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 There were nine members present, with Alderman Buzz Busby being
absent for the meeting. Busby is at home recovering from heart
surgery but has requested copies of the budget and is following the
progress of the council.
The first day of budget meetings deals with projected
expenditures for the new year.
The city department heads present their budgets, offer
explanations of what they are asking for and field questions from
the council.
This is also the day when the city's community partners come
forward with their requests for city support for the coming year.
As the day progresses, the last person to present a budget is
Mayor Keith Snyder. After doing so, this year he said he had
something else he wanted to present for the council's consideration.
"These are the expenses of a city administrator," Snyder said,
referring to a separate sheet of information not included in the
regular budget materials. Snyder said he had put together budget
information for a position that would begin in November for the last
six months of the fiscal year.
He said the budget he was presenting was an estimate for the
administrator, a part-time assistant or secretary, office setup, and
equipment. He also included money for professional association dues,
conference admissions and other related items.
The position would be nonunion, so wages and extras would be
negotiable.
"I don't know that the city can afford to go much longer without
an administrator," he said. "There is an awful lot going on, and on
a full-time, everyday basis, there is no one at the top overseeing
everything."
Speaking on the effort put into the budget this year by Chuck
Conzo, city treasurer, and by Alderwoman Melody Anderson, Snyder
added: "A city administrator will help in that process. Every
community I have talked to that has added that position, basically
that person has more than made up for their salary, whether it is in
adding grants or understanding the finances and those types of
things. I just think as significant an organization as the city of
Lincoln is, we need a full-time professional, a full-time
experienced professional at the top."
Anderson commented: "I'd like someone to show me one other $15
million business being run by part-time employees. I can't think of
one, not one."
Anderson also noted that in the council, she and Busby are the
only two who are well-versed in the budget and the budget-building
process.
She noted she didn't want to imply either of them would not be
around in the future, but the fact remained, if something were to
happen to the two of them, the council would be hard-pressed to
carry on the budget process.
She concluded, "That is a serious issue."
Snyder added that Anderson has done a phenomenal job monitoring
the finances, but he didn't know how much longer her candle could
burn.
Typically, Anderson, Busby and Conzo start working on the budget
at the beginning of the calendar year, with the lion's share of the
work being on Anderson.
She said Busby and Les Plotner, the former city treasurer, had
been her mentors, had taught her what she needed to know, and yet
she still feels there is a great deal she could learn about the
revenues for the city.
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An administrator would be expected to know the full picture and
guide the city through the financial process.
Anderson said that as the finance committee chair, she devotes
all of her extra time to finances. She noted she serves on other
committees and offers them nothing because she doesn't have the
time.
Alderman David Wilmert said that for the aldermen, having an
administrator would relieve some of the pressure and allow them to
pursue other important issues and projects for the city.
As discussions ensued, the group talked about qualifications for
the position.
Snyder had indicated that someone with experience in this field
would be preferred, while Anderson noted that financially, the city
might need to look for someone right out of college.
Snyder said he would like to conduct a search similar to what the
city had done when choosing the city building and safety officer,
John Lebegue.
Alderwoman Marty Neitzel commented, saying the city had made a
wise decision in filling that position. Lebegue came from outside of
the region but brought with him education, knowledge and a wealth of
experience that has already profited the city.
Neitzel said doing the broader search had paid off and she, too,
would be in favor of following the same process for an
administrator.
Snyder said he would want a specific job description written
before beginning the search.
Generally each community writes descriptions to fit their
specific needs, but some of the more generic duties found in most
include oversight of the day-to-day operations of the city.
The job description also usually includes personnel oversight,
supervision of all city departments and preparation of the annual
budget.
As the discussion came to an end Anderson said, "I fully support
this approach, but we're going to have to get creative on finding
the money."
Other aldermen also spoke up, agreeing this was the next big step
for the city, including Aldermen David Armbrust and Tom O'Donohue,
along with Neitzel and Wilmert.
While it isn't yet certain how the money will be found, Snyder
offered a few suggestions, and said: "I really feel like this needs
to be a big rock in the budget bucket this year."
[By NILA SMITH]
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