Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, February 4, 1992 TAG: 9202040348
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER MUNICIPAL WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
BUDGET VIEWS SOUGHT
Roanoke faces a shortfall of up to $2 million in its budget for the new fiscal year, and City Manager Bob Herbert thinks he knows who can help the city deal with it: you.With the recession, cuts in state aid and slow growth in local tax revenue contributing to the budget crunch, Herbert has decided to turn to the people for ideas to help the city save money.
City officials will make a randomly selected, statistically valid survey of 400 city residents later this month to determine what services they consider to be the most important - and also those they feel could be altered, reduced or eliminated.
Residents also will be invited to submit their views on the budget by returning a form included in City Scene, a city newsletter that is inserted in editions of today's Roanoke Times & World-News that go to Roanoke households.
Residents will be asked to identify the two most important and the two least important services for them. They also will be asked to suggest ways the city can save money.
Herbert said he wants these views because residents are the ones who will be affected by any cutback or elimination of services.
"I want to know what citizens are thinking - what they see as priorities," he said.
Citizens can comment on services provided in a variety of areas, among them: public safety (police, fire and emergency services), parks and recreation, garbage collection, libraries, sewer and water, building maintenance and streets.
The city manager has also appointed five committees of city employees to look at ways to solve the budget problems.
The groups are looking at a broad range of ways to cut costs - everything from overtime pay and sick leave, to ways to work more efficiently and increase revenues.
Herbert said the financial outlook for the city has improved recently because school officials expect an increase of about $2 million in state aid for Roanoke for the next year, based on Gov. Douglas Wilder's proposed budget.
Earlier, officials believed the city would face a shortfall of $4 million to $6 million for its $152 million budget, Herbert said.
That figure doesn't seem likely now, but Herbert cautions that until the General Assembly acts on the state budget, there's no guarantee the shortfall won't match those earlier predictions.
"Who knows what is going to happen in the legislature," Herbert said.
And the economy could worsen, causing further erosion in the city's local tax revenues, he said.
That is one reason Herbert is taking a worst-case scenario and seeking views on the budget.
"Just like businesses across the city, state and country, city government is having to prepare itself for some tough times ahead," Herbert said. "I would feel better if it is only a $2 million gap, but it could be worse, and we need to be prepared for that."
"Our hope is that the situation will improve and all of the measures we identify won't be necessary. But by taking these steps, we will be in a position to act responsibly."
Herbert has identified four main goals:
Maintain the current level of services to citizens.
Provide a pay raise for city and school employees (no raises have been given for the past 18 to 24 months).
Fully fund all-day kindergarten.
Provide funds to replace equipment, such as police, fire and refuse-collection vehicles.
Herbert said he hopes the city can provide at least a 3 percent pay raise for its employees.
The School Board will decide on the pay raises for school employees.
City officials need to be looking three to four years ahead as they prepare the budget, he said.
To deal with a reduction of $2.7 million in state aid in the current year, the size of the city's work force has been reduced.
Seventy-five employees accepted a retirement incentive program last summer. The jobs have been filled by workers with a lower salary or other employees serving in an acting capacity.