As reported in the local paper, the Manassas City government is reorganizing. We are restructuring the government and, as a result, we are reducing our staff.
I have no bon mot to make this easy in the short run. I’m optimistic that this will make the government more effective in the medium-long run but the near future is difficult…
December 12, 2008 at 11:13 pm
I know you were not a part of the Council when they were spending money(double digit increases in spending, etc) like it was never going to run out, but I hope out of this some common sense and restraint can be learned.
December 13, 2008 at 2:28 pm
Front page WaPo headline in the early edition for Sunday (12-14-2008).
“A City Looks To Its Moral Compass in Lean Times — Alexandria
Hires An Ethicist to Help Decide Budget Cuts”.
From the article-
– “With resources scarce across the region, talk about spending increases
and ‘best practices’ has given way to the deflating and unfamiliar
concept of ‘triage’.”
– “Even good people and good programs are going to take a hit.”
– “If the limb comes off, at least you saved the life. That is what true
scarity feels like.” said ethicist Mike Gillette.
– “We’re cutting popular programs that work. We’re raising taxes and
we’re cutting jobs” said Alexandria council member Rob Krupicka
” and we wouldn’t go there unless we had to.”
Challenging times for all of us, but I suggest Manassas skip a paid
ethicist – for now.
December 14, 2008 at 1:03 am
An ethicist? Different strokes for different folks but I wonder how much Alexandria paid for that advice. Just another difference between us and them!
This is not to minimize the impact on the employees and families impacted.
Its simply lousy. Words can not convey the pain felt by them.
I’ve also had to do the same in my personal business. Still, the City (like any organization) has to do what is necessary to live within its means while continuing to make prudent investments for the future and while delivering needed (and often mandated) services.
FYI, I’ve heard one unofficial estimate that the demand for family services could increase by 20%.
December 14, 2008 at 9:13 am
Agree Steve. Probably cost 4 or 5 (or more) city staff salaries that are in jeopardy just to scrap the money to pay for one such “expert”.
December 14, 2008 at 1:18 pm
Steve made a reference in another post about how the Dems think the Repubs are trying to destroy the Country, and the Repubs think the Dems are.
Well, I think hiring someone and paying them money to cut costs and lay off people is pretty stupid. I thought that was part of the job of a Governing body. But than again Alexandria is run by Dems.
December 14, 2008 at 3:25 pm
All the more reason to encourage more citizens to get involved, get connected with each other and strengthen our neighborhoods and city. Doesn’t matter what your politics are. Focus on what we do have, not what we don’t have.
Our strengths are:
1. the skills of individual residents (especially newcomers who are more objective and bring new talents)
2. hard working groups that give their time and talents to the city without costing the city anything (Kiwanis, Lions, Woman’s Club, American Legion, etc.)
3. businesses that partner and donate to make this a better place to live, work and play for their employees and customers
4. our resources — parks, community centers, open historic spaces, neighborhoods — and how we take care of them and preserve them
5. the process by which we exchange or barter to benefit each other without money (example: I belonged to a babysitting co-op with several other families when my children were younger. No money changed hands. We watched each other’s kids and kept track of “points” in a notebook that rotated each month. One point per one kid per one hour. That’s what we traded. Our kids were safe and everyone benefited.)
One way service — the city government providing us citizens with service — doesn’t build community. It’s time the 80 percent of us who have been letting the 20 percent of us do everything get up and get busy.
You don’t have to be a leader. Just a connector. Find a way to connect your strengths with the community and we all benefit.
And thank you to the city for emphasizing in the news reports in the News & Messenger and the Washington Post’s Prince William Extra that the people laid off did nothing wrong.
December 14, 2008 at 8:25 pm
Say what you want about Alexandria, but as of now there are no talks of laying off employees. Epecially employees who left secure jobs to serve the citizens of Manassas then find out less than a year later they are unemployeed while the people who replaced them at their last job are still working. In my opinion, if this person can save money without laying off people it is money well spent. Not saying Alexandria wont have to RIF employees, but as of now there is no talk of it. There is no way you can reduce 12 departments into 7 and service not be severly reduced. In addition, there are still department supervisors making 80 thousand and more driving vehicles home. I hope for the sake of the citizens of Manassas that every bit of fat was cut before employees were let go. Good luck to many of my friends and coworkers who are now unemployeed and looking for jobs at this time of the year. I also pray that the rest of my friends there get to stay employeed and that ways to save jobs are researched before anyone else is let go.
December 16, 2008 at 10:10 am
“We really don’t know how the federal program is going to rollout.
