Dearborn Eyes ‘Everything’ to Meet Budget Shortfall
So what else might be on the chopping block for the city of Dearborn as it wrestles to find a way to overcome a $10 to $20 million shortfall for the budget year that begins July 1?
In an interview this Sunday in the Dearborn Press & Guide, Dearborn Mayor John B. O’Reilly, Jr. says “we’re looking at everything”, including the potential sale/privatization of the following:
•Camp Dearborn
• Ford Community & Performing Arts Center
• Dearborn Ice Skating Center
•Dearborn Hills Golf Course
• Dearborn Towers in Clearwater, Fla.
• And the elimination of the city’s curbside leaf collection program, which we reported HERE earlier.
Other items discussed here earlier include the closure of six of the city’s public pools, which has generated significant controversy in several stories posted HERE.
City officials claim that closing the Crowley, Hemlock, Lapeer, Summer-Stephens, Ten Eyck and Whitmore-Bolles pools would save Dearborn $132,000 a year in operational costs. In addition, the city claims future savings of $3.8 million by not pursuing investments necessary to keep the pools in a safe and healthy condition.
April 11th, 2010 at 12:56 pm
City officials CLAIM it would $132,000/yr and a future savings of $3.8 million. What I would like to hear or see are the figures in black and white.
April 11th, 2010 at 1:41 pm
Looks like the decline in property tax revenues will have to be absorbed by those enjoying recreation, housing and trash collection services. While its hard to argue with the concept of getting rid of the Florida property (bad timing though) and privatizing the golf and hockey facilities – it won’t be enough.
The City needs to plan for a reduction in personnel costs proportionate to their revenue loss – 15 to 25%. Whether its layoffs, wage and benefit cuts, or reduction in hours – the administration should acknowledge that the cuts in services won’t achieve a balanced budget.
I know, Norwood’s salary would keep the pools open another summer . . .
April 11th, 2010 at 2:35 pm
I read in the Counter Project this week about making the Dearborn libraries an independent tax authority similar to how West Bloomflied libraries are run, and decided to go check out the West Bloomflied libraries for myself to see if they look or seem any better than our libraries. And I’m here right now as I type this, and I am telling you if this is what an independent library distrcit looks like, then Dearborn needs to get on this RIGHT NOW. This place is gorgeous, they are fully staffed, their childrens area is amazing, their video and music selection is HUGE. People actually come here from the community to meet up, hang out, read, etc. It’s vibrant to say the least. And I’m saying this as someone who LOVES Dearborn’s libraries, but after seeing West Bloomfeild, we can barely hold a candle to this district.
Please, Dearborn leaders: make the Dearborn libraries an independent taxing authority. Let them levy their own taxes. Residents and leaders, come out to W Bloomfleid and see for yourselves what a library system looks like when it’s not competing with other departments for city dollars.
Read the story here:
http://thecounterproject.com/4-8-10-focus-on-the-books-to-save-the-pools-and-the-city-and-the-schools-cms377
April 11th, 2010 at 7:55 pm
If they chose to cut staff or lay employees off then they need to start with management. Seems like there is a Supervisor for every four workers in the city,or maybe its just another way for the “big guy” to take care of all of his supervision again. Maybe he will layoff the workers and the inordinate amount of supervisors,superintendents,asst. directors,directors,consultants can just come to work and get paid with no workers left and then go home.
Ever try to figure out why all of the management and workers continue to get wage increases while the regime knew this deficit was there a year ago or more?
Ever try to figure out why knew vehicles and equipment was bought regularly over the last 3 years knowing the deficit was there?
Ever try to figure out why the Mayor puts people in charge that are clueless?
When you figure out the answer to those questions then you have all the other answers to the leaves and the pools and everything else going on.
April 12th, 2010 at 5:23 am
I was at the West Bloomfield library off of Telegraph road for a meeting a few weeks ago and it was wonderful. I don’t know what the citizens there voted to tax themselves for it but it was great.
April 12th, 2010 at 6:44 am
I read the article as well about the West Bloomfield Library and was impressed. But we have 3 beautiful small neighborhood libraries and I still think the Henry Ford Library in and out is one of the most unique and beautiful libraries around. I’ve been in it a few times recently and it always impresses me. We also need to remember the Henry Ford Library would have never come into being had it not been for the millions Ford Motor Company donated to it to honor their founder. Too bad Ford doesn’t have that kind of money today to donate to our entire budget shortage…
April 12th, 2010 at 6:53 am
Mike, please pay attention. No one ever said Dearborn didn’t have beautiful libraries. The issue is funding. Despite how nice the libraries might look, they simply don’t have the funding to keep the doors open beyond limited hours, staffing issues and the number of books/CDs/movies, etc. could be better. Read the latest entry on this site. More cuts are coming to the libraries.
