Uh thanks everybody for coming today.

Um I'd like to call the special finance committee budget hearing to order Saturday, April 18th at nine oh five.

My apologies for being five minutes late.

Um clerk, please take the roll.

Councilwoman Graziano, Council Ritz.

Present.

Council Trafficante.

Present.

Councilwoman Vizier.

Council Vice President Heroyan.

Council Anduhar.

Present.

I am here.

Okay.

All right, I guess we have a quorum.

Um so as the president said in in the council meeting, I think on Thursday, there will be public speaking at the end.

So if uh anybody online or in the audience would like to stay till the end, we'll have the opportunity to speak.

Um before we begin, I would like to let our auditor say a few words.

The budget that's presented to us right now is not been adopted for the percentage of the increase.

We have to be aware that anything you see, calculation making potential suggestions made may not go through.

So do that and put them aside because we still need approval from the either the General Assembly, uh the municipality, uh league, and the council.

So everything you see, the questions you ask based on the current budget.

This budget may have to go back to the administration, and substantial changes may have to be made.

So just keep that in consideration in your focus on what what we are asking questions based on what's been presented.

Thank you.

At this time, if there's no objection, I'd like to take the Mr.

President.

Listen, I just want to I I I didn't want to overstep my bounds, uh, Mr.

Chairman.

Thank you.

Uh, but I did ask the people who were here this evening tonight, and you you know, it is your prerogative what order they go in.

I did ask them, so you have an idea to s just have their name written in the department they represent, um, written on a sign-up sheet.

Just to know who's here.

It could help you.

It's yeah, you take it in whichever order as chair you like.

Um but i the other thing is uh in the I'll ask uh say something else, just a programming thing.

In the past, many times we have taken on these long days public comment in sever several intervals.

Meaning if you took a certain amount of department, five or six set uh ten departments, whatever it was, then you would have public comment on those departments going forward at you know, in interval period in intervals.

I just wanted I don't know if that's how you want to do it, or you want to wait ex all the way to the end.

Yes.

Which would be probably about three, four o'clock, I figure.

Two PM or earlier.

Let's see.

All right.

So if there's no objection, thank you, Mr.

President.

Um, I would like to take the order the meeting out of order.

No objection.

All right, let's begin.

Let's start with Parks of Recreation.

Councilwoman Graziano, that's your committee.

So um the floor will be yours soon.

Mr.

Director, thank you for coming.

Uh, you have an opportunity to say a few words to address the committee, or we could just go right into questions.

I'll leave it up to you to decide.

I guess we're waiting for the administration to come in.

And if you could know for the record, Councilwoman Horoyan is here.

So we'll start in about maybe two minutes.

Two minute recession.

Back in session.

Mr.

Director, thanks for coming.

You have the option to just go into questions or you have the options to address the committee.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair, Council President, members of the committee, council members, thank you for giving the opportunity to be here today.

Obviously I've I've been here now over a year and um it is on it is on um having the opportunity to be here for over a year now I've I've learned the system I've I've learned the all the uh ins and outs of the department and I think we've had a uh a very successful year and I look forward uh to moving forward uh into year number two as we uh start to build the uh a family atmosphere in the team um that is uh not only made up of our staff but is made up of the community uh organizations and the families that uh we represent thank you director councilwoman graziano this is your committee uh um the floor is yours cool cool cool thanks um director could you so this I decided like I'm not gonna really um necessarily go line for line but um could you tell me some of I mean could you tell me some of the areas you're increasing and why so um essentially like you have a fifty percent increase for the fertilization program things like that I actually it's a hundred percent increase um so I just want to know why we're getting all these increases can we start with so I'll just go through them so you can and then you can answer one at a time so there's salary overtime differential um what's this one playground attendant wages electricity which I get but I want you to explain it to everybody um because not everybody understands that water I also have questions about that um fertilization maintenance of trees and shrubs which I want to support but we should talk about it um and then recreation expenses so could we just those are the specific lines I would love you to go through with the council okay I think this budget represents a more realistic uh numbers compared to last year um for instance um brought the first one you brought up was fertilization uh we we awarded a three year contract last year for fertilization um and the number was forty thousand dollars forty five thousand dollars actually which included aeration um the budget only had twenty thousand so obviously uh this year we had to address that and that's the reason why you see that increase um as far as uh playground attendance again I think it was underfunded um the number that it was represented represented at a time when uh minimum wage was eleven dollars and it just wasn't realistic and when you do run a summit

Um, and the number was 40,000, 45,000 actually, which include included aeration.

Um, the budget only had 20,000.

So obviously uh this year we had to address that, and that's the reason why you see that increase.

Um, as far as uh playground attendance, again, I think it was underfunded.

Um the number that was represented represented at a time when uh minimum wage was $11.

And it just wasn't realistic.

And when you do run a summer camp, you have to have a certain amount of ratio um uh counselor to children.

Um, if we were to go on uh and and spend only what we had last year, it would have been like a one to 25 ratio, which is just not uh conducive to any type of a summer camp program.

Um as far as uh electricity, obviously, um we have numerous sites around the city um that we uh afford the uh electricity to including several uh complexes that have uh lighting, we have uh emergency lighting at a lot of our facilities, uh walking tracks, et cetera.

So that would explain uh the increase uh in that particular line item.

As far as uh salaries, obviously that a lot of it is contractual.

Um as far as differential, there is times when we have uh workers that uh are working out of class and and we see the differential for that.

Um you didn't mention overtime, but I will.

Um the overtime budget is is higher, um, but it's a more realistic number, and I'll tell you why.

We have to cover every single event um that the school department has as far as athletics that goes at the stadium and at Cranston West.

That's that goes for the fall, goes for the spring, and that that's a considerable number.

Uh I know the there were some questions about uh practice time and why we have got uh employees there.

We don't anymore at uh Cranston West.

We've been able to curtail that.

Uh but that is a substantial number.

The other substantial thing we do have is rentals, and in order to have the rentals and receive the rental uh compensation, especially at our turf fields at Stadium and West.

Obviously, we have to provide um staff for that.

Uh that's the realistic number that you see there, uh, and it's more in line with what uh the department has spent over the last few years.

So and as far as um the um stadium supplies uh and recreation expenses, it's just a more realistic number.

Um obviously um the the price of doing business overall has gone up um a lot.

I'll give you for instance, um we have to uh paint 13 soccer fields, uh all the lines for baseball in the outfield and what have you.

That paint alone um every time we order is $15,000.

So that's a substantial amount um of uh money to do the service that we do.

So other than that, trees and shrubs.

Um we had so many um uh instances last year, especially uh on the bike path and in some of the complexes that have some aging trees where um any type of windstorm, uh, and we had a few of them as we all know, and in torrential rain and obviously the snow.

A lot of what you see there is emergency services.

Um we're not cutting down trees that are not um supposed to come down.

Um we trim back some that are uh having uh an effect on the lighting of fields.

Um we won't cut them down because of that.

Um we've we've addressed issues where um it it has affected our playground equipment.

We've cut some back because of that, but everything as far as um the trees and what have you is specifically uh due to uh storms and and and emergency services.

Uh as far as uh there's there's other increases.

Obviously, we're we have a pool coming online.

Um we had to fund that.

Uh we were uh we have a formula what we feel is is appropriate for that line item.

Obviously, you need supplies, you need lifeguard chairs, you need uh safety equipment, you need um you need a pool vacuum, you need all sorts of things to uh facilitate a pool.

Um wristbands, so that's what you see when you see pool supplies, and we have a preventative maintenance line item.

Um, we're hoping not to have to use that, um, to be honest with you, but we still have uh the capacity um to use that if necessary.

So I think I've hit everything other than maybe water.

Um a lot of our complexes have irrigation systems, and one of the things that I think Cranston should be proud of is when you go out go by a lot of our fields and most of our fields, they look plush.

Um, they're green, it has a lot to do with um with the uh the irrigation, it has a lot to do with the fertilization and the aeration that we do on our annual basis, and um I think we should be proud of that.

Um, there are you know, there's a lot of people that come to our municipality looking to rent our facilities specifically because of the conditions of our fields.

So I think that's one of the reasons.

Um what the water itself, uh we work with the water supply board.

Um, I'd like to meet with them um specifically about some of the aging um equipment that they have and um some of the monitoring that they have, but all in all, the reason why water um you're seeing an increase is because the irrigation systems are running, uh the bathrooms are running on a lot of facilities, and um, and obviously everything goes up.

So um just a more realistic approach um to this budget um than previous budgets.

Okay, thank you.

I I have questions based on your response, but I'm would like to ask through the chair, Auditor Dameo, can you tell me currently is um this budget from 2025, 2026?

Sorry, um on track, and where where are we?

And are there any overages on Thursday night that we're about 40 weeks into the year and we should be around 77 percent give or take?

The budget as a whole is running at 83 percent, um, which is a little bit over.

Yeah, um I mean it's across the board.

Uh you know, the overtime is um running a little high in the normal suspects of what what's there, um you know uh what about the um sorry what about the uh because um the director just mentioned that um fertilization was costing 40 what they were getting cost proposals for 40 to 45,000 and they only had 20.

Uh it's actually running at 84 percent, so it is a little over, it's about 7% over based on the 40 weeks.

Yeah, um, it's running the budgeted amount uh is 20,000, and they've got about almost 17 spent.

Oh, okay.

Um, and this is the timing I need it.

Um okay, but that but you're only off by like six percent.

Uh but yeah, about six percent, six half percent considering, and obviously just is the season's coming, so I'm assuming they're ramping up yeah, because of the weather change.

So um, you mentioned, sorry, I'm going back to um the director.

Um, you mentioned that some of the raises are contractual and some are not.

Without stating anyone's personal name, can you explain which ones are not contractual and why they were given?

Um, I'm I'm gonna defer that to the administration.

Um, I think the only other one that is putting in for uh an increase is is for my position, um which was not done by me.

So I think it would be better for the administration to give me one second.

Uh Director, just it might be easier to clarify one position.

You had a vacant position for a recreation um coordinator in last year's budget, and then this year's budget, it's there, it's full, and the the salary's a little bit higher.

So maybe if you explain that, that'll at least take care of one of the positions that's very visible in a difference.

Yes, I'd like to explain that because I saw I saw that in the news, and and that is totally uh completely false.

Um the program administrating position that was filled last year um due to a vacancy, um, had a uh salary set for that as far as part of an agreement which was made before I came.

Um unfortunately, um the finance director or the finance department um cut that position down to its lowest level because it wasn't filled.

So it's it looked like it was an $18,000 or $17,000 increase, which was not the case.

Okay, just and you're actually correct to clarify it is that in previous years budget it was roughly $61,000, and in the budget that was just presented, it's actually 81,400.

So it is a substantial difference.

But when reviewing these uh the article, or just to clarify to make sure that we can answer the questions, this was one that I went in to look at because some honorable, and when I found out that it was vacant, there had to be an issue moving forward.

So I wanted to give you that opportunity to at least get that out there.

But it's vacant today.

No, it's not vacant.

So so today it's filled at $81,000 today.

It will be because now you have to factor in um what the raise what what the agreement was, and now you have a three percent increase due to the contractual.

But this is a contractual one, correct.

Okay.

Last year, that that particular um position was filled per agreement, but it was never put into the budget as the the salary that it should have been.

Okay, okay, great.

Um, sorry, you were saying that um the other non-contractual ones, so just your position and that's it.

My position.

Okay.

Um you also meant and I that um currently attendance for the Cranson recreational program.

Um was one counselor per 30 children, and you feel like that is not okay.

What is ratio?

Well, if I was to use the budget that I had last year, it would have been one to 30.

Um, we went substantially over and brought it down to one to nine, which is more of a reasonable uh one to nine.

Um again, we're not a certified uh daycare or a certified summer camp.

We are our municipal camp.

Uh most municipal camps uh around uh the state go at a one to 13, one to 14, believe it or not.

Um most daycares go at a one to nine, one to seven.

Um if you're talking about younger kids, it's a little bit less, it's one to five.

So went to daycare.

Um, so going back to the tree budget, so I just want to get an idea when I'm asking.

So recently, I'm gonna use an example.

So recently, um, Ocean State Kids Club needed a tree cut.

I don't know if you're aware of this, and whose budget does that come out of?

Because it was from Parkview, is that school budget or this budget?

Um we we shared a lot of things because our our budget was pretty um pretty limited.

Um, we had a shared account through public works, so it it all depended on where the the tree itself.

I think that particular tree was paid by uh our department, and I remember that specifically when it was called in and I had to go uh view it.

It's kind of through who, sorry.

What's that?

Who was it through budget?

It was through our budget.

Your budget okay.

Our particular budget.

Okay.

That was that easement area um correct.

I just wanted to use that as an example because it just happened.

So I want to understand, you know.

So basically, we have two accounts that we can pull trees through, depending on the ownership of the parcel.

And the availability of funding.

Okay.

So you're kind of like moving around a little bit.

Correct.

Rob Peter to pay poll, so to speak.

Okay.

Um water.

So um I'm gonna ask the question that I think everyone's thinking, what's gonna happen with water with the splash pad?

Well, I I think one of the things that you have to understand is um when you say splash pad, um I think you think and pool, well, the pool's gonna cost some money, and I think Frank uh uh Mr.

Cray will address that.

But as far as the splash pad, the splash pads uh that are out today are extremely efficient when it comes to water, extremely.

Um will there be a cost to it?

Absolutely.

And I think we have to be cognizant of the cost the first year, and then we can reassess it after we have a year under our belt.

But as far as the equipment itself, the efficiency is extremely good.

Um, you know, it's much better than um you know some of the the water parks we I previously oversaw in in uh Providence for sure.

Okay, because I just asked my my deputy director from DPW, and he's gonna send me a number and I'm gonna revisit this water issue for the splash pad because we have I think it costs us a ton of money in water because it's not circulated and nobody wants to do a circulated splash pad because of the board of health issue having to test it and have somebody come out.

Um and it's a lot of wasted water.

So I'll just let you know I have I'm not a splash pad fan.

Okay.

And if it's gonna cost the city running that water all year when we don't have any money, it's kind of a problem.

It won't be all year though, it'd be six weeks.

All year of the summer.

Okay, I would like to ask the chair if I I've answered my questions.

I've taken a lot of time.

I but I wanna be asked at the end if I can think thank you.

I'll yield back for other members.

