For the 2012 – 14 Business Plans and Budgets cycle, we will fully engage with Calgarians, taking the time to help you understand how we plan and budget, while listening to your input, answering your questions and working together to create business plans and budgets that truly reflect the priorities and aspirations of Calgarians. We look forward to beginning this process in the New Year.
We will be using this forum to answer some of the questions you have raised over the last two days.
1) A number of questions have come up on what is being cut in the proposed business plans and budget adjustments – in many cases the ‘cuts’ are actually new growth that was planned for 2011, which was approved by City Council in 2008. At that time, Calgary was one of the fastest growing cities in North America and expected to continue to grow through to 2011.
Given the economic downturn, it makes sense to reduce this ‘growth’ for 2011, rather than cut existing services that many Calgarians rely on. While some cuts to existing services are required to achieve a balanced budget, efforts have been made to make a minimal impact to citizens.
A good example of this is the adjustment proposal for Calgary Transit that recommends a 2011 increase of 61,000 service hours. This is a reduction in the growth approved back in 2008, but still an increase in the service hours being offered overall for 2011.
2) In terms of efficiencies, Calgary Transit has also identified an opportunity to reduce costs for outside contractual services and rely mainly on CT staff to conduct maintenance in parking lots, with limited impact on customers who park in the lots. This reduction also includes other Calgary Transit parking lots, not just the park and ride lots, as only a portion of the revenue from the park and ride fee is used for parking lot maintenance. The park and ride revenue is also invested in enhancing safety, security and cleanliness of the entire transit system.
3) There are no proposed adjustments to Access Calgary for 2011. The proposal on the table is the Access Calgary Extra (ACE) program, a supplemental taxi service providing fully eligible Access Calgary customers a subsidy up to $50 a month for spontaneous taxi trips that were not booked through Access Calgary’s shared-ride service. ACE users present their card, pay a drop charge of $3.40 and Access Calgary covers the difference, up to $50 a month. ACE customers are expected to use the Access Calgary shared-ride service for the majority of their transportation needs. Access Calgary will still provide shared-ride, door-to-door service for all customers who were issued an ACE card if the 2011 adjustment proposal is approved.
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To think that the removal of the ACE card service as part of the Access Calgary program will not place a hardship on our citizens with disabilities is ridiculous. I see first hand, almost every day, the number of Access Calgary clients who have trips cancelled, who are left sitting for hours waiting for rides that don't show (only a portion of that is weather related) and who are turned down for service. OK, so the ACE card is for unplanned trips... how many of us non-disabled citizens have unplanned trips in our lives. I'll bet every single one of us! Whether its family emergencies or running to the store because we ran out of milk. Many of our disabled citizens are raising families and living independently and not everything that happens can be planned and prepared for. Most of those same citizens are also living below the poverty line on significantly less income than any one of us! So to cut any type of service to them is a diservice to our citizens of Calgary.
ReplyDeleteThe Access Calgary Extra reduction is a cut to an existing service which is an important reason why Calgary is a great city to live in for those with disabilities. This service is extremely important for people who have time sensitive commitments such as medical appointments. A shared ride service is not suitable sometimes for time sensitive commitments and to remove alternative transportation options for these individuals is a travesty! Additionally, what about clients who need a way to get somewhere during bad weather? If the shared ride service is unable to show up, an alternative needs to be available. This is an important service, Calgarians are telling you this. Please listen!!
ReplyDeleteI think you missed the point. I think we were telling you that we don't see the cuts to "growth" as being "sensible". I think we were telling you we feel there are other places where cuts should occur. Start listening and stop putting words in our mouths. We are the people who live here, use the services, and pay the taxes!! The economic downnturn and growth planning in service delivery doesn't apply if the area is woefully underserviced already. (e.g. fire, transit, etc).
ReplyDeleteJust reviewed the Calgary Herald's page on the budget and I identified $5M in cuts before I finished my morning coffee. None of the cuts would result in lost jobs or risk to public safety. Council needs to start with the directive of no new programs with the exception of a snow management plan -- that works (and this doesn't need to be an expensive study just adopt what's being done in every other major city). Infrastructure (roads) need to be maintained or we pay higher costs down the road. Transit, fire and police services are essential and need to be maintained, but there are likely some opportunities to reduce expenses somewhere, although they are likely smaller savings.
ReplyDeleteThankyou, Mayor Nenshi, for this opportunity to have input into budget decisions. I have read all the posts so far, and this confirms your belief that citizen consultation will yield some excellent suggestions for budget savings.
