Clovis managers to take cut in pay

Police and fire staffs, kids' rec programs also take hits in budget plan.

Published online on Monday, Jun. 15, 2009

Clovis management will take a 5.74% cut in pay and benefits in the new budget year, which begins July 1.

It was among several budget items approved Monday night by council members as they heard a bleak forecast for the next budget year.

The council is expected to approve the city's $161 million budget next Monday and is awaiting approval from unions to make similar concessions.

The city's general fund deficit is projected to be $5.3 million. Employee concessions of 5.74% will reduce the deficit by about $1.5 million. About $3.8 million in cuts have been made for the start of the new year.

Concessions also were approved for nonunion, nonmanagement employees Monday night. If the four unions do not support concessions, their wages will rise to their base pay before last year's concessions, but layoffs will be needed to make up the difference.

The problem in the new budget is the city's general fund, which pays for public safety, recreation and senior services, and some parks and road maintenance. It is more than 8% less than last year.

Cuts are proposed to police and fire staffing, and the council Monday night also approved retirement incentives -- a two-year bonus toward retirement -- to reduce layoffs. Eight police and firefighter layoffs are proposed that could be offset through the retirement incentive. The proposed budget also will cut five other police officer positions that are vacant. There are 2.5 nonsworn positions that also will be cut in police and fire.

Cuts will force the downtown Clovis fire station to be closed 80% of the time, Chief Rick Bennett told the council. To keep the station open next year will cost $300,000, he said.

Randy Finfrock, Clovis Firefighters Association president, said closing the downtown station would be like "having a baseball team without outfielders."

Other hard-hit programs are Clovis Area Recreation and the Police Activities League. The Clovis Avenue recreation center will close as the city tries to find a nonprofit organization to take over the program. In that process, the recreation program could merge with the Police Activities League, which also is being suspended.

PAL has had as many as 200 to 300 youth participants.

City Manager Kathy Millison said she is hopeful recreation programs will be suspended for less than one year.

Clovis police Capt. Drew Bessinger said PAL has been a high priority for the Police Department. Last year, the city cut traffic patrol, its gang team, DARE and Neighborhood Watch, but maintained PAL, which has hosted boxing, football, baseball, basketball and track programs.

"The Police Department, in this fiscal environment, can't afford to be in a recreation program," Bessinger said. "I can't take a body off patrol to man the PAL building."

Chief Janet Davis said the program could return in six months.

About 50 residents were at the meeting to oppose PAL's suspension.

Roman Cano, 20, a college student and a PAL program graduate and coach, said PAL is crime prevention and gang prevention and kept him out of trouble.

"PAL gives a sense of belonging and makes you feel like part of a family," he said. "It brings these kids to really want to change their lives, put the bottle down, stop smoking, stop gang banging."

The city also is cutting seniors programs and negotiating with the Clovis Memorial District for assistance.

The new year's general fund is about $49.8 million, about $4.6 million less than this year's.

A bulk of the general fund is paid for with sales and property taxes and vehicle license fees, all of which have dropped significantly this year. Sales tax revenue for the first quarter of 2009 was down almost 9%. Property tax revenue is expected to drop about 4.5%.

A 4% refuse rate increase -- equivalent to about $1 a month -- is also in the new budget. A water rate increase will be proposed later in the year.