Clerk, please, for the record note that uh councilman Bernardo is here.

Um Mr.

President.

Um thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

Let me preface my remarks by saying this.

And I said this the other evening as well.

We are looking at, and I'm not a the city historian, but we're looking at in the proposed budget, perhaps the largest tax increase the city of Cranston's ever seen.

If I'm speaking out of terms, uh terms I'm not sure.

Certainly in my lifetime.

I could go the time.

Perhaps it's not correct.

So I I'll I'll withdraw that remark.

In recent history, it's a pretty large tax increase.

Um, there is no guarantee that we are going to have the ability.

Um, we're gonna need a pretty significant vote to go above that three percent cap.

We need a seven out of nine percent um nine uh member vote.

I say this not to put you in a terrible mood or even it listen, and not to even, and I I know everybody in this room would say you're doing a great job.

And and we we love the parks and recs, and we think you're doing a great job.

So my remarks are not gonna be about that.

But the truth is if we don't get that legislation and we do not get that vote, the cap is three.

Significantly different than the budget you're looking at.

So I wanna really so when I ask these questions, I'm looking for savings in your department.

I'm looking for savings in every department.

All right.

So I'll go back to the fertilization.

This week I'm off from school.

I gotta fertilize my lawn.

I know that's a simple simplistic thing.

Do we pay someone from outside to do that fertilization?

You called it a program.

We pay someone outside to do that.

Yes, we do.

It's it's contracted out.

Why don't we do it in-house?

I I don't think we have the resources or the people that are uh uh trained to do the that type of work.

All right.

So the fertilization of our parks, we could not do in uh uh listen, you're the expert, not me, but I think I'd be remiss as a representative of the taxpayers if I didn't ask that question.

Yeah, if you if you go to any park that's being uh fertilized, um you'll see that the equipment that they use is pretty specific and pretty um pretty substantial.

So if I'm hearing you correctly, and as I say, you're the expert, not I.

Um we we couldn't part of that program is aerating and fertilization, and we cannot do that in house.

We have to pay that additional, was it 40 grand approximately?

Yeah, I let me just put it this way.

It takes them one day to do the entire city.

We probably take us three weeks.

Okay.

Thank you.

Um the other thing I'm gonna ask, and I want to go back to um listen, we're gonna have this access to everybody.

Absolutely.

So, how many of the employees in parks and recs were under contractual agreements?

Is that everybody in the salary line?

Um, as far as contractual, um, there is other than myself, everyone else.

Okay.

This is the awkward part.

It would appear that from last year to this then that individual without using a name could got a significant increase, approximately a 12% increase in salary.

Which one me?

Yeah, but you oh, okay.

Okay.

Now I I'll be honest with you.

That I don't know, Mr.

Strom.

You prepared that budget?

This is not when you're prepared.

Can you uh repeat that again?

This is a 12% increase in in uh salary director's salary, and I'm not saying he doesn't deserve it.

And and trust me when I tell you, the remarks I have is we're asking people to tighten their belts as taxpayers.

I think we have to do it by example.

Right.

That's something that was agreed upon, I guess, between the director and the administration.

It's not a contractual thing.

Director, you're here, aren't you?

I see the director.

Do you want to speak to that or the mayor felt that's the only director position that there's an adjustment, I'll say the mayor looked at um all the salaries of parks and rec directors.

And this director probably fell in the uh 50 percentile, especially the size of the city.

So the mayor felt that increase was uh very much warranted.

And if you need to be replaced, that we wouldn't find somebody for that amount of money.

And just to notice counterpart in Warwick, I believe is about 115,000.

So that was some of the rationale for that one department head.

That's the only uh only one that stuck out with the mayor as being uh extremely the the most egregious in terms of uh competitiveness and quality of uh personnel.

Listen, and I certainly listen, I'm not as I asked this question, I understand.

I am not devaluating the work you do or say that your counterparts and other municipalities don't get a compensatory salary.

What I'm saying is Cranston's in a very unique situation totally with their budget, and I believe I'll be honest with you, I'm gonna I gotta have a look at that one because we're also talking some of the other other meetings.

We're talking about the possibility of our school department, which we also have contractual raises that are not compensatory to other cities as well.

We haven't even funded them, at least in this budget.

Our auditor would like to say something.

Just to put some things in perspective, as we're discussing this, obviously we're all trying to find financial stability for the city of Cranston.

But for some of the departments, you know, I did uh look up a little research.

So for example, public uh excuse me, Pox and Rec for Warwick makes 112, but Tucker makes 112.

Providence has two directors, they have a director recreation and director of pox, 265,000.

I mean, we're our we are in a financial stability issue, but just for the public to understand and for the council to understand that there are other municipalities that are small, smaller than ours getting paid more.

So that just gives you the perspective that we are doing a lot with less for our directors, they're trying to do their best.

But this you really need to be aware of what's out there, just so you know.

Thank you.

Continue, Mr.

President.

You know, I'm just gonna kind of stay at that.

This is uh I also mentioned this.

You know, there you know, we've got a and this if we did have to make cuts, if we don't get this budget, I can't, I'm not gonna put you on the spot and say, think about it now.

But put in the back of your mind that this may not pass as as is, and where you know, there was approximately a we're saying six hundred thousand dollar increase in this department, and I know it's a valuable department.

Where would we make those cuts?

And don't tell me now.

If you can tell me now, by all means do.

I won't put you in.

I think um like yourself, I've thought about that.

I I mean it's a hot, you know, being in municipal government as long as I have, you have to come to that realization that you have to be ready for whatever is thrown at you.

So I understand that.

And um obviously, you know, programs like uh summer camp would be um on the table, not to cut um completely, but to cut the numbers that we would have in the summer camp.

Um we would have to go and uh as far as playgrounds, we would have to do less at the playgrounds.

Um we would have to cut back on our uh garbage pickups.

Um it would be there would be some pain involved, absolutely.

So and and as you say it, and that's kind of the way you said it.

That's kind of the answer I was looking for.

Because every time we do make a cut, there is a cost benefit analysis, and and when we do, you know, this is a significant you know, tax increase we're looking at.

As we do make cuts, it's gonna affect the people outside of this room in other ways.

That's a uh I I yield my time at this time, Mr.

Chairman.

This is from a couple items that I wanted to point out to the council is that we didn't have pool attendant wages last year or the prior years.

Now we have uh an additional 110,000 that was put in the budget for pool attendant wages.

We have as the director mentioned, pool preventive maintenance, pool supplies.

That's another 45,000.

So just those three items are 150,000.

And in addition to that, as uh as what was uh discussed, utility costs have gone up with electricity and things.

So uh, and maybe they weren't funded properly last year, but that's beside the point.

Well more realistic number this year.

Councilman Ritz.

I just had a a few things to say.

Uh council president covered some of the things uh that I was thinking I was gonna say too.

And when it when it comes to salaries, I I think I I'm willing to pay the money for the right people and the people that can can make a change and can find the cost savings, and I feel like we have that in you.

I think the department's running fantastic underneath you.

I see the changes firsthand.

I hear from people.

I I think you're doing an amazing job.

I think the experience you bring it is is invaluable that you bring it.

So thank you for that.

Um, but I I do agree with the council president.

Uh, we're probably looking at three or five percent cut when this comes down that we have to do it.

And um it's gonna be some hard decisions, and and and I think uh, you know, things are gonna suffer from that too.

And and I realize that across the board.

One thing I do look at is is the overtime.

I I was wondering if there's anything we can do creatively to try and get that down.

I see there's quite a few vacancies.

I don't know if those can be held longer, if we can do different things with scheduling to to try and get that down.

We we've we've already made steps uh to cut down the overtime uh as far as um I mean I know the big elephant in the room was um having uh practices um at Cranston West covered um because of the lighting we we've we've we've cut curtailed that.

Um a lot of it is is obligated though.

Unfortunately, a lot of it has to do with and is tied into school events, and it's very difficult to not have the appropriate amount of staff at school events.

Um and the other side of it is if we're looking to generate revenue as far as our venues, um obviously we need staff there, and that's another overtime cost.

I mean, if you you know, just the venues alone, and we we probably bring in a couple of hundred thousand dollars of of revenue just in the turf uh complexes alone.

So it's it's it's a hard balance to look at uh and and it's obviously something that I have looked at, and um and trying to get to the finish line with this budget is something that I'm trying to do.

Um, understanding that we you know we're in a tight situation, so you know, and you come to another question I had was it was just the revenues there too, you know, looking at ways that we we can increase the revenues too with the city camps, and I and I think they're fantastic.

And I was actually happy to see that the cost went up.

I don't know how we could have sustained it at the low cost it was fantastic, but i i I could see it from the outside that was unsustainable.

Do we make money from the city camps?

Like, does it make sense to increase those next year?

Well, again, uh being my first year, I like to stop, look, listen, feel, and um obviously the camp was under underfunded as far as uh what the fees were.

Um I thought a reasonable uh boost was important for this year.

I also think a reasonable boost would probably happen next year because summer camps uh for those who have kids, I mean, they go as high as 400 a week.

Um, and and right now we're at 175, and I think that's a bargain, especially for what we do for the kids.

Um, does it generate revenue for us?

Absolutely.

Uh absolutely.

And when you you get down to it, um the expenditures and revenue on that aspect, um, we we do okay.

And and like the council president said, when we look to balance his budget a little bit more, I think looking at increased revenues and and and fees too is probably something we definitely have to look at.

The um the other question I had was just the gas.

Is that a realistic number?

I know it, you know, as we talked about the other night, it's hard to gauge where the gas is gonna go.

I was just wondering if that that's realistic with the gas prices now.

Right now, I think it's realistic.

Um, to be honest with you, I think we're running okay with gas as we speak.

So um, I think it's a realistic number.

I think my other questions already asked so thank you.

Director Murrit.

Yeah, time to time we might speak up just to embellish uh hopefully accurately, and I'll ask the director to correct me if I'm wrong.

Is it true that uh the city does not charge uh the schools for any use of those fields?

We uh do not charge fees for any school events, uh any school um then you so the city city picks up the tab up the the tab for that.

Anything that's generated at the gate goes to the uh goes to the schools, right?

Um just to mention that councilman, this we have that fixed, but I know the director also mentioned during some budget discussions that I some of the to save some money in overtime to exactly what your question was to do things differently.

I believe he's gonna be asking for practice uh school practices that the the coaches and the people kind of clean up after themselves, so you don't need to keep the people on.

So he is trying to think of some creative ways of reducing overtime.

Correct.

Uh, we we had a meeting recently of all of our partners, and one of the things I I think um I bring to the table was community building and in partnerships.

Um I feel we're in this together, and so many times it it's a call to us, a call to us, a call to us.

So all of these things play a role in helping us do our job better and be more efficient.

So chairman.

Thank you.

Thank you, Chairman.

Thank you, uh Director, for all you do.

I I always say that between Parks and Recs and Public Works, it's the face of the city.

We can't ask for two better directors than the two of you.

So thank you for what you do for our city.

First of all, uh the new position that I see wasn't filled, and now it's filled.

What what is that?

What do they do?

What are those the program director oversees the summer camp that's uh does permitting for the fields?

Um he runs a lot of the facilitated things that come out of pastoric complex.

Um he helped he's very helpful with contractual stuff, like for instance fertilizer, he'll go out and make sure that the fertilizing is completed.

Um it wasn't a zeroed out position.

There was a person in that position.

They left that position um before I uh was here, and it was filled on a temporary basis um with this individual.

And um before I was here, there was a an agreement that he was going to um take the position full time.

So it wasn't zero.

And um when they did put it into the budget the previous year, it was put in at a rate that was not the correct rate.

So what you see, it's not a raise, it it's just what was contractually uh agreed upon um through the teamsters in in the city.

Okay.

Um I mean, this is um overtime costs related to shortness and staff.

I mean the guys have to work over now because you don't have enough people and it's costing us money.

It hasn't yet, but it potentially could.

We have not had to force people to come in um to do uh jobs that we couldn't finish.

It has not happened.

Um there's a possibility with some of the cuts that we're talking about in order to get things done that could be on the table.

You need boots on the ground.

Um is there any with any how many new employees were required because of the pool?

Do you have hire anybody?

Um basically have uh um an estimated amount based on what I think is needed.

Um I think we're gonna need uh six like six lifeguards on a rotating basis.

I think we're gonna have uh six pool attendants on a rotating basis.

I think we're gonna need um a supervisors of of the pool itself.

Um check-in staff when when the people come in.

Um I would say overall what we're gonna need.

Um, I would say 20, 24 total, and not all of them are gonna work all the time.

It's just a rotating basis because most of them are gonna be uh younger adults, um, and they're gonna want days off just like any young adult in the summer would like to have time off.

So we anticipate that, but I would say no more than 25, 26.

Do you have a cost for that?

Um well, it's budgeted for one 10.

Um I'm coming in a little bit more conservative in in the 90s.

Well, um fees to use the pool offset some of that.

Yes, yes.

We have a fee structure that that is being uh worked on right now.

Um I can get through that once it's finalized.

Um there'll be uh fees for daily use of for non-resident uh and resident, obviously, non-resident, it would be substantially more, and we'll have um pool passes for the entire summer as well.

Um we'll have a senior citizen pass.

Um, so yes, there we'll generate revenue, it's not gonna be enough to offset it, but it would it might be pretty close.

Um as far as the maintenance of the pool.

Was anybody did you need to hire somebody specifically for maintenance of the pool, or is that something the parks and recs is gonna take care of?

I think it's something we can maintain strictly because obviously uh technology has uh increased the pool itself, the the filtering system speaks for itself.

It's a new pool, it's good night in in nature.

Um it's state of the art.

Um we'll have uh we'll have one of the uh robots cleaning it um on a regular basis.

Uh so the upkeep will be done by the part timers as far as uh spraying down the the deck and what have you, cleaning the bathrooms, etc.

I love I love when hear robots.

I know you like robots, councilman.

Um lastly, uh you you touched upon it about the dumping uh illegal dumping.

I hear it all the time at the Chafee Field.

It's it's atrocious.

Um is there any way we can partner with the uh the police department and put something of cameras up so if we do catch someone dumping, we can find them and and at least get paid back for what what it's costing us to pick that stuff up.

I I would love to do that, and it's funny you should say that.

Um taking off my cap and putting my other cap as a volunteer.