It hasn’t been developed. But we intend to have a menu of options
so that however it does happen we’ll be ready to participate.”
Raleigh N.C. Mayor Charlie Meeker speaking at a news conference
this morning.
Woe to any jurisdiction that hasn’t made their list and checked it
twice before sending it to St. Obama. (Manassas did it last week).
So on Nancy, on Harry and Joe! Local officials are nestled all
in their conference rooms while visions of large federal grants
dance in their heads!
December 16, 2008 at 3:18 pm
WOW…in another article it stated that the City was not going to hire “summer only” employees. That means the pool will not open, nor will other summer parks and rec activities. Because I don’t believe we keep a pool manager, concessions and life guards on duty year round. Of course maybe you’re planning on taking some full-time folks from various departments in the city and placing them at the pool.
Look for your police department to have to beef up patrols…“idle hands become the work of the devil”.
I bet folks who are losing their jobs are taking a bigger hit in pay than 5% (IF they are able to find a NEW job!).
You could fire Hughes and hire someone for about $150K or even less. All City Council could take no pay for a year and save a body!
City Council should be ashamed…100K on a survelliance camera system…why wasn’t this part of the originial parking structure plan? AND if it’s not already in place, can we hold off a bit until things improve?
Can we not hold off on “PROJECTS” for a year or so? Do we have items that are THAT NECESSARY that we can’t hold off? Like the Battle Street project? or Maybe you’ve already put that off but it’s just not been published.
December 16, 2008 at 3:40 pm
The presentation I saw indicated taht the pool manager would be retained and the pool would be open…
December 16, 2008 at 4:47 pm
According to Jennifer Buske in The Washington Post, who quotes Moe Wadda, “The surveillance system will be funded by money left over from the $12.7 million garage project.” That $100K might not be city money — it may be VRE’s. They were partners in building the deck.
December 16, 2008 at 7:07 pm
The Feds are buying the cameras. The pool will stay open.
December 16, 2008 at 7:41 pm
While I know it is a very difficult time, I just don’t see the fat cutting before the City let employees go. For istance, you could say that the City didn’t need a Public Works Director so you are saving the citizens money that didn’t need to be spent, but wouldn’t it have been nice to decide that before you had a man quit his job with Vienna ( I believe) approximately 8 months ago and then show him the door. I would like to know if the City has stopped the take home vehicle program? There are many people taking vehicles home that there is absolutely no need to be going home at night. WSGFN makes some great points. Does Mr. Hughes think taking a 4 thousand dollar pay cut when he is still pulling in $170,000 makes anybody feel better? And the Council should be ashamed at making a TOKEN gesture by taking a pay cut that amounts to less than a thousand dollars. Then you have high ranking City employees who can get a pay raise that takes him above his pay scale, how does that happen? I don’t usually gripe about people making as much money as they can, but some very good people who served the citizens of Manassas well are looking for jobs. Just seems like the rich got richer and the poor got poorer in Manassas. There is one department that 5 years ago had one employee doing the work of what now 5 people are doing with the reorganization. Before the reorganization there were still 3 people doing what one was doing 5 years ago. The City hired these people and before any are let go there should be a complete “fat cutting” party. By the way, I am not a City resident so none of this affects me except that many of these people are my friends.
December 16, 2008 at 9:22 pm
Manassas like many local and State Governments got drunk off of the red hot real estate market and went on a spending spree and did not look back. While I’m sure the City did spend some of the new found revenue wisely, like increasing salaries for City employees, much of it just seemed to be spent for the sake of spending.
December 16, 2008 at 11:53 pm
@citizen:
Such as? Care to share examples of money spent just to spend??
December 17, 2008 at 2:08 pm
I just read that the GOVERNOR of Maryland only makes 150K…
THE G O V E R N O R!!!!! AND he’s taking a 5 day furlough! Had the city considered furloughs before layoffs?…Starting with the top down?
No one answered the question about Battle Street!?!?! Andy, this is your baby…can it wait a while?
December 17, 2008 at 4:04 pm
Good questions and comments above.
It seems to me that we need to do two things at once. First, cut expenses where we can. This can include layoffs, as it has. Second, we need to position the city to draw additional businesses and increased revenues. That is what the Battle street project is all about. It is “prudent selective investment.”
There may be a resonance in suggesting an inconsistency between layoffs and investment. But there really isn’t. It’s kind of like suggesting that a company that mandates layoffs should also save money by producing fewer widgets. But fewer widgets will result in fewer sales and less revenue.