April 12th, 2010 at 9:28 am
What a misleading headline–as I don’t believe Dearborn is “eyeing” any substantial cuts to city employees, especially as the mayor recently gave what were basically unsolicited payraises of 12% and 9% to Dearborn police and firefighters–the vast majority of whom live outside of Dearborn and even outside of Wayne County, thereby just taking money out of the city and not spending any of it here (be it property taxes, meals they pay for themselves, etc.).
April 12th, 2010 at 12:00 pm
To oldalldayschoolmom:
Go back to what was discussed in early March. It is not correct that Police got a 12 % pay increase. See next copied message from “homegrown” in March:
As a retired Dearborn police officer, I must correct some information previously reported. “Turk 182″ stated on 3-16-10: “How about you do a comparison article and show how the DPD got a 12 percent raise and the DFD got a 9 percent raise and now when all other contracts are up the Mayor now says there must be cuts and possible layoffs. Are you going to put an article in the paper showing these facts?”
I cannot speak for Dearborn fire fighters, however I know that Dearborn Police Officers went several years without a contract that was finally settled last year. They received the following increases that amount to a 10% increase over 6 years, ending 06-30-2012:
As of 07-01-2006 2%, 07-01-2007 2%, 07-01-2008 zero increase, 07-01-2009 2%, 07-01-2010 1%, and 07-01-2011 3 %. This brings the top pay for a p[olice officer to $67,030 per year after July 2011.
In the past year the Police Officers Association of Michigan (www.POAM.com) reported at least (16) other negotiated contracts that were finalized in the past year for some police departments they represent. Please check for yourself and see that Dearborn Police are not out of line with other negotiated contracts, in fact, their pay increases are actually lower than most. Please bear in mind that DPD went several years without a contract before it was settled last year for 6 years up through July 2011. “Turk 182″ makes it sound like DPD got a huge increase (12% ?) in a short period of time, which is not the case. They started contract negotiations in 2006 before all the serious economic problems hit Dearborn, Michigan and the rest of the country. I am sure that like many other municipalities, Dearborn will be looking into some give backs by their police and fire departments, and will probably look into the changing current charter amendments, which state a certain number of fire and police officers have to be maintained, regardless of the economy and ability to pay.
April 12th, 2010 at 12:59 pm
oldalldayschoolmom and others:
What do you consider significant cuts to city employees? All departments have been cutting full-time employees for several years. I can only truely speak about the libraries. (Which in the interest of full disclosure, I will tell you my daughter works for.) They have cut two administrative librarians. The present plan cuts seven full-time employees, including the three librarian II’s, two librarian I’s and two assistant librarians. Am I happy about this? No, but I also know the money isn’t there to carry on as usual.
People keep talking about making cuts elsewhere. The “not in my backyard mentality.” Someone else should take the hit not my pool, library, leaf pick-up, musuem, city clerk’s office, garbage pick up. Choose a place, it means something to someone. The department heads have worked hard to make cuts for years that you all wouldn’t notice as much. Are they perfect? No, but we are beyond cutting the fat at this point.
You can’t tie this is to free lunches, or bilingual education like some commenters on the pools issue have. The schools and the city are two seperate entitites with two seperate funding pots. End of story.
On police and fire. Can’t say much about big raises for them. I agree that seems kinda out of line in these times. As for cutting their staff, we can’t. The citizens of Dearborn voted in two charter ammendments that promise a certain level of staffing for those departments. Smart move on their part. After all, who would really vote against them and they got protection? Except that now we realize that it left a much smaller piece of pie for everyone else. Let me say too I’ll bet they also get a much better retirement benefit package than any of the other retirees from the city. I know they’ve worked for it, but it is again a case of overcompensation?
A millage for the libraries (or the parks…or the musuem….) Think hard. Would it really pass in this climate? Didn’t in Troy. And…what’s the price of a house in West Bloomfield? Does most of Dearborn even come close? And we have four libraries. Again, splitting the pie up to so many places….
Anyhow, there are going to be cuts. There have to be cuts. Do make you voice heard though, so that when times get better, we get back what we want.
April 12th, 2010 at 1:59 pm
I hope to Christ they privatize the ford center maybe we’ll get some REAL class acts in the theater!