Um we we have somebody on on camera that we caught this week at the Chafee complex, putting a mattress cover and two gallons of paint into our receptacles.

And we have her on camera.

I hope she's listening.

Um we're trying to track her down.

She has a nice, uh beautiful car, and um she she walks the complex.

So I I've been on my high alert to get her.

Um, so the answer is that that would be a huge help.

Um, because once you embarrass a couple of people, and I hate to say it that way, but you have to embarrass people in it and because you know the days of green bags hanging from trees with dog uh you know, dog waste.

I mean, it's just not conducive to to good facilities.

So I'm in agreement with that as far as funding.

I uh you know, I I just I know I don't have it.

I can't I can't see why that wouldn't pay for itself.

Almost, I mean, I own a piece of industrial property and in the dumping is rampant.

I mean, people think because it's not them, they can just put it there.

It's not fair to the owner, and it's not fair to the city.

So we I think we need to look into that program and see if we can get something on all the parks.

I'm on high alert, believe me.

I'm gonna get her.

I've already got one up there.

I'm gonna get another one.

I'm glad to hear that.

So uh thank you, director, again for what you do, and thank you for answering the questions.

Councilwoman Horroe.

Thank you.

Um director, thank you for being here on a Saturday morning.

Um, I'm a huge fan of yours, and I appreciate what you're doing here in the city.

I will not be supporting any raises for administration when the worker bees are being eliminated in positions.

I wholeheartedly can't do that to other people.

Um, I have lots of concerns here right now, and they're kind of written everywhere.

You just mentioned one of my biggest concerns with people dumping.

Were the police notified and has a police report been done?

Because charges need to be pressed.

100%.

Okay.

I I put a police report in.

Um, the officer was um looking through the cameras to see if they could track the the individual.

I'm waiting to hear um back from him.

Um, if that doesn't work, um she arrived at and here's here's the even worse part of this whole situation.

After she dumped everything, um, she locked her car and started walking the complex.

So she's a local person that doesn't respect the city property.

Correct.

Okay.

So I'll be up there at eight.

She gets between eight and nine, she's there.

So um I'm coming to get you.

Let me know what you're up there gladly.

I'll bring coffee.

How many positions are being eliminated?

Um, we don't have any being eliminated.

We have um we have one two short, but one of them was not funded last year, uh, a foreman's position, and then we have a principal um equipment uh labor equipment operator that's not funded, uh, who recently retired.

Right now you mentioned the one vacant position, right?

Are there any others?

Um not as of right today.

Um there will uh obviously uh before July 1st there will be.

Okay.

Um every one of us here in the city of Quinston is concerned with raising costs of gas utilities, water.

It's a big concern.

And um, I know the pool's in ward too, and the splash pad.

How many publicly um water waterfalls, um, water fountains, splash pads.

I'd like an update on what those water bills are monthly, like the nights fell one, the water fountain.

Okay.

Is that able to be broken down?

Yeah, I think we have bills for all of they're all itemized.

We get about 40, 50 water bills.

Okay, excellent.

Um I'm gonna piggyback on what council president said.

Um, I know he mentioned that if this was request from the mayor does not pass, first of all, it's gonna pass us by seven members, and gonna pass the general assembly.

There's no guarantees this is gonna happen.

I'm gonna ask all department heads.

Um, I didn't think of it the other night with the four, is maybe think about if you had to do a five percent cut and a 10% cut to your budget, and we might ask for that in writing within the next week or two, I believe, if needed.

Um, my other thing is for Delizy, how much of your department are you farming out to local nurseries, um, shrubs, playground mults?

Is that something that could get delivered in your department could spread the mulch?

We just don't have the manpower to do that.

That would take an enormous amount of time and effort where uh a private contractor had a truck that blows it uh the material in.

Um, for us to do it by hand, it it's just not cost effective.

And it really would put us back in our schedule.

Okay.

Also, I you mentioned the pickup of garbages.

I know Dew Temple, I was driving by on the way home from work the other night, and the garbage was as high as me.

I know I'm not very tall, but five feet and a few garbage bags.

I don't know if that's from neighbors or what how often are they being picked up?

Every every park we go by three times a week.

Um there's some parks that we know, and do temple is one of them that has a tremendous amount of illegal dumping, and what it it we just can't keep up with it on a regular basis.

So there will be times where you'll see overflowing uh garbage, and we just haven't gotten to it yet.

Thank you.

You're welcome.

It's great when in an email, it gets within a day or two.

So thank you.

Thank you for your office supplies.

I you're one of the departments that only want to make 40.

So thank you very much.

That is noted.

We don't need to take any copy paper away from you.

I have a I have a lot of pens and pencils that I can take with me at all times.

Thank you very much.

You're welcome.

Um, before I get beat up, mayor traffic.

I'm looking at you.

I know you were not here at the time.

Uh your 2324 budget, looking at your 24-25 budget, uh and your 27 budget, proposed 27 budget is more in line with those two years than the adopted 26 budget.

So definitely you're on you're on target there.

Assuming we get the seven percent.

I'd like to like the uh council president mentioned.

I'm very much aware of the facilities you're responsible for in terms of the um stadiums, the complexes, the tennis courts, the tracks, the playgrounds, now the pool is being added to that.

So you're being asked to do more with less.

My question is this currently, before before retirements were um initiated.

How many men did you have working in the field?

19.

19.

Any of those men take real retirement?

Yes.

How many?

Um, as of yesterday, eight.

Eight of 19.

So now you're down to 11 men.

July one, yes.

But again, I don't know what what the system is.

Let's be honest here.

No, they'll they'll they'll be filled, obviously, because there'd be the bumping system will take care of that.

What would be filled?

The the positions that people are retiring.

There's the city in the in the labors union and the teams that have a bumping system.

So those those uh positions will be available.

Let me let me understand.

You had you had 19.

Correct?

Yes.

Several of them took retirement.

They're gonna be filled, those positions are gonna be filled.

Director Renzula.

Um, Mayor Draft, people will be uh bumped out of other positions and can bump into these positions from other departments.

There will be a seat for anyone who wants to stay in Cranston, but we're kind of reorganizing departments.

So you're gonna take men from public works to rec recreation.

From the high sorry, from highway to recreation.

Where they they bump to based on their seniority and where they would like to work.

No one is being told they have to go anywhere.

Still losing manpower, regardless where they come from.

If you're taking from highway, then highways are gonna be shortened then.

Well, high highway, it's not specifically highway, Randraff.

The understanding was when the mayor spoke, he said that those people who want to stay could stay.

Those people want to take an early retirement could take early retirement.

If you're saying eight or nine men of your department taking early retirement, then you're having a reduction in manpower in your department right now, before bumping takes place.

No, because then before they leave that they will be replaced with the pumping system.

Where's the savings then?

It's gonna be replaced.

Wait, where's the savings?

What then other departments, man traffic?

They are not replacing some of those.

Building maintenance, I believe, is one of them.

Tony War.

Tony.

So they're gonna do less with building maintenance, they're gonna do less with highway.

So you're gonna be shorthanded regardless where the departments are.

My question is how are you gonna take care of all these facilities with less manpower?

You're gonna get your manpower apparently because it could be bumping in your department.

What happens to the highway?

What happens to building maintenance?

Yeah, that I can't answer.

I'm not being critical of you, please.

You do a great job.

Believe me, I'm very happy with your work ethics.

Thank you.

Uh and I'm gonna go back what the council president said.

If this 7.4% does not get accepted, you know, I I don't care what line items you look at.

I'm talking about non-personal line items.

I don't care where we look, we're not gonna find four million dollars or five million dollars.

I don't care how we try.

We're gonna have to go back to contracts, whether it's personal oriented budgets, contracts that can be looked at, reord probably I hate to say it.

We're gonna have to have to go back to every single contract on the city side and the school department side.

That's where the money is.

So I don't care how how you look looking at the line item or gas light, utility light items or anything else, overtime line items, we're not gonna find the money in those line items.

It's gonna be personnel related, and that and that relates to contracts.

Uh Director Piscopello, I just wanted to ask about uh system that you can do electronically on your phone to turn on and off the lights.

Are we gonna be utilizing that now?

I know now in the past we did not because contractually people had to be on to do the lights at the fields.

But if we're trying to get away from that, I'm just wondering if that's a that's one of that's one of the things that we are doing right now.

Okay, and has it been considered to do different shifts to avoid overtime, like a Tuesday through Tuesday through Saturday, or are you don't have enough people to do that?

I think that would be a contractual thing because they would have to agree to that as far as I I see uh the language in the contract.

Would if it was possible, would it help your overtime?

It would help our overtime, but uh overall objective during the day would not be met.

Okay, thank you.

Mr.

President before I actually had some revenue question on the revenue side of your department before you be uh you have uh mic that you don't have to hold down.

Oh wow, okay.

Oh, just sorry continue, Mr.

President.

All kidding aside.

Um though I do want to go back a little bit, and I I want to I want to stand corrected in my opening my remark about the largest tax increase ever because thank you, Director Renzulli.

You you mentioned that during the Laffey administration there were larger tax increases.

Um and they may have been before that, and I appreciate you bringing me up to speed on that matter.

Um so it's still a large increase, but perhaps not the largest.

Um the other thing I want to say if we look at the revenues, um it was you're projecting what I think I saw about five 550 correct, yeah.

Five, all right.

And that's pretty that's not including any increase on programming in the parks and rec.

Is that correct?

No, I think the increase you're gonna see is from the um the summer camps.

Right.

And then you're gonna uh realize uh the pool revenue as well, um, as far as the passes, and then we also uh went up slightly on our permit fees.

So all of those things factored in.

And to be honest with you, and uh, and again, I'm not um you know, patting myself on the back, but we we are getting a lot more uh field permit uh request as well.

Certainly I love the program with the kids of the parks and recs, I think it's great.

I think many of our children went there as mine did.

It's a great program.

Certainly, I I would tend to agree that you know, with everything else, could you increase it, especially seeing is it mostly staffed by part-time like employees like you know, students, right?

Yeah, it's mostly uh college and high school age students that uh partake in the program.

And are and they are making, if I heard you correctly, minimum wage, minimum wage and in some of our uh supervisors make uh slightly more.

So and I just want to make sure as the so the increase in that a lot of it has to do with the increase in minimum wage.

And I didn't do the math on it, but I'm looking like I said, that number was based on if you go back to 2019, that was the same number, and and minimum wage was 11 dollars.

Yeah, I got you.

Yeah, it's 16.

So that that makes logical sense to me.

Um, so I just wanted to make sure I had that clear.

Sure.

Um, and certainly we if we the cuts we want, this is where we get another 550,000.

We need those people, then they're generating revenue.

Um on one side you cut expenditures, the other side you're gonna generate some revenue.

Um, though I do want to kind of go back to, and this was a concern with some of the the retirement buyout packages that were offered.

I think is right in, and I had the same question as uh councilman Traffic Canning.

And we probably would like a list as a council, I know I would, of where those are and where they will be potentially moving into, or what departments will see um what's the word worker reductions?

I I'd like to have that, so I uh I know.

Um, but I am also, and I I've expressed this in the previous meeting.

I'm concerned that we gave people a bonus to leave, and where's that money gonna come from?

If we're not gonna if we're gonna see, I have to really look at what we're gonna see in savings from those work reduction workforce reductions, and does it really balance out with the incentives we gave?

And that's a that's uh uh maybe not a rhetorical question, maybe it's a pointed rhetorical question, but it's a concern is what I'm expressing, not up the finger point.

Okay.

Uh thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

Mr.

Auditor.

Uh Director, just a quick question, and and I don't know if this would have to be approved by the council or whatnot, but considering you have all these new venues opening up, is there been any consideration for sponsorships to defray the costs on them?

Maybe the splash pad, the pool, the parks, where you can uh generate or work with local business to have some additional revenue.

Funny you should say that.

We we just started a crusade to um offer sponsorships at um we're gonna start out at Cranston Stadium Baseball and at the um Atwood Avenue softball fields where they can um place four by eight uh advertisement signs um for a fee.

Um we've we've developed the system um that we're we're putting out there to all the um to all the uh potential uh businesses that are interested.

Um I've spoken um to the administration about that.

And um, yes, the answer is yes, we're gonna start small and then we're gonna work our way um further into that.

And I I would assume or hope that you put a time limit on it, so it'll be reoccurring revenue, three-year window, and then they renew.

Yeah, it would be uh it would be a step, uh certain steps, three years, the first year a little higher because you're gonna uh purchase the sign.

The second year renewal will be a little bit lower, and the third year as well.

It that will be extremely successful because when we did the football field, we raised uh close to 100,000 for that at Grandstone West.

Um, as uh councilman Campbell Biano can attest to, I got 115 uh advertisement signs at the Chief V complex as we speak.

Perfect.

Thank you.

Councilman Benano.

Thank you.

I don't I don't have uh too many questions because of them have been asked.

Um I just want to say that we probably have a ton of illegal dumping at our parks and recreation because our garbage collection contract stinks.

Um I was gonna use another S-word, but it's not appropriate.

And I can't wait.

I can't wait for that to come up.

Um with you know I think former Mayor Traffic Canny echoes a lot of my sentiments on not only this section of the budget, and I know his frustration bubbled up, but throughout this whole process, this is gonna be very difficult.

Um I have the utmost respect for our parks and recreation department, and to be honest with you, Director Piscavelio, since you came on, it's been a breath of fresh air.

I'm very I'm very glad that um as long as I've been on the council, you've been the parks and rec director.

So you've done a fantastic job with the resources that you've been given.

With that being said, I'm just gonna echo what my colleagues are saying that that you know, you and and your executive staff of your department, um, and we're gonna ask this of everybody, I'm sure.

We're gonna have to look at this because you know best where we can um where we can make uh concessions to not get beheaded by the taxpayers.

Um that's very important.

Uh the other thing I was gonna say is, you know, with respect to overtime, obviously there's a lot of contractually obligated stuff.

Um, and and once it's contractually obligated, unless you know we sit back down at the table and alter the contracts with the the collective bargaining agreements, there's not a lot we can do.

But is there is there any space for volunteerism?

Um, you know, at some of the events that that previously had paid uh folks at, you know, are parents willing to do things, our coaches willing to do things.

Um is anybody people who need community service, uh, you know, are are they willing to do things?

Um, or is there any way, you know, I I work at the prison.

