‘More money’
COUNCIL HEARS AGAIN OF BUDGET NEEDSBy GIB SNYDER
Article Photos
More money is needed to get the job done the way citizens have come to expect. That was the word Wednesday as the Dunkirk Common Council reviewed budgets for the Department of Public Works and the Parks Department.
DPW Director Tony Gugino and Streets Department Supervisor Mike Porpiglia were on hand for nearly three hours as a line-by-line examination was conducted. The basic message from both was Mayor Richard Frey's cutbacks will hamper their efforts to provide the service city residents have come to expect.
It was more than just the reduction in staff over the last five years by nine employees - 14 left and five were hired - it was the cumulative effect the reductions have had on the department's ability to do its job properly.
"I can sit here and talk about it all night but I'm not going to, it's just starting to be like a broken record. I'm going nowhere with this issue, I just keep getting backed into a wall," Porpiglia said. "We need qualified people, qualified people make a difference. We're getting to the point where a lot of these guys are getting ready to retire. We have young guys in there but we're coming to a breaking point.
"Things just haven't been getting done and it's not because these guys don't want to do it. They're out there doing what they're told to be done. They're doing a good job with what they have and what we have to work with.
"Bottom line is you do not have enough people in the streets department to sustain the quality of service that's asked of them and I can end it at that. I don't know where it's going, I can just put the numbers out there and that's it."
And if you've called the city barns lately and got the answering machine, Porpiglia knows why. That person is now out working in the field.
"I know when I pick up the phone I want to talk to somebody, especially if you want something done," he said. "I hate it for this aspect because it's reflective on the guys. People automatically think these guys don't even want to answer the phone. You should hear some of the messages that are left."
Gugino said he was not there to scare people or complain but said, "I would be totally remiss in my duties you've entrusted me with if I don't warn all of you of this. Mike and I have had meetings with the mayor and he's aware of it.
"If you just look at where we're at today versus 10 months ago, the street department has four fewer employees today than last year, all unforseens. ... You can't even joke about it because it's ludicrous."
Gugino said it would be very tight manpower wise until the end of the year as employees have to use their remaining vacation time and personal leave days.
"When you're picking up rubbish on a daily basis, that takes six employees," Gugino said. "We looked at this thoroughly and there's going to be many days between now and the end of December there's going to be six guys picking up garbage and we're going to be fortunate to have two, maybe three, guys in the entire street division to do everything else. Including plowing snow.
"I'm scared. The chief of police is very nervous about it. We aren't going to get a lot of guys to come out on overtime because they're burnt out. We went through this last winter."
Porpiglia pointed out the problem with an individual working too much overtime.
"You lose quality. We've tried to get more efficient at what we do and I think we've really peaked at that point," he said. "We work with we've got and these guys are already sacrificing a lot. They're stepping forward. They're working through breaks, sometimes lunches. Stuff like that."
The trash packer operators have chipped in as well. Although allowed to go home at the end of their routes regardless whether it's eight hours or not, they have stayed over to help out.
"I don't know how much longer you can expect them to do that," Porpiglia said. "We've got guys who are ready to retire and we've got younger guys with families. They're not going to want to miss their kid's play. During Christmas, stuff like that. Be home for the kids' birthdays or what ever it is.
"It's going to come to a head and it has to be looked at. I don't want to sit here and complain because none of those guys up there are complaining because they know they've got to step to the plate. But they do need some consideration because it's getting to the point where they're being looked at like, 'why us.' I hear them talking about being second class. ... It's a personnel issue that needs to be looked at."
In all the duo are responsible for Fund I appropriations in 13 accounts that the DPW put in for a total of $2,846,650. Frey cut those requests by $305,515 to $2,541,135.
Most of the concern was with the age of the equipment and trying to make sure there was adequate funding to account for the inevitable repairs. Others are run-of-the mill daily things the city is responsible for such as street signs. Street signs need to be replaced and the money in the mayor's budget won't do the job.
"Stop signs are a liability for the city due to their non-reflectivity," Gugino said. "There's signs everywhere, we have a detailed list. If you were to just go out and take care of the rest of the street-name signs that we never finished or faded since (the last replacements), out of Mike's concern and (Police Chief David) Ortolano's concern, the potential liability signs, you're going to need at least $8-10,000 based on the prices from August."