April 12th, 2010 at 3:11 pm
I voted for both proposals to guarantee minimum staffing levels for Dearborn police and fire departments, but did not get a chance to vote on pay raises/pay cuts/etc. at a time when the mayor is talking out of both sides of his taxpayer-subsidized mouth, warning that residents–i.e. those of us who pay the bills in Dearborn, be it through our businesses or private property taxes–must bite the bullet during these tough times and sacrifice services.
That would be reasonable except for the fact that I haven’t heard the same mayor talk of any sort of sacrifices from city employees–by the way the mayor has a higher salary than the governor of Michigan!
Put our money where your mouth is–not an unreasonable request.
April 12th, 2010 at 3:14 pm
Oldalldayschoolmom, why single out the people who put their lives on the line for the citizen of this city. Regardless if they live in the city or not they put their lives on the line everyday for the city.
I cant speak for the Fire Department but the police department is make do with less. We are driving cars with more miles on them, and have seen a huge cut in overtime.
Before you start complaining that we make to much money take a look around. First of all there is no need for the Dearborn Park Ranger Program. The Park Rangers who not police officers get paid $17 an hour for patrolling the park and usually cause more problems than they solve. On top of that, the recreation department just purchased a brand new vehicle for the Park Rangers (2010 Ford Escape XLT W/overhead lights and push bumper probably costing an extra $2000 and park ranger decals on the doors) that they do not need. The police department patrols the parks anyways during the summer, there is no need for the brown shirts with no police powers to get paid $17 an hour to do the same thing.
Another thing to consider is the decent pay we receive attracts better applicants who want to be police officers. In case oldalldayschoolmom forgot, the City of Dearborn is surrounded by the 4th most dangerous city in the United States! We need good cops coming here to keep our eastern boarder safe! As for cutting staff, we need all the cops we can get. If you drastically cut police, I guarantee the number’s of stolen cars, B&E’s and Armed Robberies is going to go up, especially in the northeast end of the city.
Remember to when cutting these programs that we still want to attract people to live in the city. No one want to live in a city that is not safe! What no one talks about on these post are our schools. The reason a lot of police officers are moving out of the is city is the schools! Maybe we should find away to improve our schools, not for inner city kids, or kids that don’t live in the city, but for the kids that live in Dearborn. I know for a fact from friends of mine that attended Dearborn Public Schools, that a lot of kids that attend do not live in the city! Now I understand that the more kids in a class room the more money you get. Here is the deal, more money doesn’t always fix things. Instead of throwing money at the problem, how about looking a policy’s and individual teacher performance to make the school more attractive to DEARBORN! residents. Stop allowing kids that live outside the city to attend our schools. If parents want their children to attend Dearborn Schools, they can move here. If you improve the school people will move here for them, unlike now when people our moving out of the city because of them.
April 12th, 2010 at 3:19 pm
Sorry..the late mayor used to make more than the governor, while Mayor O’Reilly makes just $131,133 per year, compared to Gov. Granholm’s $177,000 per year. Perhaps a fundraiser is in order.
April 13th, 2010 at 7:28 am
Pragmatically, the police and fire dept are sacrosanct, no matter what – between the charter and their contracts there is no “wiggle room” for cuts in those areas – nada.
So the reduction must be even deeper across the board for the rest of the City employees – line up please, and get ready to be laid off, have your hours reduced, your pay package cut, and, oh yeah, here’s the work from that other guy’s desk. “Pension? Here’s your defined contribution pension.”
Actually, this has not reached a “crises – catharsis” stage – yet. Wait until we hit the payless payday scenerio – or that pension funding cannot be met. When they start talking about a financial receiver coming down from Lansing to sit at the Mayor’s elbow is when this will all really start sinking in. Til then, keep on fiddlin!
April 13th, 2010 at 8:54 am
I agree with Save Dearborn in that due to our proximity to Detroit, one of American’s most dangerous cities and definitely the most run down city, that cutting officers would not be a wise move.
What all of us need to consider is that the great majority of us have had our property taxes significantly reduced the past few years due to declining property values. Dearborn no longer has the revenue and tax based it once had. Therefore, some services or amenities have to be cut, or we need to be willing to fund them.
Even though I don’t use the pools, when I go by Summer Stephens, Whitmore Bolles, Ten Eyck and Crowley pools they are packed to the hilt with users, mostly children, but many adults as well. They are also one unique attraction and motivation for new residents and current residents to reside in Dearborn, especially families.
All the wants, needs, desires and emotions we display are not going to save the pools. Only the proper funding will. So we need to be able to raise revenues with pools passes and other ways, as well as be willing to fund them through either a bond, a special millage tax towards the pools or other ways.