Are there any way to get litter crews out there from the ACI instead of having to pay, you know, what could be 11 men or women and women doing things like that.

Are there any are there any ways to to look at getting the same job done for less?

I think there's always ways to do things differently, but I think it's more contractual.

Um and um agreement has to be uh with the with the the unions to you know, because uh obviously that they would have the first right to to take over time for those specific things.

So I think it's more of a union issue, councilman.

Yeah, I mean, uh, you know, I'm a member of a union, I don't believe in just taking things away from collective bargaining agreement once they've been agreed to, but I hope um I hope there's some tenor of uh help that we can get.

Um but anyway, that's that's all I had.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

Councilwoman Graziano.

Thank you.

Um, so I'm gonna start with the fun stuff and end with something bad.

Um so I wanna I do I do echo all the council members' set um sentiment.

I appreciate Parks and Rack.

I personally need Parks and Rack to be part of all of our Crancinius Little League assistance because we just don't have the volunteers to do it, and we absolutely need a city that is invested in its parks and recreation.

And I I agree about the salaries.

I think I think they're you know underfunded, and and uh you know, I'm always a proponent of that.

The problem is that we're now in this situation where we just can't do something like that.

So while I was a proponent of it last year saying we need to reevaluate all the salaries and and make sure that every employee is paid appropriately, now we're in this conundrum, and that's probably just not gonna happen this year.

It's unfortunate, but I want you to know that I agree.

I think your salary should be higher, but I I we just can't make that work this year.

Um so some of the last things.

Um sorry, my stuff is all over the place too.

Um uh Mayor Trafficanti answered my retirement conundrum questions.

So I I I agree with his sentiment.

I it I don't understand where the savings is, so that is gonna be something we're gonna be asking.

Um, yeah, I'll go off uh councilman Ritz's earlier comment about uh vehicles.

Do any employees take vehicles home?

And if so, why are they taking them home if they're not an emergency staff?

Maybe you're gonna answer now.

I'm the only one that takes the vehicle home.

Um, so I'm gonna put some numbers out there about this splash pad.

Okay.

So splash pads are the second highest consumer in another town of commercial water.

They only run it for six hours a day for three months when it's above 80 degrees, and they just gave me a number for their for a quarter of the usage was 51k.

So there's no way the city can fund something of that magnitude.

So three months is 12 weeks.

Um, we're running it for six weeks.

So it's 25.

Yeah, so and I don't think it's gonna be running as long as six hours.

I'll go back on the mics.

Yeah, it's gonna be I mean, I I I think you're gonna need to look at your water usage because this is there's no question, no question about it.

I guess it's like impossible.

I think the first year you have to it once you implement uh a program, you have to evaluate the first year and then assess it um as we go.

Uh or you know, there's other alternatives as well.

I mean, so I just want this on the record that like I I actually don't think you have enough money to run it this year.

Um I'm like concerned, so um, and I don't want that but number to go over.

Um, because we can't have that.

So I just want that on the record that I have extreme concerns about the splash pad and the cost that it's gonna cost the city this year.

Um I agree with with uh uh Vice President Heroyan about getting the costs of individual, like the um fountains and anything, and like what those numbers cost because I don't think the council has an idea of how much we spend on water for extraneous items, and like I already clearly don't support that with climate change.

Um sorry, I'm trying to go fast because I know we've spent over an hour here.

Um I guess that's it, but I I do agree with Councilman Bonano and Councilman Trafficante.

Um, you know, I don't want to have to revisit contracts, but I I do support what they're saying.

Councilman Horoy.

I do have a question with the splash pads.

You have the ability to shut the water off on rainy days, uh 70 degree weather.

The splash pads only go on when the temperatures are certain temperature, correct?

They go on during our hours of operation and by uh um by uh sensor.

Okay, and they won't go on if we're not open and they won't go on if there's no children in in the splash pad constantly running.

No, I need to point that out.

Okay, thank you very much.

You're welcome.

Mr.

Culture.

Do we have any partnerships or could we have partnerships with other cities to try to get the cost on some of the purchases?

Like the fertilizer has been uh an example.

Is could we find out who Providence or Warwick is using and maybe try and get a uh joint using the same one to get a discount?

No, uh again, we we have uh a contract.

Um it went on for an RFP, and um the the lowest bidder uh got the contract.

Um we do have a um a local company that provides us with fertilizer.

I I can't say the name of it because uh it's fish you know what.

Um so um I understand I was asked that question, so I didn't want to say they do uh and one of the reasons why our grass looks so good is because of this um of this product that we're using, believe it or not, and and it's free.

They give it to us for free, and it's part of an application, so we're probably saving um 10, 12,000 on that.

Mayor Traffic.

Mr.

Director, now that I've cooled down a little.

I I realize your department is labor intense.

There's no doubt about it.

So just want to clarify again.

You'll lose 11 men from your department right now, correct?

Well, it the number is eight.

I think I'm really retired.

Is eight is eight.

I'm sorry, there's eight men left.

Well, they're gonna bump in from other departments.

That's what we've been told, right?

So you're not gonna you're not gonna have any loss of manpower in your particular department then.

No, so you're gonna have you're gonna go back to your 19 from what I'm being told, yes.

So no it's hotally, but they have also have to be qualified.

There are qualifications that have to qualification cutting grass.

Okay, well, they have to have um to run uh CDLs, that type of stuff.

But the uh machinery correct.

I do understand.

But it's it's quite obvious that your department's gonna be made whole.

That's what I'm trying to say.

Um potentially, yes.

Okay, that's that's what that's what I want to know.

So when I get to public works, I have to ask them what the manpower loss is in those particular departments.

Sure.

Thank you.

I think it's appropriate at this time if allowed by the chair to give an overview.

I was gonna probably wait to public works, but now's a good opportunity with with uh Mayor Trafficanti's questioning.

Um I'll tell you the overall, we're happy to provide all the detail in terms of positions, uh what's budgeted?

It's in the budget, but it's I can see we'll highlight uh the change the changes that are proposed in the mayor's budget.

But I just want to give an overview just to give perspective, perhaps, which might be helpful when you're reviewing these departments.

Um as to in terms of the uh uh laborers and in terms of the teamsters, the bottom line is there are positions in the city.

I'll use the word accommodate uh to allow uh everyone who's currently employed to be employed in the city.

However, there are certain positions in certain departments that are not being funded and being shifted to other departments.

So that certainly might not make people happy, if you will, if they're in a current position in if want to stay with the city in and with that.

That requires obviously, you know, in the process of bumping, but in no circumstance is there not a position available to someone.

So correct.

And uh the mayor's right.

Uh uh one department might shift to have less of a head count budgeted versus another department, which might pick up those those head counts.

Um so just want to say that that you know, that's way the it's overall budget again.

That applies to the laborers and the teamsters.

Um the reason why the mayor requested the extension to present the budget April 15th versus April 1st was to try to work out as many details, and it was purely based on personnel, um, as many because we were prepared with the budget otherwise, pretty much.

But it was exactly to try to mitigate the impact on employees, and that was the focus over the last two weeks.

Um so just want to mention that in the budget that the folks already know in the in the each of the respective uh organizations where the where it's being affected, more than happy should share with the council uh in summary.

It's there, but in summary, what the council president requested.

Um, but be assured, even during during this budget process, um, we are still meeting with the labor uh unions, particularly the laborers.

I think the teamsters are kind of shuffled out and they're in the process of looking at that bumping system, but to uh look to see how else we could uh improve upon that to keep people in their current positions without having to bump to see if there's a way of coming up with that.

Again, this was a work in process.

So there still might be uh frankly unhappy people that may have to bump, if you will, and not retain their current positions, but we're gonna still work to uh accommodate what is both accommodate the employee but also accommodate the taxpayer at doing things as efficiently as recently as what uh Thursday, we uh the mayor met with the uh the folks with the teamster, uh pardon me, the laborers.

I had met with the team since the day before, and uh to be to uh continue that process, uh we pledged to continue to work with uh the leadership of the uh laborers again to to um try to be as disruptive, I'll say as possible, but also as tax as efficient as we can be with the taxpayers, as so in parallel with what the council is currently doing, and certainly the results of those discussions will be um we want to uh meet with the council to share um any recommendations at this point for the council to make changes.

Any questions on that?

But I just wanted to provide that overview, Mr.

President.

Not on this subject.

Uh thank you for that uh those remarks, uh Mr.

Director.

Um just just on the uh the parks and recs.

I I I there's a question I didn't ask regarding the legal legal services fund.

Can't answer that.

Is anybody in the I mean it's a it's not a lot of money, it's 1872.

There's an increase, but insurance.

What is it?

You come to the microphone, Director Renzul.

Yeah, please.

Yeah, we ask this every year, and it's got it's some kind of insurance that they have because it's in every department.

There's a legal line.

And I'm I'm glad I'm glad you're here that you said can we define exactly what it is so we won't ever have to ask it again.

Yes.

All right, so because I'm thinking, oh, we have a lot of lawyers on the payroll.

We did legal last night.

Well, you and we and we always say that, and I can't remember exactly.

I think it might be like legal services part, but it might be through personnel.

Personnel director, personnel director might know.

Mr.

President, if you could just repeat that line item.

That light line item is five three five one three oh six.

Chair, if chair, I might be able to answer that question if a lot if okay.

Um it it is a it's it's contractual, it has it has a line item to do with their legal fund that that the uh in this in this case the laborers or teamsters would be entitled to, but it's allocated per that contract that's funded for the per the contract that you know benefit.

Director Straum that ring a bell some things, you know, with time takes a while to bring a bell.

But uh this does uh bring back memories that there was a legal fund for uh the laborers, I believe, and the teamsters, and it's allocated by the department, I believe.

For the for their use absolutely diesel laborers, chairman.

Do we ask the director a question?

Go right ahead.

Just so I make sure I understand this clearly.

You're telling us that one department could be fully staffed, but it's at the expense of another department being understaffed.

No, we don't want to use the words.

I I think it's inappropriate those words.

I would say a reorganization of work it's a okay, it's an opinion.

If if we believe we can reorganize to make the more efficient in one department and save money, I think it's the right thing to be properly staffed, and those and then another department, if they're would perceive to be as a currently operating, well, the mayor's administration perceives short staff, we're properly balancing it off.

So I think we're better instead of short and overstaffed.

I think it's better to see properly balanced as as efficient as we can, and so at the same time accommodate people.

But I I would avoid those words, but it everyone's entitled to their opinion.

Thank you for that.

My other question is if somebody is a specialty, like say someone's a diesel mechanic or an electrician, and they're they have to get bumped.

What if there's no job in another department for them?

There will be a job.

It might not be a diesel mechanic or an electrician, but there would be a position.

There is a position in so they could become a janitor here at City Hall.

In that case, yeah, in that example, it's possible.

They were again, or we because it wouldn't be fair to them when they have a degree or certification now to be at a lower grade and they're in a union.

I'm I believe I I'm gonna defer to personnel on that question, but I believe I know the answer, but I don't want to oh, I got lots for personnel.

Without the knowledge, I don't want to.

Mayor, you also mayor Trevor Kanti.

I I just want to clarify that no member of the teamsters is gonna bump into the labors, and no labor's gonna bump into the teamsters.

Am I correct?

Correct, mayor.

Yeah, I just wanted to clarify that.

So you try to clarify the fact that the laborers most of your men are from the labors, am I correct?

Yeah, we have uh three teamsters.

How many?

Three teamsters.

Um, I don't believe so.

They they're pretty tenured.

So I'm like, repeat again, you're gonna be made whole as a department.

From what I've been told, yes.

Okay, I just wanted to clarify that.

Councilman Heroin.

His department might be made whole, and that's great, but another department is be a skills, somebody doesn't like their supervisor, so eight people are billed into another.

Now we have a whole department that can't run properly.

There's a few of those.

Well, all right, I think we're going off topic and let's stay on parts.

I can I can say this.

The mayor's proposing a budget that he believes is going to be running properly.

Okay, it could be in a someone's opinion, certainly respect that if you believe it doesn't, and that's that's right.

That's how we got here today.

Thank you.

Okay, well, thank you, Director.

As you know, I am a uh recipient of the recreation system.

Um, it was my safe haven growing up.

Um single family home.

I mean, my mother didn't have time for me, and the recenter was basically my my dad.

So I will be in full support of your raise.

Um, I believe in loyalty.

I know that when the neighboring city of Ward 3 had an issue, um, they reached out to you and they wanted you to come back and you decided to stay in Cranston.

So that meant a lot to me when I heard that through the grapevine.

So I will be in full support of your raise.

I will be in full support of the parks and rec department.

I hope we get this eight percent.

Um, you know, legislation up at the state house, so I just want to end with that, but I really want to thank you and all the members of the park department for this for their time and continue the good work, please.

Can I get can I just um because I uh please just want to say one thing.

Uh about the fiscal situation, and I respectfully will defer that to the the powers to be the administration in you as the city council.

I'm not comfortable talking about myself.

Um I will never be comfortable, and I'll be humble because that's just who I am.

Um, our results speak for themselves.

I mean, I don't have to tell you what we've been able to do over the last year.

It's been well documented.

I rather just concentrate on team building and bringing people together because that's what I've done over the my career in Cranston over the twenty years that I've been involved with the community.

That's what I'm going to focus on.

The rest of it, I'm just going to leave it up to other people because um I didn't take this job um because of of the the finance part of it.

I took this job because I love the city and I love what I do, and I love what I do for the kids.

So I I just want to put that out there because it sounds like I I, you know, I don't want to be perceived as something that I'm not.

And um, as a second largest city, I mean, that should have answered the question all itself.

So I appreciate the opportunity, but I just felt as though um Chairman, I that I had to say that and kind of uh support myself, so to speak.

All right.

At this time we are coming back from recess.

And yeah, we have enough people.

Director, you have the option of just going right into questions or giving us a uh statement about what's going on over there.

Synopsis.

Oh, thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

I think just to make a few okay, all right, you're good.

All right.

Let's go.

Is that good?

Um, I just have a few quick opening uh comments, uh, Mr.

Chairman, Council President, members of the city council.

You could just speak up because I I can't even hear you.

Is this on?

Can you hear me?

Okay, great.

Sorry about that.

Move this right here.

So we've had another very productive year uh at the Cranston Public Library supporting our community.

