Council Members Discuss Budget

There is always a trade off in setting the budget. You can't achieve a 5, 10 or 15 per cent saving by cutting all budgets by the same amount. Some services are so small that if their budgets were cut they would no longer be viable. But some tough decisions need to be made in order for this city to say afloat. The City of Lumberton has no wiggle room, and the only way this city is going to achieve any wiggle room is by making cuts in payroll. To many decisions are being made at City Hall based on personal/emotional attachments. This board is not the first board to make budget cuts a personal issue. Unfortunately, the budget is not personal, it's business. I never had to fire anyone, but anyone seeking election as a concil member must come to terms that their decisions will directly or indirectly affect someone. There was a citizen that wanted the council members to add more fees to the already fee-laden water bill. That's not the answer. The only way the city is going to achieve a budgetary cushion is by cutting payroll. By cutting 2-3 jobs in the public works department, and one job in the city clerk's office, the City of Lumberton has the ability to save over $75,000. For instance, Deputy Clerk 1 (that's how she was listed on the budget sheet) has been employed by the city for 4 years and has not completed any certification. Deputy Clerk 2 has been employed by the city for 1 year and has 3 certifications in her personnel file. It takes three years to complete the deputy clerk training program, and we have a clerk that has been here for 4 years and is just beginning her training process. This shows that Deputy Clerk 1 is not concerned about getting certified. So, the logical thing to do would be to transfer the part time court clerk (who has already started her certification process) to a full time position in the deputy clerk's office since we now have a full time police clerk and dismiss Deputy Clerk 1. Now regarding the issues in the public works department. There were several employees from the public works department present at last night's meeting, but the two highest paid employees did not attend because they have job security although they are not performing at a level that should make them feel secure. I say their jobs should be eliminated. One rides in his truck all day with a side kick and the other has refused to do any work other than cleaning city hall. The one driving the truck all day has no plans to get the necessary training or education to become Public Works Director so it's time to get someone in that position that has the skills and/or requirements needed to take over once the Public Works Director retires. As for his sidekick, I have never seen him do anything other than sit on the passenger side and smoke cigarettes all day. The two men that were hired for the summer can easily fill these positions. Budget cuts are never easy, but they are necessary. The Lumberton School Board had to make the tough decision to cut several staff members in order to balance their budget. It's time for the City of Lumberton to follow suit. Unfortunately, the trade-offs are never easy or welcome when what you really wanted was a shiny new set of efficient services.