Staff issues weigh heavy on ‘07 budget

Published 10:00 am Saturday, October 7, 2006

The mayor hopes to add 12 workers, to catch up on a backlog and meet new demands.

The city’s going to need bigger boots to walk the ever widening path it sets before itself.

“It’s time for the city to grow up,” said City Administrator Mary Jo Briggs, who is advocating for 12 new positions to help tackle a mounting list of projects slated for next year or left undone from the current budget.

The new staff – including five new positions in the city’s public works department – were included in the Mayor’s proposed $56 million budget, which was presented to the City Council on Monday.

Beset by staffing shortages, including the loss of over 30 staff since January, the city administration hopes to rethink the size and scope of island government.

“We need to look at the entire organization and how we deliver services,” said Briggs. “The City of Bainbridge is 15 years old, but we’ve continued to do business the way it was done with (the City of) Winslow. It’s time to grow up in many ways.”

Under the proposed budget, public works would gain four new engineers and a property management specialist. Public Works struggled last year to fulfill the council’s expectations for non-motorized transportation projects and other improvements.

About $14 million worth of city projects went uncompleted in 2006, largely due to staffing shortages and lengthy public process.

The Winslow Tomorrow planning initiative would welcome an urban designer and planner under the mayor’s budget. The Bainbridge Island Police Department would put two new traffic officers on island streets and a special officer in the island’s schools. The cost for the new staff hovers just under $800,000 for next year.

If the 12 new positions are approved by the council, the city will still have to contend with a current attrition rate of over 20 percent. The city currently is looking to fill 17 open positions.

The administration is also proposing a $40,000 study of city employee pay and benefits. The results could lead to salary boosts or other measures to slow the city’s 20 percent staff attrition rate.

Other elements of the proposed 2007 budget include a 1 percent hike in property taxes and a $3 increase in surface water management fees.

City finance staff also estimated a 9 percent growth in city revenues and an 11 percent increase in operating expenses.

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Budget boost

The mayor’s preliminary 2007 budget calls for 12 new staff positions.

Public Works Department: Engineering Technician, $60,750; Water Resources Engineer, $63,846; Water Resources Engineer Technician, $54,000; Property Manager, $72,000; Development Services Engineer, $72,000

Police: Two Traffic Officers, $97,722; School Resource Officer, $83,453

Planning and Community Development: Code Compliance Specialist, $65,709;

Winslow Tomorrow: Urban Designer, $67,500; Planner, $67,500.

Finance: Budget Analyst, $72,920