And I hope you've all had a chance to review our uh impact report that you received in the mail, just to show some of the ways that we supported our youth and our teens and our community.

And I want to thank our amazing and dedicated uh library team for all their hard work uh for the residents of Cranston.

Three numbers that I also wanted to mention that stood out to me when I was looking at the impact report were that the Cranston Public Library was ranked number one in circulation of materials among all Rhode Island Public Libraries, which is a ranking that we have maintained for the past fifteen plus years.

Something uh was mentioned earlier about volunteers, we have a very vibrant teen volunteer program.

Three hundred and eighty Cranston teens volunteered last year, earning over thirty-two hundred service hours uh at our libraries.

And the Cranston Public Library patrons actually saved over nine point five million dollars by checking out items at our libraries this year.

So for fiscal twenty-seven, uh, we were asked by the mayor to submit a level fund budget uh due to the state mandated maintenance of effort for libraries.

Um, and so knowing the fiscal challenges of the city, we were able to make some tough decisions, but uh submit a level fund budget.

Um, I do want to just let one one thing about the budget that I wanted to just let the council know is that this year uh the library was also asked to assume the cost of landscaping and snow removal at our libraries uh with with uh within that level fund budget.

This is a responsibility of the city has had uh since two thousand seven.

So we have begun building those costs into this budget.

Um the landscaping uh contract bid has just gone out, snow removal.

Well, we'll be working on later this year, and we'll have no idea how much that is because we've never had to deal with that.

So the trustees have also authorized me to use funds from the library reserve fund for the purpose of snow removal as we try to continue to determine the correct amount uh for snow removal to build into the budget for FY27 uh and beyond.

Um so uh with that, I would uh welcome your questions.

Thank you, Director.

I believe I should begin with Councilman Bonano.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Um I love the libraries.

I'm at the Cranston Public Library twice a week.

I have two little daughters, 10 and six.

And uh because of our Cranston Public Libraries, not only because of them, but in large part because of them, they have developed a love for reading, and many of their peers have as well.

Um I don't know if how many of you notice when I walk in, probably some of you don't even realize that I'm here right now, but anyhow, uh I always have a book.

And um I'm a huge proponent of the public libraries, and I think that um anything we could do to maintain our status as a leader in libraries is uh tremendous.

I I had a question about our library branches.

And as you know, as like I said, and we'll probably say this a hundred times.

Um, as we go through the budget, we're gonna look at what we need and what we want and determine whether or not something fits into the category of need or want.

And um some of the questions as to whether or not we need or want them are the extemporaneous branches and whether or not those are um as utilized as the central branch, which I know is quite utilized.

Um can you expound upon that a little bit?

Uh certainly, councilman.

Thank you for your support of the library.

Um, and we love it when we see your family uh in the library.

Um yeah, the central library clearly is gonna be the uh busiest of our libraries.

It's actually the busiest public library in the state.

Um, and our branch libraries, uh, since they're varying in size to as much as the size of the William Hall library over in edge or to the to the small library we have in the Cranston Senior Center have varying uh uses, so uh usage statistics.

So they're they're um they're all used, uh clearly they're not gonna be used as heavily as the central library.

And we've seen when the uh the pandemic hit and when once we reopened, um the usage was down in a lot of the branches, and we're slowly seeing that usage increase.

Um, but um, but we're not um uh unaware of the of the need to study do we need all the the current configuration of branches.

So we have a uh state mandated strategic plan and community assessment that needs to be done every five years.

Our current plan ends in 2027.

So we're our our our plan is, and we're I'm currently looking for a grant funding for this is to um because we typically hire a consultant to help with the community assessments uh to start that later this year.

And one of the major things we need to look at is uh basically a SWOT analysis of the branch system.

Look at all the all the statistics going back pre-pandemic to now for for visits, how much circulation they have, program attendance, all of that, and to see um you know what uh you know if if it warrants uh keeping them or considering reevaluating the structure.

So that's something that we are already going to be doing.

Um I think it would for us to close a branch without doing such a study would probably not be responsible responsible.

So I wouldn't I wouldn't recommend like we wouldn't want to close a branch right now without doing that study, but that's something that we're hoping to accomplish uh later this year as we go into our new strategic plan for uh 2027.

All right.

Um I think you know, just to give I don't have obviously nearly as much uh knowledge as the staff or or the consultant that would do that, just as somebody who you know has a responsibility to the taxpayer.

I would I think like the William Hall library obviously is utilized.

Um and the and the public, the the public library, the main branch on Sakanasset is you know, it's tough to get a parking spot.

Um to be able to keep those flourishing, uh, I think I hope is the goal.

And um I know there's a maintenance of effort with the library system, correct?

Correct.

So yeah.

So um, you know, the fact that you're turning an 11 funded budget is thank you.

It makes it makes a lot of things uh easier for us.

Um, but I I would think that in it in a time of turmoil that we could we could look at to make sure that those are uh cost effective.

Um and that would be my only suggestion.

I I do want to mention that you know the city is grateful for such a tremendous library director.

You know, you're your award-winning.

You were you were before us uh a few months ago because you're recognized as one of the premier library directors in our state, and we're very lucky to have you.

And I just wanted to say that.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

Mr.

Auditor.

Thank you, councilman.

I appreciate that.

Director, as always, you know, a few questions, and just I apologize for not being here at the beginning.

So for the council, the libraries are treated similar to the schools, it's maintenance of effort.

So whatever was given to them in previous years is what they'll get in the current year, and we cannot reduce that.

I ask one question always, uh Director Gosha.

Any surplus that you've had over the years, you have a reserve fund that I believe is outside of what we see here in our budget.

Can you let us know what the balance is in that reserve fund?

And I believe two years ago you received a 250,000 dollar grant that is uh controlled byward.

Certainly.

So the reserve fund um per the state statutes, the library is allowed to roll over any unexpended library revenues uh into our reserve fund at the end of the year.

When I say library revenues, our budget is made up of three revenue sources the city appropriation, our state aid to libraries and revenues that we generate uh from various fees that we charge.

And uh so we have to expend the city appropriation and the state aid because that that's part of the state aid law, which also is the maintenance of effort law.

So the current uh balance of our reserve fund uh is stands at 145,000 and at 145,000.

And as I stated earlier in my comments, um the trustees uh we typically use that for building projects that we don't have the opportunity to spend out, don't have enough money in our maintenance of our property maintenance line, which is at 85,000 in our annual budget, but also don't rise to the level of going out to a capital expenditure to to do a uh a bond.

Um so this year, that you know, moving into this year next, um, knowing that we have to assume the control of uh snow removal from our libraries, the trustees have authorized me um to uh use the reserve fund to help pay for that expenditure because it's we're not gonna know what it is.

And I actually uh was negligent earlier.

I meant to say in my opening comments that I do want to acknowledge that the chair of our board of trustees, Michael Goldberg, is here um in attendance for this meeting.

The other question you had, uh auditor was about um uh it was uh a prize that the library won.

It was actually uh five years ago.

Um we we received the Jerry Klein Community Impact Prize, which um we were the second library to ever to receive that prize.

The first was the Sacramento Public Library, and the the prize came with our an award of 250,000.

So the there is an organization that exists called the Cranston Public Library Association, which is a 501c3 nonprofit foundation that was formed in 2010, and that um foundation raises money for the libraries.

They have no uh role in the operations or government governance of the library.

And so that money was used with the foundation to build um an endowment because uh we do not get money um in this budget.

I mean, you know, we have our 4.1 million dollar budget, but we do not receive funds uh in the operating budget for all the programs that we run every year, summer reading program, all the children's programs, et cetera.

Um, so we raise money, a fundraiser and raise money and write grants for those every year.

So the uh the funds that were um allocated from that prize, um some of it was put in an investment account to build an endowment to be able to use some every year to help offset the cost of the programs that we run because we do not get the funds for those in our operating budget from the city.

Thank you, Director, Mr.

President.

Um I'm glad uh the auditor or de mayo pointed out the fact that we don't have the ability to cut your budget regardless.

This is the maintenance of effort is just like the school.

And I see how your your budget is exactly the same in the expenditures as it was before.

So I'm pleased that it's that amount.

Um, so I won't deliberate a lot.

I like everyone else share shared the admiration for the work that you do in public library, but I'm glad that this is not going to cause us any issue.

We cannot cut it, and there has been a no increase.

So thank you very much, and thank you, Time.

Director, Director Shrubb.

Thank you, Chair.

Um as was stated, and it's been stated a couple of times as you the maintenance of effort, the uh budget for next year is the same as last year.

Um, but I did want the uh committee to know that they are right on schedule.

They're at uh their total budget for this year that we're currently in is 76.71%.

And uh basically that's where they should be 77%.

So uh Mr.

Gosh has his accounts in line to what uh was budgeted for last year, and we should end up with a balanced budget for that department.

Thank you, Mr.

Auditor.

Uh director, one last question.

Um, the salaries line, it seems that there's a pay increase for the director.

Um, with reference to you level funding that, how is that funds put in place if we're level funding the library and you have an increase in your salary?

Yeah, so um I can answer that question.

Uh it's you know, um, I maybe was anticipating this after the first hearing.

Uh also very difficult to always you know talk about yourself, but I did see that news article.

But I did see that news article.

And the numbers in that are incorrect.

So the salary figure that is listed in that budget will be my salary at the end of this fiscal year.

So June 2027.

But the number that it says that the increase is taking place, which is close to $7,000, I believe, is incorrect.

And that is because the budget that was presented to the city from the previous finance director in FYA 26 misstated my current salary.

It repeated the salary from fiscal 25.

So if you notice there's a flat salary in there for two years, when in fact I had received an increase.

So the increase that gets to the salary that is listed now, it was actually spread over three fiscal years.

It was not this a big lump sum increase.

So in that contract, there was a small contractual increase.

When you mean contractual, that's just with the board of governors.

You're not in a union, are you?

I am not in a union.

I have an employment contract with the board of trustees.

Thank you.

So can I just Mr.

President?

Just a follow-up, not to take a second.

So it says not to put you on the spot.

You did approximately a four thousand dollar raise.

Am I correct?

I'm sorry, Council President.

I'm looking at this year's salary.

Um, and it looks to be approximately $4,000 more.

Is that correct?

Um I don't want to put you on the spot.

No, it's actually not correct.

Um, some of the increase that I received came in this fiscal year.

Um, because again, my contracts run March to March, it runs on a hiring cycle.

So some of that increase was already into the budget that we're doing now for fiscal 26.

It's awkward and embarrassing, but the from our final from our monthly reports, it says you're approximately 124 on this budget that we were given two days ago.

I got 128.

Would that be which one would be wrong?

124 for the last year, 128 for this year.

Correct.

Approximately I'm correct.

But again, in March 2nd, when I signed my new contract, there was a small increase there.

So some of that 4,000 is actually in this fiscal year that we're in right now, not next year.

Total honesty, I probably be we would be looking to cut it if it tell you the truth.

But seeing your budget is exactly the same as last year, I don't, and I don't have the power to do that, I believe.

Yeah.

Mr.

Auditor.

So again, Mr.

Gasha, just part of the last question.

The budget's the same as last year, and you have a pay increase.

What expenditures are reduced?

So the other part of your question that you asked me about the salaries is that we um excuse me.

Um we had two positions that um one person retired, they were um in a library and two classification.

So they had been here with for with us for 39 years.

So they left and we were able to bring someone um that was already in the library system on board, but at a lower grade.

So um, so that reduced our salary line.

We had another position um that was our technical services systems coordinator, which was uh originally a classification librarian three.

That person left um after 12 years to go be the director of the Greenville Public Library.

So I actually we we changed that position to not be a librarian classified position, but to be an IT manager.

And so between the change in the position and the uh salary savings from having someone at one of our highest classifications, we realized about a $20,000 savings there.

So the salary line that you're seeing here, um although although reduced does have um, you know, again, an increase for my salary, but also uh two percent increase for our library union.

Um, but we were able to do that um with those reductions.

We also have an open position that we did not fill um in this budget.

So we had uh one of our librarian ones is an open position, and we had not filled it in this budget.

So all of those factors is why you see a level fund budget, but also reduction in our salary line.

Thank you.

Mayor Trefficante.

Just a quick question.

Uh director, um, state aid.

Uh I see where I'm going back to 2021.

It's increased slightly each year.

In your particular budget, you you basically noted that it's not going to be increased for 2007.

Is there a reason for that?

Yes.

So the state aid is uh number is based on a formula that calculates two years of uh municipal spending across the state.

Um also that has to be funded appropriately by either the governor or the general assembly, and that's based on a 25% formula of spending for municipal uh at libraries.

So in the this year, the the governor level funded that, um, which means it's actually at 24.1%, not 25.

So I do have a resolution, I think that's coming in front of the council on Monday that we were asking for full funding.

If the if the state aid is fully funded by the General Assembly, uh the Cranston Public Library will realize an additional 23,000 in revenue.

Councilman Ritz.

Just a few questions that I have had uh asked of me and some of them myself.

So similar to Councilman Bonano, I do get asked a lot about if we can close some of the smaller libraries.

And I just wanted to make sure I understand.

So right now we're doing a study to see if that's uh they're still necessary to have this many branch locations.

Yeah, I I mean I I I would advocate that we don't need to close any of them because they're all still vibrant neighborhood libraries.

Um, and in fact, the cost savings to closing them probably wouldn't be as great as you would think on some of the smaller buildings as the staff there is not that big, but we would not want to entertain that without actually doing a study and looking at all the numbers, all the statistics um for you know the past several years and then looking forward to see what the city needs.

So that's hopefully gonna happen this fall.

I'm looking for grant funding that to hire the consultant to do that work.

So um, and that would be that would be part of the community assessment that we're doing to start our new strategic plan.

If if we did, I don't know if this question is for you.

If we did close a library and that building sold, does that money go back to the city for that sold property?

So the uh the only library in this in the city that is not owned by the city is the William Hall library.

That library still has a private trust that runs it and we manage it.

We have an operating agreement to manage that library.

Um the other buildings are all sold by the city and they're under the exclusive control of the board of trustees.

So if they were if they were sold, that money would would go back to the city in some fashion.

Um in your budget, it doesn't have an overtime line.

Is there any overtime?

We have no overtime.

Um underperforming uh periodicals, those type of materials.

Is that evaluated and and do we reduce those?

Someone had asked me.

Yeah, so periodicals is is the magazines, newspapers, you know, things like that that we that we purchase.