April 13th, 2010 at 12:51 pm
If the City of Dearborn is looking to cut costs, I have a couple of suggestions. Lansing has the government employees taking 6 unpaid days off per year to cut costs. Why can’t Dearborn City Employees do the same (even the Mayor), until the economy turns around or the budget is back on track? Those 6 days multiplied by the number of city employees equals the cost, more or less, of keeping the pools open. Then no one has to worry about losing their jobs or going thru pay cuts.
Also, I think all these fools that expect their leaves to be swept up off the street by the city, are lazy and contribute to the childhood obesity epidemic. I remember, as a kid, going door to door and asking to rake leaves (shovel snow, mow lawns, etc.) to earn some spending money. Hey Kids – raking leaves, shoveling snow, etc., is tax free. Pretty good if you can’t find a job.
The leaves can still be picked up in the recycle bags. This saves the city and tax payers money and may motivate some kids to get some exercise while earning some money. After all, the outdoor pools are not opened all year. How oh how will the poor darlings get exercise when they are closed.
April 13th, 2010 at 5:48 pm
To those of you that think that we, the police officers of Dearborn, are overpaid and have too large of a pension, i ask you this. Do you go to work everyday and when you leave, kiss you loved ones goodbye and not know if you will ever see them again. Do you put on a bullet proof vest to do your job and carry a firearm. I know that the answer to this will be that well you chose that job. Yes i did and i do it with great passion and to the best of my ability, everyday i work. I am proud to be a Dearborn Police Officer and try to make this city a better place for all of you to live and work. Is my pension going to be perhaps better than most, yes it is, but to most of us, that is the reward for not getting paid nearly as much as we should for the risks that we face each and every day. My pension is a reward for having made it thru 25 or more years of service to this community and to you the residents. as far as having a charter amendment which dictates the number of officers that we have, that was done because of the level that staffing had gotten to and the fine officers of this department recognized that at those levels and possibly less, the service that you residents deserved, would not be possible so we brought it to the voters and they approved it. You the citizens of this community should be outraged that your vote is being ignored on this staffing issue and should demand that those unifilled charter mandated positions be filled. i m sure that the answer you will get, will be that well you know the new census will come out next year and maybe we should have less off icers so we dont want to have to lay anyone off. thats a bunch of crap. more officers equal to less overtime that has to be spent to cover certain events. get us up to our manpower allocation and i think that overtime cost will diminish or just get the arab festival to ante up like the rest of groups that want additional officers at their events such as fairlane town center, the recent martian march, iraqi elections. why can those groups pay and not the arab chamber of commerce? come on citizens, make your voice heard.
April 14th, 2010 at 9:20 am
Personally, I think being a police officer is the most thankless, dangerous job there is in America and we could never offer them the pay and benefits they deserve for the sacrifices they make for us. Sacrifices that many of us either take for granted or are not aware of as we go about our daily lives.
The world today has changed and it seems there are far more dangerous criminals, drugs are affecting every ring of society far more and being a police officer is even more dangerous today that it used to be. Due to prison overcrowding, many dangerous criminals are being released earlier and many are being given probation or parole instead of serving their time.
We also share east end borders with most likely the worst, crime ridden, rundown city in America – Detroit and I personally want to see the Dearborn Police Department stay as highly staffed as they are supposed to be and not see any cuts. Most criminals are from outside our city and since Detroit is so run down, instead of committing crimes there, they come to nearby cities that have plenty to steal.
We’ve had incidents on our block where the police respond so quickly it is unbelievable. My friend and I were in Lincoln Park at Southfield and Dix and he received a call that one of his Detroit rentals was being broke into? We made it to the house quicker than the Detroit Police Department which had a precinct right down the street from the rental house that was being broken into. Is this the kind of police service we want? I don’t think so.
Do we want to end up like some other cities that have had mayhem at events and have had to cancel large events due to lacking the police officers to keep the crowds under control? Taylor is one example. We don’t have these issues at Homecoming or any other large Dearborn event mostly due to our fine, well staffed police department, which has an average response time of 1 minute.
I’d much rather see other services and amenities cut, than see the police department cut or lose the money and benefits they so rightly have earned protecting us…
April 14th, 2010 at 9:21 am
I totally agree with Concerned Cop’s suggestion that organizations pay for police/fire services necessitated by their marathons, marches, festivals, etc.
Not to mention the inconvenience to residents trying to weave their way through barricades, marchers bussed in from other cities, etc.
April 14th, 2010 at 10:59 am
My G/daughter ran in the kids portion of the marathon and I could not believe the number of police officers and cars that were involved. You would have thought royalty or the Pres. was visiting Ford Field. There were also a large number of Park Rangers standing around. The Mutt Strut was also being held at Ford Field that day and I am assuming that a portion of the police salaries were paid by the city and I would certainly hope my taxes were not going for the marathon. Anyone have any info on this?