Reasonable minds can differ, but the Battle street project is an important part of selling Manassas and attracting business and revenues. Sometimes you just have to spend money to make money. It is a reasonable choice to make.
(And yes, it is a sad choice to have to make; these are not happy days and let’s hope they do not get worse.)
December 17, 2008 at 4:09 pm
Davidb,
I don’t think the City should have supported the Mason Arts Center, it is located out of the City, and because restaurants are due to go in by the Center, I simply do not see how this is supposed to be a financial gain for the City, when people will simply arrive early eat on site and then attend a show. I don’t believe people will want to stop in the City, eat, and then drive out and park again at the arts center, when it is very likely the arts center and businesses will run specials allowing discounted meals and parking if people do both there.
I also do not believe the City needed a neighborhood coordinator.
Those are just two areas where I believe the City could have saved money.
December 18, 2008 at 9:31 am
You can say what you want about the Battle street project. PEOPLE will not hear you…they will see dollars. In the newpaper article it talks about restaurants being able to seat people out side, so on…however if NO one is coming to the restaurants because they don’t have money, it’s all in vain.
I and a lot of people understand you have to spend money to make money. HOWEVER, there is also a time to save and be frugile with your money.
What is the ROI and in what time period if that project is done this year? If you can’t answer those questions which I know you can’t…the answer is…now’s not the time.
If nobody is buying your widgets, it does make sense to not produce as many widgets. (Typically this is the reason you had to layoff people.) Over stock is not good because it forces prices to come down (the current housing market is a great comparison) which causes your revenue and profit to decrease. You don’t see OPEC maintaining production do you?
Perception is reality for most people. As much as it might pain you to give into the idea of putting off the Battle street project, it might save you in the end. A penny saved is a penny earned, according to Ben Franklin!
December 18, 2008 at 9:55 am
My concern is that if we do nothing then Old Town will empty out. What’s the ROI? I dont know but what do you suppose the ROI is on the pavillion, train station and center for the arts? What do you suppose old town would look like now if the city had not done those projects?
btw, opec is reducing production in order to raise prices. Is your argument then that we should close all of the businesses in old town in order to increase tax revenue?
December 18, 2008 at 10:15 am
I’m sorry, you must have read my post incorrectly. I did not say NOT to do it, I simply asked that it be put off.
Let’s see…$147.00 a barrel, (consumption goes down) $44 a barrel (over stock) reduce production to get the price back up…YOU ARE CORRECT!
That is the problem, it’s about compromise and common sense. No I do not believe that we should close all of the businesses in old town. YES I love the fact that old town is doing well and is a “cool place” to go…I’m just asking that we put off buying that “new dress” and just wear one that is already in the closet, until such time as we can TRULY afford the “new dress”.
December 18, 2008 at 10:56 am
The battle street project is being paid for with gas tax money that is for transportation projects. It cannot be spent on anything else. Battle street is as near a thing as we have to a transportation project right now.
The only other transportation project we have – the overpass project – is a state project that isn’t slated to even begin for another 4 years – if then.
Some have mentioned putting the money back into the paving budget….the paving budget is currently just above $1 million. It was about $600k the day I was elected so I think we are meeting our obligations there.
Allow me to be clear: we could cancel the battle street project right now and not a single job would be saved. We need to invest now in order to preserve what is left.
December 18, 2008 at 2:26 pm
After reading the Metro section in today’s WaPo (Holiday Cheer. Not Here)
and some of the local blogs, it suddenly dawned on me that
Old Town Manassas could add another seasonal event to draw a crowd –
FESTIVUS! – where folks gather around a large aluminum pole for the
“Airing of Greviances.” Know COM would love it. The City might
even close Battle St. for the celebration! Happy Festering!
December 18, 2008 at 3:12 pm
Yep Andy you were right! Just didn’t think it would come from one of your own! ; )
December 18, 2008 at 3:26 pm
I don’t claim BD…:)
December 18, 2008 at 4:38 pm
In case you missed it, there is a good article in today’s MJM (er, N&M)
on Battle Street – you can read it on their web site.
(Woof,woof – Hope you guys get a sense of humor for Christmas.)
December 18, 2008 at 6:17 pm
I believe its time for our local goverment to cut to the bare bones,no frills, just basics.The best thing to attract these small businesses would be some tax breaks for the business owners and building owners willing to help a new business. I don’t think the battle street project will bring much to the city, it may help the 2 restaurants a little but not much else.
Thank you for this site and allowing me to post my opinion.