Um we're constantly evaluating them and you know, cutting ones that you would it's very interesting.

In a time where newspaper circulation is down, readership is down, the costs of newspapers is going through the roof, and some of the other major periodicals are going through the roof.

So we're constantly looking at those.

We look at hundreds of dollars of transactions when we're putting this budget together.

So we've cut major newspapers in some of our branches because it was like the New York Times, Boston Globe, even the Providence Journal, those are going, you know, the cost per year for each of those could be six, seven, eight hundred dollars for subscription.

So we we definitely evaluate that and cut ones that become too expensive.

A lot of the other ones, you know, are they made up of like these 24 subscriptions?

So it's not they're they're not as huge, but the big ones we evaluate and have and definitely um cut some of those expenditures.

Is there an opportunity to use more volunteer help?

I know you do some volunteers, but is that able to be expanded?

Yeah, so we so we definitely have our part-time staff, right?

Um, we have a lot of part-time help, which in this budget is level funded.

So we were gonna we're definitely going to be going and evaluating our scheduling in every building and making sure we're running lean and means not over offset that budget because it was also a minimum wage increase that that takes place this January, which would have had us raise salaries uh, I think to $14 or was it $12, I forget.

16, oh $16.

Wow.

Um, and we're we absorb that cost that cost here.

So volunteers, I mentioned that we have the the very vibrant teen volunteer program.

So that last year we had 380.

Um adult volunteers are a little bit more difficult.

We have we do have um a program called homebound services.

So we deliver books and materials to people uh the people that are either temporarily or permanently homebound, and the the people that drive those materials to those folks are volunteers, are actually our chair of our our board is one of them.

And it's actually a really good program because it allows some of those folks don't get the socialization and then it and they but they make those relationships with those drivers and get that socialization as well as the books.

Um having more adult volunteers in the library would kind of take away from our our teen volunteer program, and we want to we want to have that opportunity to offer the the community service at the that the Cranston students need to graduate, and it also would would actually add more costs for us because of the management, like we'd have to have somebody who would be managing that volunteer program for adults, and there's certain state statutes that we have to abide by that would that make some of the uh adult more adult volunteers a bit more problematic.

We have to do a lot of BCI checks.

There's a child safe zone law that we have to abide by um at the library, and we want to make sure that whoever's working for us in whether uh uh paid or volunteer capacity um is safe to be around children, right?

So um we have not really thought to expand the adult volunteers more because we didn't want to take away from the children's uh the teen volunteers and also just those added those added um uh costs that would be involved.

Yeah, I mean, uh, you know, kind of my other my other thoughts were you know, I appreciate you sending in a uh a level funded bundle here too, budget rather, excuse me.

Um, you know, and and I have questions for the senior center, you know, with programming stuff like that.

So you know, I I had hoped even though it's level funded, maybe you could help us take on some more stuff.

Maybe there's some senior programs with adjusted hours there that we can move over to the library.

And and I know there's a surplus uh potentially there to um so the the landscaping, everything that involves with the library meetings and the outside of the that's managed through the library that's not the city.

Well, this is the first year we've been asked, we've been asked this year for this budget to take over our landscaping and our snow plowing that previously was handled by the city department since 2007, when there when there was uh the if you remember the economic downturn in 2007, there was some still some cuts to um state aid is to cities and towns in the middle of the fiscal year.

During that time, um uh the previous administration had said we would take over that responsibility, but we're gonna eliminate a line item we had in the budget for for landscaping and and snow removal.

So that's been a city function since 2007.

So we've we're asked to do that now again.

We've started building it into the budget, mainly the the landscaping because we already did did our our process, so that that number aligns to what I put in for that.

The snow, what the snow is going to be we we don't know.

I've never had to be in control of it, and then hopefully we will not have the snow we had this last year.

So again, that's why the that that number is a bit uncertain.

So the the trustees are authorizing me to use the reserve fund to pay for that at least for the short term while we figure out what the what the ongoing cost is going to be to build it into the budget.

I guess my last question is so um, you know, if if we were to tighten up things and the surplus grow even more, is in the board agreed potentially they could give that money back to the city if we create a surplus by tightening things up, or would it just stay in there?

I just didn't know how it worked with the I'm sorry.

So if we're able to build that reserve up to 400,000 and the board agreed, could that money be given back to the city if we tried other reductions?

Yeah.

If we if we if we increase the reserve fund, um yeah, it's kind of a restricted fund for library operations.

Um we typically do not let it grow that big because we um excuse me, spend it again periodically on building maintenance issues.

Um, because there's the stuff stuff pops up that we in the middle of the year that you don't have the money in our budget for, and we don't have and they don't rise to level of going out to the capital budget to bid.

So that's where a lot of the reserve funds are are spent.

So we've not let it really get over.

It probably hasn't been over 200,000 is probably where the cap's been for the longest time.

This is actually a little bit larger than it's been right now than in a while.

Um so that's again why we're able to use the the snow removal.

You did ask a question about senior services.

I know you I know you'll talk to my fellow director.

We actually do partner with the senior center quite frequently.

We have a library in the senior center.

Um, we've we have done program partnered programs in the past, and I'm sure if there's something that we could do to further do that to help reduce costs, we would be happy to do that.

Councilman.

One last question.

I should have asked this earlier.

I apologize.

Um the central library is the only one that's open on Sundays, correct?

Correct.

And would there be any cost savings not opening on Sundays in the future?

So the budget we have for Sunday hours is is $26,000.

That's it.

Um typically, you know, uh we open right after uh Columbus Day through uh May.

There's always some snow days in there.

So there's always a little bit of savings because if it's okay storm, I'm not gonna open the library for four hours.

Um we were able in this level fund budget through some of the things that I had mentioned earlier, um, make the decisions to have as little impact as possible on the public.

If we have to either make further cuts or in future years make adjustments, Sunday hours would definitely be on the on the table for a cut, as would be you know, branch hours could be reduced, things like that.

But uh, in this budget, we intend on opening Sundays.

Um, and the Sunday hours actually are very popular.

Um you know, we have several hundred people that come into the building on Sundays, even when we're only for four hours and they come in and a lot of people are studying and they don't have a place to the quiet place to do that.

So it's actually a very um busy building, even on Sunday afternoons.

Councilman Campobiano.

Thank you, Watch.

Um I'm gonna circle back to uh what councilman Rich says about closing buildings.

What is the traffic like in the senior center?

So the senior center library is probably our least used facility.

It's 550 square feet.

We have so it's a very small room.

We have collections there for for all ages.

So it's a children's collection and doll collection.

But to be to be perfectly honest with you and Frank, that library does not serve that neighborhood as well as a larger library would right.

So um that there's seniors that use it.

Some people from the community come in and use it.

We've had on on the comprehensive plan and in our strategic plan for longer than I've actually been the director and that's 14 years to try to build a bigger library facility in that neighborhood when it's possible.

The senior center where it's located actually used to be the Auburn library and in the 70s that the library board of trustees gave that building to the city and they knocked it down to put the senior center with the understanding there would always be a library there.

Clearly the economics in the city now are not such that we could actually open a new library but we do know that a lot of the people that live in that neighborhood um have um uh transportation issues um you know we know the economics of a lot of the the residents in that area and they can't get to the central library because our public transportation does not have cross town so we would definitely like to have better library facilities but so the so definitely our least used building by far um but the cost to us is actually um the the cost is kind of negligible because since it's part of the senior center we're just paying for the salary and the books um the the this the electricity and everything else is paid for by this by senior services they would they would continue to have to do that if it wasn't a library because it'd still be part of their building for something else so um it's so yes it's a it's not used as well as we would like um but also the cost is fairly negligible to run I I asked that question because I thought maybe you know from a business standpoint maybe we can turn it from a library to some type of uh revenue stream maybe we can have programs in there or something where um it's small enough where you can heat it and air condition it uh maybe exercise programs maybe bingo I don't know but maybe there's a way to utilize it more efficiently than we do now.

Yeah um I mean if the senior center has those types of programs I'm sure you know Director Crada can talk more about this but they have their they have those I think in other parts of the building so um I would have to research that idea I'm not sure um how much revenue if you would definitely lose library services to the senior center if we if we did that and and a lot of the the people that go to the senior center maybe not are not able to get to the central library.

So having them have you know library services in that small space um I think is still warranted.

All right and uh I got one last question.

Um I got one last question um obviously you say you're responsible for the upkeep of the buildings what's the conditions of the buildings throughout the city are there any big red flags we need to be concerned about um no actually um I think our library buildings are in real good condition the central library although built in 1983 is in excellent condition over the last 14 years we put a new roof on it we put new HVAC systems in there um we renovated the bathrooms um at our other buildings like the Knightsville library again we put a new roof there we put new HVAC um currently on the capital budget from last year we're still working on this but there was money in our bond account left over from other projects so we'll be redoing the bathrooms at the Auburn library and I think the biggest um and so we in our capital budget hearing we in the planning commission we had actually needed to um put a new RT1 roof roof unit on the central library very large um part of the HVAC but we are lucky that we are working on um a grant uh through the through the city um working in conjunction with their mayor's office on a what they're calling a community municipal library grant that is coming from the governor's pandemic recovery office using leftover money from the Learn 365 so Cranston is being allocated uh a little more than 21000 for that for use at our library so we're in the sub-award phase right now we had four phases of application processes that I've been working on so we were able to get the approximately 85 thousand dollars that that rooftop unit's going to cost part of that grant um you may be aware that for for I think the last eight or nine years we've needed to upgrade across the city radio boxes at all of our fire stations the 5000 for that project at the library all of our library buildings is part of this grant so we're we're we're constantly looking for grant funding to to fund as many of these building improvements as we need the only major one that is still kind of outstanding is at the William Hall library that library needs a new elevator um the elevator is probably they the elevator maintenance company say we need to replace it in the next eight to 10 years but we've we've been spending significant money um repairing it um over the last few years so we added that as an out year to the capital budget this year and um definitely something I'm actually looking at grant funding for I actually have a grant in mind that I'm going to apply for in July to hopefully cover the approximately 12500 to fully replace that elevator as well so um I would say our our buildings are in really good condition.

So we added that as an out year to the capital budget this year.

And definitely something I'm actually looking at grant funding for.

I actually have a grant in mind that I'm going to apply for in July to hopefully cover the approximately 125,000 to fully replace that elevator as well.

So I would say our buildings are in really good condition.

I am impressed.

And for the maintenance of that building, the condition of those buildings, I must commend you and your people.

It's absolutely impressive.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Councilman Huron.

Thank you, Director, for being here on a Saturday and the job you're doing.

It clearly shows.

How many have you received this year?

Do you have you received any besides the one you just mentioned?

So yeah, so we um I I spent a lot of time working on grant applications.

Some of them uh like this one go through the library since uh through the city since it's a municipal grant, others uh go through our foundation that I mentioned earlier because it's a 50 and C3 and a lot of grant you need that 50 and C3 status.

So we've applied for grants this year anywhere between 500 to again, this is the largest at 210,000.

So wow, I just was reporting on this.

I think that this year um we've received I I probably applied for at least 15 different grants at varying sizes and received about 10 of them.

Again, some of them could be as small as 500, which are helping fund our summer reading program.

Um again, the biggest one is this 210,000 one, and we have other pending ones like the the one I mentioned, uh, which I'm uh planning on applying to the Champlain Foundation for that elevator.

Um they're very supportive of libraries.

Um and again, another grant through the Rhino Island Foundation that we're applying for to pay for the consultant for the study.

So who writes the grants for your department?

I do.

Do you use the city grant writer at all?

Not typically.

Um I have uh I have fairly good experience writing grants from my previous career.

Um, so I typically write them myself.

Um the award that I mentioned or the client award, when we had to put a comprehensive application in to submit for that, um, the city grant writer at the time uh and I were wrote that together.

So that was a really extensive application.

So the grant writer helped me in that.

I'm always willing to talk to the city council grant writer if they see opportunities that may fit with fit with the library, but uh as of right now, I write them all.

Thank you for doing that.

And you research and look for grants on your own.

Yeah, I can I mean I I consider it part of my job to be able to go out again.

We we don't um even with the generous funding we get from the city and the state, we don't get that money to run our programs.

So I'm constantly every year having to fundraise and write grants to pay for all of our programs.

So I just consider it a part of my job to be out there doing that.

Thank you very much.

Uh you're welcome, Council Vice President.

I listened with councilwoman Graziano.

Thank you.

Um I echo everyone's sentiment.

We appreciate hard work and your staff's hard work for the libraries.

Um, I want to be quick because we need to move on, but um, how sustainable is it that you continue to do snow removal and landscaping um with your like small reserve of 145,000 dollars.

I think that's unrealistic, especially if you need building maintenance.

Um and also I know the William Hall Library this year was used for um parking, additional parking.

So wouldn't that force the city to do that for you anyway, at least at William Hall?

Um, so councilwoman, the the using the reserve fund is not sustainable.

It's a short-term fix that we can do for a year or two while we figure out how much snow is going to cost because again, we've never had to uh have that expense in life 14 years as the director.

So it's kind of hard, and it came at a time where we hadn't really haven't had a chance to research and go out to bid to see what it would be like.

So definitely a short-term fix.

Level funding our budget for more than one year is kind of unsustainable as well.

Because um, as we've talked about in other departments and at your own homes, all the all of our costs are increasing, utilities tipping fees, even the cost of books is going up because the paper, the cost to produce and publish is being affected by by um some of the stuff going on in the Middle East because they're they they're those printing prices are using oil-based product and they can't get it.

So all of our costs are going through the roof.

So after FY27, um, if we were to be continue to be level funded, we would have to make reductions uh in the budget uh in some way that would potentially affect the public services that we have.

As far as the the snow removal at William Hall, so since the William Hall Library is again privately owned and with a private trust, one of the parts of the operating agreement that we've had in place since the 70s with the that trust is that they handle all snow removal and landscaping for that building.

So there's no cost to the city um for landscaping, which is probably the biggest property we have, right?

