Report of the Montpelier City Council's Citizen Budget Review ...

Department of Public Works over a period of years. This may partially explain why ourroads and sidewalks look the way they do. In order to catch up and to create a bettermixture of maintenance, repair and replacement, other departments and programsshould also be considered as a source of emergency funds when these situations ariseand a re-balancing of our spending should be considered with all aspects of the budgeton the table.B. Look for savings throughout the budget.Given the scope of the work to be done on our infrastructure in the future, additionalbonding may be necessary. We recommend that the council look for savings in thecurrent budget to offset the cost of new bonds that would otherwise raise the annualdebt service, taxes and the overall budget. Any monies saved could be re-directed toour most urgent needs like fixing our neglected infrastructure and reducing the amountof borrowing the city ultimately has to do. Additionally, we recommend not takingmoney from normal maintenance or repair of roads to fund any new projects or to payfor emergencies because over the long run it costs more to do so.C. Implement the following Matrix Report recommendation.The Matrix report says “Greater detail should be provided regarding the specific fundingsource for each capital program” and recommends that “The City provide datademonstrating the impact on capital expenditures for the adopted CIP and EquipmentReplacement Program on the operating budget”.We agree. If the general public was aware of the benefit of the costs ofmaintenance as compared to waiting for things to fall into disrepair then perhapsour Capital Improvement Plan would become a publicly supported high priority,fully funded and executed.D. Create a Public Works CommitteeIn Middlebury, they have a committee comprised of department heads, the townmanager, several select board members and some residents to decide on capitalexpenditure priorities. This committee allows the other department heads in the city tosee what is truly needed and move their resources around based on those needs. Italso alleviates the insularity that often exists between departments. Instead of lobbyingfor the biggest share possible for their departments, managers get to see the broaderneeds of the community and might be willing to give and take their share from year toyear depending on the circumstances to benefit the community at large. This type ofcommittee also empowers a broader spectrum of the community by decentralizing thedecision making, which can create more open and less closely held control of thedecisions regarding how money is spent on Public Works. Perhaps if something similarwas established in Montpelier, resources could be moved thoughtfully to where theCity’s urgent needs truly lie while fostering a shared community spirit of sacrifice andunity.Page 43 of 88