, love. No problem. Not that—you know—I love you with all my heart, and I love you back. I appreciate all the—one piece—um, I'll just say because I know last couple years at least we've talked about engineering—flooding and the bridges and all that. Uh, obviously in this context we want to talk in terms of the dollars. Um, but I think maybe ECD& or public safety and transportation committees could have in uh, Mr. and and company to to get a solid update about what's what. Um, so yeah, uh, we haven't really talked about uh, any of the the capital needs um coming out of uh, public facilities. So I don't know if—well, you want to speak to it.

Yes, please. We—two of our highest priorities—going way back to the bullets that we opened the meeting with. Two of our highest priorities are capital issues. Um, sidewalks and paving—sidewalks—we request 2 million. Mayor's recommended has 1 million. We haven't really requested anything for sidewalks. We've been living off of what we had for close to 10 years. Um, but the time is now um to to start to budget. Two million is really what's needed. We had a meeting also uh with the council president um where perhaps even two and a half was suggested. Um, so somewhere in that two—two and a half is really realistic um because there's several things that are pushing us um in in a—I don't want to say a new direction, but aggressively in a particular direction. Certainly, we're we're getting more aggressive in terms of ADA compliance, and we need to—and as Aaron was talking about and we talked about earlier, um, the permanent inspectors are helping us really understand what our responsibilities there are. So, that's very important. The city attorney's office also—on a slightly separate topic—um—is—you've all read the paper. You've all—somewhat—I imagine—been brought up to speed in terms of li—increased liability and the need for the city to be more active uh in in addressing those needs. They've got a new manual, if you will, that they're going to be briefing us on, and that that is going to become a procedure for us. I don't want to get ahead of them. Um, but that is—is in my judgment—clearly it's going to cost more. Uh, I'm not saying that in a critical way. It's just the reality. Um, and um, we've talked about uh, making sure that um that we cover the ADA ramps and any cut—curb cuts out of sidewalks as well. So there's a number of things that are pushing us. Oh, and by the way, um, the 50/50—if that's going to be re-upped. Now, last fall, we took the revenues that had been received um from its inception until then and rolled them in—with everyone's authorization—and rolled them in. So, that revenue has largely been uh made available. It's only going to last so long. And if you're going to re-up the 50/50 with a new pool of money, then that's going to have to come here, too. So, I'm making the plea here for 2 million at a minimum, really, not the 1 million the mayor's recommended. Um, we did speak with OPM. I think he's largely on board, maybe not happy, but um, uh, I I do think it's it's a shared sense that this is a real need. Um, the city council president—allow to speak to the two and a half if she wants to.

Y, I will. Well, yes, I will. The point is is that we are uh, non-compliant. Council member Zapania has told us this for many, many years, and we are hitting the wall. We have hired an ADA compliance coordinator who has—we have many miles. So there was a big argument about the paving money. The paper money that were allocated also included the sat—the curb cuts and the ADA, which is totally a different cost because the city has to assume that because that's also part of what the city attorneys are talking about—that were responsible for that—and that you know—those homeowners that have the curb cut—have the corner lots—they're they're—they were assuming that responsibility in their sidewalk program to have the ADA. So the reason I said we might—we should raise it to 2 and a half and to make that—ass—is because we have to become—we are required—cuz we are all on—we've been on notice that we have to get that done. So either—again—we look at the way we're reprogramming—loss of funds—or we do the bonding, and I know that you know—we like to hold back on a lot of money, but that that's a lawsuit. We've already had two $1 million lawsuits. You know, I'm I'm being sarcastic about a tree—blackwag—and the mayor's sister falling. So, you know, we don't want to keep having those kind of, you know, embarrassing moments in our city. No names, please. And that—and that that is the snowball that has made this—that is making the avalanche happen. Those two snowballs are creating a big avalanche in our city. So, we can be proactive. And I hate to say we want to give you more money for this cuz you know—I don't like to give money either. We don't like—we're always trying to be frugal in our spending and the way we plan for stuff. But I would rather put the money where we're not going to have the liability because now we're on notice for the whole city. And it's not that it happened in one street. It was publicly put out there. So now we are really on liability—as far—on on accountability. And as Mark would say, once we know we got to pay.