So there's no cost to the city for landscaping at William Hall Library nor snow removal.

make reductions uh in the budget uh in some way that would would potentially affect the public services that we have as far as the the the snow move about William Hall so since the William Hall library is again a privately owned and with a private trust one of the parts of the operating group that we've had in place since the 70s with the that trust is that they handle all snow removal and landscaping for that building so there's no cost to the city um for landscaping which is probably the biggest property we have right so there's no cost to the city for landscaping at William Hall library nor snow removal um we did um work with the mayor's office this year to allow um overnight parking during the storms at William Hall which we had never done before and I was hoping that it would not cause an issue with the plow companies that they wouldn't charge the trust additional money by having to you know what work around cars and we were able to um make some adjustments by blocking off certain certain areas to give them access to plow into the backyard without without cars being in there so in this year in those two major storms there was not any additional cost of the whole trust but there was no cost to the city for the landscaping or the or the uh snow removal on that building uh could you give me one second director Renzuli you have something I I was just gonna let councilwoman graziano know that if if the city is making uh we we work with Mr.

Garsha very well and that's why we used William Hall because we knew that it was going to get plowed and we could utilize our plows to do the other lots but if we want to have lots available on that side of the city that's that's the lot that we have to use.

So we're trying to all work together and if it was in the future if Mr Garsha needed to be level funded just like any of the other departments here some sometimes we have to make cuts and in order to all function.

So Mr.

Garsha works very well with the mayor's office and this is just we're trying out them doing their their plowing and their landscaping but if it doesn't work out we'll readjust again continue council work.

Okay thank you um yeah I guess I I get it and I want everyone to be making cuts and that's the goal here but I I guess I just want to on the record I don't think it's sustainable for the future I think it's a huge cost um and all departments are doing raises and here we are trying to squeeze this money out so I guess I don't feel awesome about it.

Maybe for this year it's okay but I just want to put it on the red flag it thank you director um I think that's it so I think we're good we're up uh planning thank you very much planning's account number 1109 group number it is a look small package page 13 director thank you for coming um you have the opportunity to address the committee if not we'll go right into we'll go right into questions it's up to you sure good morning city counselors I'm Beth Ashman your planning director and in front of you you have a budget submitted for 2027 with a 12% decrease in department expenses and in March the City Plan Commission enacted a 25% increase in the fees we charge developers um this is achieved through a number of ways one of them is by continuing to zip to not fill the position of senior planner um and another way we haven't really felt the pain of these this leaving that position vacant yet is that I've really hustled to bring in 227000 in money for staff and consulting to subsidize our operations and help the planning department plan you know not just review development proposals but but plan and I don't see a path to stable municipal finances without smart growth and for that we have work to do in the planning department and then in the name of time I'm just going to uh go straight to questions with that okay um let's start with Mr.

the president Mr.

President listen first uh I appreciate I mean right off right off we've got what a 10% a little better than 10% cut in your budget so you're on the right track certainly are there raises in this you cut staff in the or do you say you cut staff or you didn't fill a position no we're not in this budget we're not filling either the senior plan position so when when director Pizzulo left and and and um we never backfilled that FTE I I was elevated but there's a senior planner position that we didn't backfill and there's also in the budget a zoning enforcement position that we're not going to fill I know people comment about how we don't do enforcement in the city but that position's been left vacant for a number of years.

So I point on the expenditures also that you're so you seems like you're doing, I guess the proverbial, which I I always think is just cliche, you know, more with less, which is almost impossible.

Um, the state funding helps, and I've uh I've re you know, like Director Garsha, I have a background in in grants management, and I've really pursued a number of in-kind and cash information uh awards for the city from the Office of Energy Resources, the Green Infrastructure Center, uh, Grow Smart Rhode Island, uh RIPTA for the safe streets action plan.

Um there is a little, you know, am I worried about being able to deliver on this budget in the long term?

Yeah, I mean, every department is feeling the cuts, and and we are too.

And um, you know, I have a staff person whose contract is not paid for by the city.

You don't see it in this budget, but it's been working for me for two years, and his contract ends in September.

And he's really um allowed us to keep functioning at the full level without that senior planner position being filled.

Okay.

And as I see, you know, I'm just looking at your salary, your salary is down about you know, 40 grand.

You went down.

I see your overtime has been been cut by about $4,000.

Um, so you feel comfortable.

Like I'm gonna, I'm gonna quit it.

Yes.

This is the direction I want you to go.

You feel comfortable with this budget, though.

Is that is that what I'm hearing?

Or no, you do not.

Absolutely.

I and I feel really confident, my team that we're gonna work, give you all our energy, all our curiosity and all of our attention to really continue to up our game in the planning department.

Uh, what actually worries me more in some of our in our partner organizations, I worry long term about underfunding stormwater management.

I know that's not my department, and building inspections, also not my department.

We're gonna building inspections is directly tied to planning.

We have to we have to build, and I don't see any way we can work together to build our way out of this um if we don't get ahead of that.

And with with stormwater management, it's a little painful to what there's a lot of money out there to help us change course in terms of how we manage stormwater in the city, but that water is just gonna flow through our fingers if we don't have enough professional staff to go out and get those grants and manage those grants.

You can't you can't take advantage of outside resources unless you have the professional staff um who really are on their game to to go ahead and utilize those resources.

Just so just so I'm hearing it, you we kind of went to another department.

I did, sorry, and you'll remember that.

I just want to hear it.

I am comfortable with this budget.

I am comfortable with this budget.

Comfortable with this salary.

That's what I want to know.

And I haven't looked at your revenues yet, but it sounds like they're good because you get a lot of.

And I'm committed to working collaboratively with other departments to make it all work, even if we've all we've all taken a cut.

I got you.

Thank you, Director Strawberry.

Yes, uh, when I look at the budget for the next year, it looks like it's down approximately 54, 64,000, almost 65,000.

And currently what uh that department is running right now is approximately 14% on the budget, which would be uh about 70,000.

So what she's running currently to what it uh proposed for next year looks like it's right on target.

Mr.

Order Director, I just want to clarify one thing.

When you give your opening, you said that you you potentially can raise 200,000, or did I No, I said that in March, we uh the city plan commission increased the fees we charge developers and homeowners for building by 25%.

Okay.

The reason I asked the question is obviously you're running under the budgeted number for the current year.

Um, and it it has been reduced in the current budget, but I just I misunderstood.

Yeah, the 200,000 I referred to is money that uh provides staffing.

I sign the timesheets, people get paid, but you don't see it in this budget.

Um, and I also have uh 80,000 in a contract, Rhode Island Housing is paying Kittleson Group to do amazing work for us on our transit-oriented development zone, which is I think the biggest project we have underway that's going to allow us to have more flexibility and bring in more economic development and more housing to the city, you know, really moving away from this patchwork of this this area is only industrial, this is only commercial, this is only residential to allow more mixed use along some of our corridors that have a mix of use today, but our our zoning regulations don't mirror the mix of use that we have today.

Like uh the future of Elmwood Avenue is not mostly industrial.

And we hold those properties back from being redeveloped through the regulations that we have in place.

We need um we've we've done a rewrite of our subdivision ordinances and updated them.

And I know the city councils um enacted um zoning ordinance updates, and you've also passed a number of specific development projects zone changes that allow developers to build things that are going to pay more taxes in our city.

And our work through like work with Kittleson and TOD is going to help us move beyond just some of those spot individual.

We rezone it for one property owner, but on a little more large scale, rewrite our our development ordinances to be in line with our vision of the city.

And and there's also um a lot of time spent on it's very difficult to build infill housing in our older neighborhoods in the city of Cranston right now.

And um, we're we're working collaboratively to try to smooth that process to allow neighborhood consistent infill development in our B1 and P B2 zones.

I think that would help bring in more dollars.

I mean, that's a case where you're you're you're bringing in more taxpayers, but you're not extending roads or sewers or any of those other things um that scale expenses for the city.

Uh councilman Calpabiano.

Thank you, Chairman.

Uh I want to thank you for uh the hard work you do.

I think myself in at the time, Councilman Renzuli could attest to the disruption that was in that that office.

And I was instrumental in trying to get that senior planner in because we were told that it was a necessary and be done, and you've done more with less.

And I really appreciate appreciate that and what you're doing for the city.

Uh, you're going above and beyond.

And uh I just wanted to make that statement.

Thank you for all that.

Thank you.

And I've I have a really good team professional team in the planning office.

Councilwoman Heroid.

I'd like to second that.

Thank you for doing it.

And thank you for also pointing out that your team is working so hard, also.

We appreciate all you're doing.

Um, you did mention grants.

Do you look for your own grants, or is the city grant writer look for them?

I mostly look for my own grants.

We did get a small grant for to do um some historic research on the Garn City that's the grant writer wrote for me.

And that was something that sort of landed on my lap.

The idea predated me.

But yeah, I I read the newsletters about what's coming out there.

One of the limitations is I can only pursue grants that have no match requirement because I don't have any reserve fund to draw on to uh do match.

So, like, and this again leads into public works.

There's a lot of money on the streets right now for safe streets improvements, but they all require match.

So doesn't have any money for matching right now.

This is not the year.

This is not the year.

I don't know if this is topic if I'll get in trouble.

You did mention that and getting building inspections make sure difficult job if they're not done.

Did I hear that correct?

Yeah, and we're they bring in 2.7 million dollars that we charge developers, and we're not that money is to fund a department that does a critical role, and we're basically pulling money out of there, and you can't get good customer service under with a department that's that far understaffed.

I have tremendous respect for the individuals in that department, but we need them to be better staffed so they can be more responsive and get a chance to breathe and explain things to people that they work with because if you know, customer service goes out the window if you have no time.

Thank you, and thank you for your outlook being so positive because mine's not the same on that department.

Yeah, I'm gonna recommend them to go to parks department or something, but uh, councilwoman Graziano.

Thank you.

Um, I with uh councilman Capabiano and uh Vice President Heroyan.

Um, I think that the planning department has come a long way.

I'm super appreciative of the work you've done.

I've sat in on a few of the planning hearings, and I'm grateful for your team.

Um I will say thank you for being um proactive about grants.

I think that every single department in the city of Cranston who hasn't told us that they've gotten a grant and they have, we want to hear about it because Beth is showing you guys up if you're not going out and getting grants because that's what you should be doing.

Um she's funding a whole staff person with that.

Um that being said, can you get that grant again for that staff person?

Not that specific program, but I'll be on the lookout for the next opportunity.

Okay, and how significantly will it affect you once you lose that person September 1st?

You know, we are going to we we're going to make it work.

I mean, one of the things that gets put down, we always have to do our plan review and the sort of customer service for people walking the door that has to happen.

And what sometimes gets delayed is planning um comp plan works, some of the more long-term stuff, but we will balance that.

And is this a tough year for the city?

And I you have very hard decisions to make and I appreciate that and um we will do our best with what we have and it's we're also we also now there's no member of the planning department who's been here much more than two years but we're we're now up to we've really takes time I've been in this role for just since April last year.

It takes time to get up to speed but I feel like we're we're up to speed and we're gonna we're gonna keep exceeding expectations.

Great I appreciate that and I thank you um I want to say that we need a zoning enforcement officer we can't get by without one and I would be an advocate of me probably not this year but um I we need to fund it even if it's part-time I don't care if it's part time but that is something that we need to fund I I don't know we'll talk about building department later um stormwater I am uh 100% agreement some of the issues are that planning department just for the public planning department grant subdivision site plans um and then there's no oversight by the city and we potentially have subdivisions um if they're private where their catch basins aren't managed their infrastructure their um stormwater infrastructure isn't managed no one's checking it no one's holding them accountable um and that's a huge problem um when we are reporting um to the EPA annually and so um we really need on you know like on the ground boots for construction um and that is something that the city needs desperately um we're allowing you know private subdivisions to go unaccountable uh new commercial development new industrial development so it's a it's a huge issue but thank you for keeping your budget um under under down mayor traverk uh director uh you did a good job up until you said something which kind of caught my attention you say you don't have the staff to pursue resources you elaborate on that a little more I specifically said that the city not my department in stormwater management doesn't have the resources to put pursue grants so I I I guess one of the things maybe I'm I'm a very collaborative person I'm working with other departments and we depend on each other so I maybe it is a lot little out of line for me to highlight a need that's not in the planning department but it does affect our ability to grow the tax base and to do so in a way where the the impacts of new development are less than the development you already have have you um brought this to the attention to any other departments oh I'm I'm this is not news this is not news and we we are working collaboratively we have a uh a FEMA grant right now for buying out some flood prone properties we it's not that we're doing nothing but there is so many things we can't we can't even apply for the money because we can't you know that you have there's certain things you have to do and those things take are in the front burner and if you can't cover that you can't take the time to pursue other opportunities like grants in your in your um budget it says here payment payment for one college level course is mandated by union contract but what clarify that what does that mean so that there's no money allocated in our budget for that right now but it is anticipated that it's in the in the union contract as you say that someone could take a planning course um the positions in our planning department all require a master's degree in planning or related field except for the planner technician role and traditionally the person who takes this position of planner technician is a planner in training and will pursue graduate level courses to become a planner because that's the one stepping stone position that allows us to have future planners but if it's a union contract how come it wasn't funded you know there has it's been a number of years since uh an employee has requested that so we'll cross that bridge when we come to it I mean that's something it is that that clause in the teamsters contract specific to the planning department I'm not sure it is reading what's in the book yet yeah mandated by union contract.

Yeah so we may get a request from an employee to take a college course and we'll we'll shuffle things around if we have to and and other than salary the expenses in this department budget are very what's shown here is very minimal there's not much to move around.

And other than salary, the expenses in this department budget are very what's shown here is very minimal.

There's not much to move around.

I want you to know that I truly enjoy the collaboration with the college that you had uh display was very interesting.

Thank you.

Very educational.

Councilman Ritz.

You know, all your hard work there.

And I was on the planning commission before, so I appreciate someone coming in with uh going to yes instead of before it used to always be a no and you know, responsible development, and you know, I appreciate everything you're doing there.

Um, I was wondering if there's any opportunity with internships to kind of help with your workload if we yeah, so I I um at the recommendation of the uh of Michael Favicchio, Director Favicchio.

Um, I applied for the state uh government internship program, and this semester we had a URI student um doing an internship.

We have another person coming in this summer again.

They're getting paid, they're either getting credit or pay, and it's not coming from us.

Uh we had a so this last semester we had two errands.

So one was a co-op student who's an architecture student from Wentworth, and then a political science student from URI.

Councilman Beno.

Councilman Ritz told my question.

Um, but I I would like to uh commend your staff as a former chair of the zoning board.

