[StBernard] St. Bernard to reduce spending on sanitation, fire protection, roads

[Westley Annis]

St. Bernard to reduce spending on sanitation, fire protection, roads
By Chris Kirkham, The Times-Picayune 
December 04, 2009, 11:28PM
The St. Bernard Parish Council this week approved a $40.8 million spending
plan for 2010 that represents cuts in nearly every department across the
parish, including severe slashes to garbage collection, the fire department,
mosquito control and road and sewer repairs.




St. Bernard Parish President Craig TaffaroThe spending projections are a $5
million cutback from this year's budget, reflecting anticipated slow growth
in sales tax revenue and an end to federal disaster loans that have buoyed
parish coffers since Hurricane Katrina.

In passing the balanced budget, which must be done by the end of December,
many council members said it was still a work in progress that will require
numerous amendments throughout next year. "This is in no way, shape or form
a final budget for the next year," Councilman Wayne Landry said.

This year, the parish was able to balance its budget with a $5 million
community disaster loan from the Federal Emergency Management Agency after
Hurricane Gustav in 2008. But there are no more such loans coming for next
year.

The parish is expecting additional sales tax revenue with the opening of
Wal-Mart and Lowe's stores, but is only projecting a 5 percent increase in
revenues next year. Parish President Craig Taffaro wrote in his budget
message that numerous adjustments will likely be based on how those sales
tax projections shape up.

"Given the major effect sales tax has on daily operations, the budget will
be closely monitored throughout the year," he wrote. 

The budget included 2 percent cost-of-living salary raises for all
employees, and no staff members had to be terminated. The plan sets aside
money to fill several department head positions and other employee
vacancies, including a finance and public works director.

The largest cuts came in the fire, sanitation and the water and sewer
departments, where the parish is projecting about $2.8 million in spending
cuts next year.

Originally this year's budget had been pegged on voters approving a
$20-per-household garbage and fire protection fee, which was on the ballot
last month. 

The fee was rejected, leaving the parish out of an estimated $3.36 million
in revenue for next year.

The largest single cut is projected for next year is in sanitation, where
the parish has projected nearly $1.6 million in cutbacks next year. Any cuts
would require contract changes with the parish's garbage collection
contractor, SDT Waste & Debris Services, and its garbage disposal contract
with River Birch Landfill.

Sidney Torres IV, who owns SDT, said he had discussed the matter with some
Parish Council members and said he does not believe the budget has been
finalized yet.

"I know that they're still working on the budget, and it's my hope that they
work through some of those things and then we can sit down," Torres said. 

"I've agreed to discuss working with the parish, but we have not come to any
kind of arrangement yet."

The fire department is also seeking federal grants to hire more firefighters
to staff its new stations across the parish. As it is now, the parish is
having to pay overtime to firefighters to maintain staffing and equipment
requirements to prevent property insurance rates from escalating.

Overall, the fire department faces cuts of more than $500,000, and the water
and sewer department more than $800,000.

While many bigger departments took severe hits, several smaller segments of
parish government saw spending increases projected for next year, including
funds for the Parish Council and the tourism department.

The council's budget went from $650,000 this year to more than $709,000 next
year. Increases included an additional $18,000 for travel and training
expenses, $30,000 set aside for special elections and an additional $63,000
for professional services, which will be for a recently hired lobbying firm,
DAR Inc., run by Dan Robin.