ReplyDelete-Interestingly, of all the proposals put forth by the managers of the city's various departments, none include an across-the-board cut of salaries/wages. I see from the article in today's Calgary Herald, that HR advisors are paid $130K annually, 1 employee in the CFO's office gets $307K annually, 2 "growth positions" are paid $150K each, Jobs Assessment officers are paid $102K each, Parks and Rec jobs pay $100K each, Transit Peace Officers are paid $125K each, Public Safety Commission staff are paid $120K each. I am a university-educated health professional paid $80K annually for a 39 hr work week (not a 35 hr work week which is apparently what most city employees work). So, are these city employees' wages commensurate? And from reading the posts of other bloggers, there are also perks like free parking and bonuses that city employees currently get that I do not. You could easily cut 5-10% from these employees and they'd still get paid thousands more than I do annually. Tough beans if they don't like it - they can't get a higher paying job in the private sector, even after a wage cutback. If they can find a higher-paying job, they're welcome to go get it. The wages paid by the city are still generous enough to attract qualified employees.
- Absolutely reign in the gross salaries and budgetary malfeasance of Enmax executives and board members. Again, if they don't like it, tough beans. They've been paid fat-cat salaries for poor decision-making and financial transgressions for long enough. Surely, we can find qualified executives for a tenth the cost that won't take us all to the cleaners and will exhibit fiscal responsibility.
- Eliminate bonuses, period. I am expected to perform in my job, and I currently work more hours than I am paid for because I care about the families I serve. I don't get a bonus if I perform to expectations, nor even compensation for additional hours I work. However, I will get fired if I am incompetent.
- Don't make decreases to transit, except to reconsider adding more peace officers to the system. Is there enough crime on transit to warrant a $1.5 million dollar increase in transit safety officers? Can't me make do with a smaller increase in peace officers, or even the status quo?
- Let's not pick on the disabled when it comes to budget cuts. The reality is that disabled people have far lower incomes than average and supporting them with transit and access passes is a reasonable expense. It floors me that the very city employees paid fat salaries are the ones who would propose decreasing services to a population that are mostly living in poverty because of their disabilities. $800 monthly from AISH doesn't go far. Please note the blogger's comment above - she has first hand experience of clients not get their handi-buses, or having their buses arrive very late. In my job in health care, I can corroborate this experience.
- Eliminate travel junkets of aldermen and mayor.
- Explore some of the creative ideas presented here, eg. allowing credits for citizen's community volunteer service, etc.
Dear Mr. Nenshi,
ReplyDeleteTo save some of our tax dollars and the many jobs and services that will be lost if the proposed cuts are accepted, why not institute a wage freeze for all non-unionized workers for a few years and eliminate free staff parking and all senior management bonuses.
By the way, do you really think that it is appropriate to give our Police Chief such a hefty raise at a time like this? No one is saying he doesn't deserve a raise the question is, does he need such a big raise right now when we are facing such a large deficit?
I think we should consider at least salary freezes, as per this Calgary Herald article. We are in a recession, get a mediator and go to the unions!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.calgaryherald.com/business/Mark+Milke+missing+budget+saving+option+civic+salaries/3895325/story.html
When I moved here from Toronto I could not believe street parking permits were free here. It's $120 a year there, a fee you could easily impose here.
ReplyDeleteWhere is the flashy waterworks department in all of these discussions. Someone needs to jump deep inside there spending and stop the capital overbuild that is going on. "How good does our water have to be" the wool is continually being pulled over councils eyes. This combined with the architects gone wild approach to the required utilitarian structures being currently built, deserves a closer look.
ReplyDeleteThe proposed tax rate has been dropped now to 5%. The average tax payer is pleased. A fine mayor (who my entire family voted for has finally paved the way. Lots of job loss will ensue as a result of cuts to behind the scenes operations, parks maintenance, HR, communications IT Community & Neighborhood Services.... The implications of these "behind the scences cuts will eventually reveal themselves. I fear the poor quality of front line service delivery that will eventually ensue and once again the tax payer will revolt and throw up their arms in protest of our new Council and Mayor.
ReplyDeleteI applaud Mayor Nenshi for building consensus at lightening speed and bringing down the tax rate. City Hall is now a no nonsense place with a bare bones staff and fewer tax dollars to support a population of 1.2 million. I really question the sustainability of the decisions that were made. I am afraid that in a couple of years the tax rate will have to double to support the population.
Ralph Klein blew up the General Hospital and look at the disasterous legacy he left us in our crippled health care system.
Mr. Nenshi and Council seem to be proposing a similar implosion of City Hall with all the cutting they are doing of "behind the scenes functions. Again my question is is this type of cutting sustainable? Next year the same scenario will ensue at budget time - How many more people can you reasonably let go.
Look inward Mr Nenshi at the mess in your top levels of administration before you decide to let go of all the hard working men and women who who have been the worker bees of this hive.
I remember you saying on election night when the polls closed and you won that "you would make City Hall a place where people would enjoy coming to work." My husband has served at the City for over a decade and believed in your promise." Sadly we did not know that what you were truly promising was to make City Hall a place where folks (including my husband) who served the City for years would wake up to the news that our Mayor would not be handing out purple ribbons to them but instead be handing out "pink slips."
Good Job Mr. Mayor. Have a Merry Christmas. I know my family won't