All right. All right. There's a plea on sidewalk, right? Do you want to talk to David? Yeah. So, only when your mouth's full. I'll I'll cover you for a sec. All right. Just so—um—Yeah. And name—read, too. Um, when we first started looking at capital a couple weeks ago, you know, we did bring up the issue of sidewalks and the kind of the opinion of the city attorney. So, we know we're a little bit on the hook there. um, putting it back out to bid—something like that might also be in our interest—but—yes—putting back out to bid—more competitive—that's uh a consideration—um—Amy—Marine—then then you can jump in. No, I said it is something, but it's not just liability on the city. We're going to be held liable on the state and federal side too because we're not in compliance, which we haven't been in years, and I've brought this up many times—like I had mentioned about what I do um as co-chair of miscellaneous matters. I hear all these things, and it's it's terrible. We were proactive in the early 2000s, and we got going, and about 10—11 years ago it just stopped. So I think we need to look into that to get it more, and I wouldn't mind um looking into some more, you know, bonding and low sip money and adding it up to 3.5. If you start a little higher, you can get a—you can at least get to where you want. If you start lower, they're going to cut that. So, if you need 3.5 and we're only going to get 2.5, I'd start at the higher point, and we might get lucky to get that money to then—

Clean up our city and make it, um, less liability. Take care of it and then have a program, have a policy and procedure book, and have someone follow it to take care of it on a regular basis; to do inspections. Because it's taken months and years to get these things done. And again, when the city's on notice, that adds to the dollar amount. So, I can go through that time and time again, but it's no matter how many times I can talk, it falls on deaf ears because it becomes a political, uh, football. It's my last time tonight. I promise.

I think that the city should be responsible for those sidewalks and not the homeowner. There, to you know, why should I pay for a sidewalk that's going through my—I don't—we don't have—I don't have sidewalks on my street. But why should I pay for a sidewalk that belongs to the city and I'm responsible for somebody falling? I'm responsible for them falling in front of my house? To me, that's nonsense. And then if I had money to do a sidewalk—you know, a lot of us don't have extra money to do no sidewalk—it's the city sidewalk; they should be the one that picks that up. That's all I got to say. Without tax money.

Well, like I said before, and I'm closing with this: If the city starts fixing sidewalks, y'all are going to reimburse all those people got into the shared plan, 'cause it's not fair. And I'mma be leading the charge. You, the one that you told you to fix. All right. We've all been warned. Bring it back to Mr. McNary here.

So, just on the paving and the mayor's proposed plan, there is a number of $3 million. Um, in the, um, a couple weeks back, there was a—there was a number that was floated as available of around $7 million. Um, that number did not, though, include incumbrances for the spring program. So, actually, as of today, available for paving is about $2.8 million that public facilities department has plans for the fall. So, I think at the very least the $3 million is appropriate. Um, and then their original request is $7 million. So, um, that would be something that the council looks maybe at, um, to maybe potentially increase that paving number, um, maybe by moving a couple things around in the capital plan. So, um, if I—if you guys have anything to add, but that's a pretty good summary, I think.

Well, we knew it was going to be higher than 2.5. We knew that. Yeah. All right. So, uh, I'm kind of glossing over Harbor Master, but there's really not much there. So, um, we're—we're okay and we—we got a good one. We'll leave it at that.

Uh, so, just looking ahead to Saturday, uh, we're going to have the uh finance department speaking to us, uh, and the fire department. Uh, I'll forward along the um presentation from fire. Um, and then we're going to talk a lot more about capital, particularly the board of ed, uh, because we know there's a some proposals and changes out there. I believe we have all been emailed from George Garcia and and Superintendent Avery some of those details about the changes. So, uh, I just kindly ask that you go back, find those in your emails or in your piles and, uh, read—read through those a little bit to come in, um, prepared. Um, because it's a not insignificant ask of the city and they're different views, shall we say?

Yes. You brought up, um, Harbor Master. I'm going to go real quick. There's nothing listed as revenue back, uh, years ago. There used to be revenue. What happened to that? Through the chair. I think she's referring to mooring fees, right? And then we did something with gas too, I think, at one time. I don't know about the fuel, but I know mooring fees doesn't show up in our—in any of our revenue. That's OPM. That's OPM. So, it used to show up in—Kathleen can answer. It's in a revolving account. Okay. So, it's not under general fund, correct? It's on its own. And that includes any grants that they get. Correct. Okay. All right. Thank you. Okay. We're all good. Yeah. Is there a second? All in favor? Hi. Hi. Mr. Hey, let a second.