April 15th, 2010 at 12:21 pm
Interesting link to a site regarding a seemingly lucrative police/firefighters pension plan in Dearborn Heights that has been deep-sixed by its city council…
http://dearbornheights.wordpress.com/2010/04/10/contact-dearborn-heights-council-now/
April 15th, 2010 at 12:27 pm
Here’s a look at Dearborn Heights’ budget–more than 50% for police and fire–how does ours compare?
http://dearbornheights.wordpress.com/2010/04/14/some-city-budget-for-you/
April 15th, 2010 at 2:02 pm
oldalldayschoolmom what is your deal with the Police? Did you get a ticket or something? Like concerned cop said above, do you go to work everyday kiss your loved ones good by, put on a gun and a BULLET proof vest, knowing in the back of your head you might not make it through your shift!
Remember September 11, 2001. Do you remember seeing all the Police and Fire Fighters running toward the Towers when everyone was running away. Do you think if the FDNY and NYPD had that same DROP plan, would you say they deserve it.
I know you are concerned with the financial heath of the City, but just remember those of us in Public Safety are going to be the only ones you can rely on if something awful happens in Dearborn. When the rest of the citizens are running away from the disaster, we (police and fire) will be charging head first into the danger!
There is plenty of of waste going on in this city, oldalldayschoolmom, so there really is no need to keep bringing up the pay of the Police and Fire Dept.
April 15th, 2010 at 9:55 pm
Mr. Blond says:
April 11th, 2010 at 7:55 pm
If they chose to cut staff or lay employees off then they need to start with management. Seems like there is a Supervisor for every four workers in the city,or maybe its just another way for the “big guy” to take care of all of his supervision again. Maybe he will layoff the workers and the inordinate amount of supervisors,superintendents,asst. directors,directors,consultants can just come to work and get paid with no workers left and then go home.
How about a Superintendent, Supervisor and Manager to oversee a dozen part time and full time employees? Since I have been here, the number of full time employees has dropped from nearly 1000 to just over 600, with half of that 600 being Police and Fire. The city hires more and more part time people to do the same jobs that were done full time, downsizing divisions and sections, but while the employees are the ones going away, the supervisory jobs remain.
Want to see some interesting reading? FOIA the contracts for the Supervisors, Technical and Professional (STP) union, and the Executive’s union. In both contracts, which cover everyone from the Chief of Staff, Department Heads, Deputy Directors, Attorneys in the Legal Department all the way down to the supervisors, there is a clause in the compensation package giving all of the above a 1% pay raise and 1% bonus for each 10 FULL TIME non Police/Fire employees that leave the city employment. It doesn’t matter if it is via retirement, resignation, dismissal, etc, as long as they can get 10 to go, they get a reward. You can imagine the effect this has on morale (yes, there is still some, not much, sad to say, but some) knowing that the people in positions of authority over you can make working for the city a living hell, so they can benefit when you leave.
April 16th, 2010 at 8:13 am
City is looking for money????? This is the second week of Public Service Days and they are still putting warning notices on vehicles parked in the street. Most of them on my street are the same vehicles that received warnings last week.
April 16th, 2010 at 8:25 pm
Donna Hay,
Why? Because the tickets are only $3.
Those tickets cost taxpayers a lot more money in salaries for someone to drive around, cars, gas, and another person to process that whopping $3 if and when people pay.
April 17th, 2010 at 6:25 am
Wanting – I have no idea what the tickets cost but if ‘someone’ is driving around wasting gas to put warnings on cars why not just write a ticket? In fact why not just do away with Public Service Days and save the money for the salary of the person handing out violations or tickets plus the gas and wear and tear on the vehicles?
April 17th, 2010 at 9:18 am
Or simply raise the price of the tickets and enforce it to make it very costly to leave your car on the street during public service days.
April 18th, 2010 at 5:03 pm
Field Inspectors use their own vehicles.
April 18th, 2010 at 6:27 pm
Michael, I am sure that the don’t buy their own gas and would have to assume that they get some type of payback for the wear and tear on their cars.
April 18th, 2010 at 7:30 pm
Field Inspectors do not do Public Service Day parking enforcement. That is done by the Police Department Parking Enforcement officers who do use city vehicles.
April 19th, 2010 at 11:32 am
Claiming mileage never makes up for the wear and tear on a personal auto, but at least it’s something to help. I stand corrected Dearborn Watcher.