Suisun City stays course with salary cuts
SUISUN CITY — Suisun City’s employees are looking at roughly 10 percent cuts in pay and benefits, but city leaders made it clear Tuesday that those losses will be reversed as soon as things improve.
City Manager Suzanne Bragdon told the council at its midyear budget update that such cuts will not be followed by further ones for the remainder of this fiscal year or in 2012-13.
Suisun City is spending about $200,000 more than it is making in its current budget and faces a $1.4 million hole in its 2012-13 budget, largely thanks to the loss of redevelopment.
Last fall, the council told staff to continue its strategy of not filling vacancies, asking employees to cut salaries and benefits, avoiding tax or fee increases and not reducing city services.
Tuesday night, Councilwoman Jane Day said she did not want to see city employees wait until the economy improves before seeing assistance. But city staff disliked the possibility of dipping into the city’s approximate $5.5 million in reserves.
“It would be foolhardy to spend reserves until (the opening of a Suisun City) Walmart happens,” Bragdon said.
The money is set aside to allow city operations to be maintained until Walmart opens, she said.
But that date is uncertain, as it has been for years, due to drawn-out battles with groups opposed to allowing the national retailer to build in town.
The project, if completed, is predicted to bring in $1.1 million annually in sales tax income. That doesn’t count fees from construction permits if Walmart gets final approval from the Regional Water Quality Control Board.
Bragdon said Walmart could get that approval at that board’s March 16 meeting.
Even if that happens, Suisun City won’t see an immediate influx of new money, since Walmart fees are already assumed in the budget.
Suisun City will reconsider whether to use its reserves only after Walmart gets its approval and the city has a construction schedule in hand, Bragdon said.
Mayor Pete Sanchez once again said the city should not depend on Walmart income and said the city’s employees need to know where they stand concerning cuts in pay and benefits.
Taxpayers group representative George Guynn further recommended that any cuts start with city administration. Guynn noted several of those salaries, such as the city manager and assistant city manager, were partially paid by Redevelopment Agency money, which was taken away by the state.
Reach Ian Thompson at 427-6976 or ithompson@dailyrepublic.net.
Short URL: http://www.dailyrepublic.com/?p=134041
Posted by Ian Thompson
on Feb 8 2012.
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