Porpiglia said he thought he would need some $13,000 in the traffic and street signs line which the department had budgeted at $5,000 for 2009 and Frey cut to $1,000.
There were questions and suggestions from all five council members but one the mayor made to Gugino earlier didn't seem like a good idea - to any of the participants who recalled the last time that particular idea was tried in the 1990s. The idea, which Gugino said the mayor was pushing hard, was to add sand to the salt used on the road to make the salt last longer and save money.
The problem with that is it can cause more problems than it can solve.
"Let me say for the record, and I explained this to the mayor too, DOT doesn't recommend it anywhere other than rural areas," Gugino said. "Now I'll do whatever the mayor or you people ... whatever you choose is fine but go in with an open mind on this. When you introduce sand or potash into your salt mix you've got one hell of a lot of cleanup in the spring. Plus, more often than not a lot of that byproduct gets into your sanitary sewers and your storm sewers. And one more step further because this is what you pay me for, to think logistically. ... There's a lot of extra money and labor that's going to go into cleaning up."
For his part Parks Department Director Tom Rozumalski had the same equipment and repair issues as other departments. He also had a question about where the funds were going to come from to pay the city's share of keeping up the Boardwalk Market - and what that will consist of.
"The Boardwalk was a development project. At the onset ... we asked this question and it was never addressed," Gugino said. "Who is going to babysit it, maintain it. ... It was kind of dropped in our laps. There's no budget for Boardwalk so we've been robbing Peter to pay Paul."
It was pointed out that parks workers have been transferred to the streets and no one is available to work in the parks if needed or help at the Boardwalk.
Second Ward Councilman Kevin Muldowney agreed that the Boardwalk had been dumped in Gugino's lap.
"I think we should sit down with the mayor and the development office and come up with a plan," Muldowney said. "It's our first year so we need to kind of work through it."
The Parks Department's budget request of $436,160 was cut to $348,400 by the mayor, a difference of over $87,000.
Rozumalski has also been responsible for the operations of the Recreation Department since the retirement of Bob Patterson and said it was time for the city to hire someone to take over what was supposed to be temporary arrangement.
Comments on this article may be sent to gsnyder@observertoday.com
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TheGreatUnwashed
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11-21-08 5:07 PM
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Wow! The stupidity of the American public never ceases to amaze me. Taxes haven’t been raised in how many years? Since the price of everything has gone up during that time, how did people think that was possible? It sounds to me like the DPW has been doing less with more. Perhaps Mr. “Soprano” and Mr. “Retarded” should take a good dose of reality with their obvious cup of angst and quit crying about a 3% tax increase after 11 years.
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tonysoprano
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11-20-08 11:13 AM
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Retired The mayor think before acting? What planet are you from. Look at the boardwalk the city built it now the city is crying the bjues because the city cannot maintain the grounds. I am suprized the stste allows the city to use public funds to get into the real estate business.
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tonysoprano
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11-20-08 9:24 AM
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I read that a couple of weeks ago the city wanted to spend money to buy a boat to cut the grass in the lake! Now, I read that the departments are understaffed and can't do their jobs properly. Just who is telling the truth. Does the city really think the tax payer is so dumb as to not remember statements from three weeks ago. here's an idea. Salt only the intersections and let the people drive in the snow or stay home. Remember only in Dunkirk does it take three men to change out a sign; one to drive the truck, one to turn the screw and the third to supervise.
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tonysoprano
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11-20-08 9:14 AM
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Six guys to pick up garbage? Are you kidding me. That equates to one man doing all the driving and two picking up trash. It is my understanding that the garbage men get to go home after they pick up their routes. I'm sure they are getting paid for eight hours work even if they finish in six. let the driver help pick up the trash that will save money and free up two people. What did the DPW give up in negotiating the new contract? So it takes a little longer to pick up the garbage, so what. Mabey one day they can't finish. I'm sure the garbage will be in the same spot the following day. Looks to me like the city is going the way of the big three. Do more with less and quit crying
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Retired101
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11-20-08 12:49 AM
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The Mayor should have thought about all this before he gave out the hefty pay raises, including his own! Now there no money to serve the community properly...go figure. I'd love more money in my budget too, unfortunately my income is fixed and I had to cut many things to be able to survive.
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