I could tell you that personally, and I know the zoning board relies very much on what you produced for us to make informed decisions on the zoning board, and I know that that's continuing and probably improving.

So the work that you do is very valuable.

I think that one of the ways that we can begin to, and you mentioned this.

One of the ways we can begin to improve the financial climate in our city is to develop and to develop responsibly, and your office is responsible for that.

So um, you know, keep up the good work.

I hope that uh that will continue to occur and that we can build our tax base based on the work that that you guys continue to do.

Thank you.

Yeah, I look forward to working with you to keep building responsibly.

Director, I'm a huge fan of the planning department.

I believe you guys are on the staff, and you're doing uh an incredible job.

Um, but my question is can your office handle administrative modifications if we were to cut the red tape and take that and maybe a couple other things away from the planning commission and move them to your office to basically do it administratively instead of waiting four months, three hearings, three continuances at the at the commission level to move it to your office.

Can your office handle that?

You know, we we're pretty dynamic, you know, there have been a lot of changes in state law and we've made adjustments in our processes to catch up with that, and we will continue to be open to things.

I would when I see a developer we're you know, for wasting five, ten, fifteen thousand dollars in their money just through our delays and processes, not not in any way that changes the outcome or the decision, but just by being slow.

I that really that really hurts us because it that that's part of our reputation as a place to to build and invest.

And the next question is as you see our neighboring the capital city, it's no secret.

Um, a lot of their investors, builders are gonna start moving this way.

What is your projection for this coming year and into next?

What are you forecasting the volume coming this way?

Because I believe it, and I would say that I'm pretty sure people already go into your office.

That's why I'm asking us.

Yeah, we uh we've permitted a city permitted 158 new housing units in 2025.

We're running ahead of last year in terms of people who come in and ask.

But you know, a lot of people come in to ask if they can develop something on their lot.

And and we we explain our rules, and the answer is often no.

You the number of applications that we receive um is a fraction of the number of people who would would like to build.

And I want to apologize because you know, I I like to cut red tape, but I guess we have some red tape here because I submitted a few ordinances that we're still waiting on about unmerging and reducing the size to build uh multifamily lots that we desperately need.

So I want to apologize for you to you personally for not bringing that to the table now, but I really want to thank you for coming here, and I really want you to keep up the good work.

So and though those ordinances would save staff time for the planning department, which we could use to uh we could dedicate to looking at modifications and some other some other ideas for streamlining things.

Thank you.

Thank you, Director.

No further questions.

Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.

The mayor wants to finish.

Chair, it says capital budget also uh planning and capital budget.

Discussing that we're gonna go right into capital budget, I guess.

Do we have anything for it?

I did look like I was gonna leave.

Is capital budget yours?

But yes, let's flip over to the capital budget.

It's uh page 28 in the small version.

All right.

Um anybody have any questions, Mayor?

The floor is yours.

You have something to say.

Yes, I we are going through the capital budget right now, the whole thing.

Yes.

No, just planning in the capital budget.

Well, there is no planning in the capital budget.

All right, then what are we doing?

All right, okay, we're all set.

Thank you.

No capital requests from the agenda.

Okay.

Next up, um, I don't know if they're here uh inspections and standards, building inspections going once going twice.

Director Renzuli.

Oh is it Stan?

Oh, is he online?

All right, yeah, sure.

Uh Director, are you online?

Let's give him a moment.

One one 1111 inspections.

Page 13 in the small book.

I don't know that that's Director Peichel.

I think that's somebody no, it's not.

All right.

So uh is is uh anybody here from building inspections.

Can you repeat the page?

I'm sorry.

One 1111.

Thank you.

No, I yeah.

Thank you.

So then Nicole, get back up.

Was she gonna say something?

Um Director Renzula, are you gonna say anything about uh our missing director?

I think that you guys all receive the same thing that I have in front of me.

Um so I can't speak.

I can't really answer questions for this department.

Well no, no, I know.

Can I see that what he said, please?

Mr.

Chair, do you think do you think we should read that into the record?

Yes.

No, it's uh to be honest with you.

I don't want to read into the record.

Um it's something very old.

He has a council committee membership that's uh no no no the letter from him is the only thing I was asking.

If if it's not appropriate, you have to chair.

I'm just no, you know what?

I don't even want to read it.

I think it's disrespectful that this person didn't come in.

I specifically told this person that we will make adjustments for for him to come up early.

And I believe this is slap in the face.

Um, this department is we understand it's well fun, very underfunded, but there's a lot of double dipping in this department.

There's a lot of errors in this department, and this department is holding our city back, and we cannot move forward because of this department.

So I am not gonna entertain any anything read in the record.

I just feel it's very disrespectful.

I'll let any other council other council people say anything if they can.

Um, I will start with uh our president.

Thanks yours, Mr.

President.

Um, listen, everybody knows this process can be inconvenient for all of us to come in.

I understand that.

I certainly do.

But if you're you're ahead of a department, I think one of your obligations is a leader in the city, the city government, you have an obligation to come in.

So I share um the chair's concern and unhappiness.

So I I think we should still look at the numbers.

It's up to the chair entirely.

Or we could look to our if none of the other people have questions.

I certainly listen.

I'm gonna I'm gonna form my own opinions of what what the outline items are as to do with expenses and and cuts.

Um but I personally I just think it's irresponsible not to come in and it wasn't like I can see the reasoning.

It's unacceptable.

Flat out.

Thank you.

Councilwoman Heroin.

I think it'd be I think it's extremely disrespectful.

We did receive the email.

Um I can say myself I'm very unsatisfied with this department.

I have not seen good results out of it.

Why they sit and wait for their department to be heard for us to discuss somebody that knows so.

So I am totally against taking this budget up right now.

I think we need to move on to the people that took time out of their Saturday.

As you all know, he worked for the mayor of the city of Quest.

He doesn't work for the city council.

So it's up to the mayor to do the discipline.

Yeah, absolutely correct.

He should have been here.

It's just an obligation to be here as a director of a department.

Uh let's I I'd say let's let's move on.

Let's go through the people that are here.

Let's not hold them up any further and let's discipline him when he comes before us in the future.

If you were to come up.

Uh councilwoman Graziano.

Thank you.

Um, Councilman Andrew Hauer.

Um I I will say that um I'm disappointed that a department head couldn't show up to this meeting.

I agree with the rest of the council members that there are multiple department heads sitting here all day to be heard.

Um especially when the chair said that they could take him first on the meeting.

We meet pretty early in the morning.

I can't imagine that you're completely busy during nine to four or make other arrangements for our Thursday night meeting.

Um I'm happy to take up the building inspections like the president noted, but I would ask that we be respectful to the other people waiting here and take it at the end of the meeting.

Um if you do want to take up if you do want to take it up, or we won't take it up.

I'm happy to do whatever.

Councilman Bonono.

Thank you.

I just and I do not deserve credit for this.

Um, but I I have three jobs.

This is one of them.

I have a full-time job and I have another part-time job.

I was supposed to work from nine to four today.

And until late last night, I was making I was I was supposed to teach, and I was making arrangements to be here because this is important.

So um that's what we're supposed to do, especially when we're facing a 10 million dollar shortfall.

So that's what we're supposed to do.

We're supposed to be here, you know.

We all sign up for these jobs, and occasionally um we have to work on a Saturday.

Um I'm disappointed.

I know Stanley Pikel well, and um I am disappointed.

I but I do want to say that there are shining stars in that department.

So let us not condemn the entire department.

Um for instance, I will mention um a first name.

Her name is Jana.

She is a shining star in that department, and the whole department shouldn't be condemned uh here.

Um with that being said, I think we should move on to people who have been waiting.

Yeah, I will move on right after I get a clarity because um I just can't figure out what the director or subdirector, I know there's somebody, or there's a the position there that's the head and not the head.

I just want that right into the record what that differential is to see what where um what we could possibly save.

I think Tracy just came up and sat down because she wants to she wants to go.

This chair is more comfortable than the bench.

I just morning.

Thank you.

Thank you, Director, for coming.

Um, can you player please clarify what what's going on over here with these salaries?

Yes.

The building official position is vacant.

And so Mr.

Peikel is filling in as that acting building official.

He gets a $25,000 differential annually for that position on top of his current salary.

That's correct.

$89,000.

Okay.

Thank you very much.

You're welcome.

Voter for the record.

Okay.

Moving on to City Clerk.

Welcome, Director.

How's everything?

Um, you have the option of giving us a statement or just going right into questions.

Um, I don't really have a statement per se.

There are just a couple things I wanted to do.

Well addressing the committee, that's what I mean.

I noticed in the uh budget.

So if you can go to in I have the short packet, I didn't get the big one.

So in the short packet, it's on page five, and it's the detail revenues under group one zero five, and it's line item four two one two one Sunday sales license.

In the short pay uh short packet page five under revenues, detail revenues.

Halfway down the page, page five.

Let me know when everybody's got it so I can you good?

Okay.

Um so I just want to point out that uh there was a change to Rhode Island General Law Title Five, Chapter 23, um, to the Sunday sales, which is actually was changed long ago to a holiday sales, um, and we're no longer gonna be issuing those licenses, so that $3,000 in revenue should be really zeroed out.

It's not a lot, but I I just wanted to point that out.

Um the other things I wanted to point out is 42141 and 42142, which are advertising for licensing and probate.

Um the revenue is budgeted at 5,000, the expense at 3,000 for the license advertising, the probate advertising, the revenue is budgeted at 15,000, and the expenses budgeted at 14,000.

There's not much difference there.

Um, but these really should be balanced accounts because these are ads that the applicant or the petitioner pays for.

The only time the city bears the expense is if for some reason the ad was run wrong or something like that, and we need to do it at and we need to absorb the cost.

Um so I just wanted to, you know, by way of explanation.

So where should we should we change it on the revenue side or should we change it on the expense side?

Do you think I think if anything the expense should be higher than the revenue because the revenue coming in is what we're getting from the applicant, which is the actual cost.

The expense could be higher if we potentially had to re-run.

So it would happen more with the license advertising where we ran an ad.

Um, you know, perhaps we had to there was some type of rewrite.

When it's time for amendments, I want to know which way.

Yeah, I would be amended.

I think the expenses should be slightly higher than the revenue just to give us that little cushion in case we have to run an ad at our own cost.

So I just want to bring what uh one point as a clarification.

Um there is a pay increase for the director, but in last year's budget, we had given a pay increase to her position, and it was a six month pay increase.

So what seems to be a larger percentage pay increase is one of those that has an anomaly.

It has an additional six months annually plus whatever percentage was put in.

So it is not a pay increase of the percentage or the amount that you may see.

It is actually a full year of last year's pay increase and whatever that was put in for directors.

Thank you, Mr.

Auditor.

To begin with.

Madam Director, you're losing how many people out of your department for three full-time employees.

Three full time.

Yes.

Have you received work from the administration or the mayor or the mayor's office that those positions will be filled?

I've not received any formal confirmation.

No, I've had discussions with the personnel director where we've discussed potential potential replacements and things like that, but I've I've not I've not had a conversation with the administration at all about whether or not those positions will be filled and when and how.

In your opinion, are those positions needed?

Absolutely.

I I became city clerk March 1st, 2023.

And since then, my office has pretty much been run short staff.

Um shortly after I started the uh licensing clerk left to go over to the municipal court.

We were short staffed then.

We um hired an employee who didn't work out.

We hired another one to replace that employee needed an extended leave of absence.

Um, and now you know, I'm then I had two retirements and only one of them was replaced.

I took a part-time employee that just recently went full time.

Um, so to answer your question without all the detail, yes, though each of those positions is is necessary to run the city clerk's office.

Yeah, no, and in the budget, the mayor, um six positions are listed in the budget as funded.

Yes, even though they're not filled, but they are listed as funded positions.

I'm I'm just curious whether she received word that they will be filled.

Rather remain vacant.

That's why I asked.

It's my understanding that those are going to be filled.

They are budgeted.

Um, last fiscal year, my budget represented six full-time positions and two part-time clerical.

This year it represents six full-time positions, and it looks like just one clerical, which we can, you know.

I I think I'll be doing some restructuring and we can live without that second part-time clerical person.

I don't foresee that as being an issue.

We can absorb that.

Mr.

President.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

Um looking at, I'm just looking at there is an increase in the salary line.

Um, geez, my eyes are getting worse as I as I said here, um, by approximately uh $9,000.

Are those mostly it now?

Is there or is not there not a raise in your salary?

There is a 3% raise for my salary, and then the rest are uh union contractual obligations.

So the sad truth is, and I'll say what I said just about to every director.

I probably are gonna be looking to cut any, you know, any director level salary.

It has no reflection, you know, how highly I think of the job that you do.

Um, the union uh union is another story.

Those are contractual and but so that so that which is three percent is not a great large raise.

I realize I know that I I know the figure, but no, and to be honest, Mr.

President, I you know, I anticipated when I received the budget packet that you know the directors weren't going to receive three percent increases, and as long as as long as uh that's reflected across the board and I completely understand.

As you read the as you listed, listen to the proceedings.

I was quite surprised they were in there too.

I understand the sentiment behind it, but in this is financial climate, uh it probably couldn't, but I I am hearing that all those positions are going to be filled because I think it's very important.

The clerk's office is a vital vital part of the city.

It is one of the few offices that it brings in a great deal of revenue comparatively.

Um, so people come into your office every day.

Um, and they expect that service, and it is a necessary thing with licenses, death certificates, documents, etc.

etc.

You know so much more than I do on it.

Um, so it is going to be important.

I know I've spoken to Director Vicchio, and I know you've had conversations as well.

Yes.

This is they're definitely going to have to be filled.

And there is no intention not to belabor the point to not fill those.

I get that.

Okay.

That's all I have at this time.

Councilman Campo Biono.

Councilwoman Heroid.

Being safety chair person, I deal with your office.

Sometimes five days a week.

And your licensing clerk is extremely valuable.

I'm sad she's leaving us.

Um my question was I was actually going to reach out to you and sit with you this week.

I would like to know our license and fee, the amount of work she does to get some of these licenses, and the surrounding towns seem to have higher licensing fees than us.

I'm looking to know if any of the licensing fees, according to the work she put is in, especially liquor licenses, private detective licenses, um, victory and licenses.

If we are fair across the board to the city with our fees, so that's something I'm definitely looking into.

I feel like the amount of work being done is unbelievable.

Um I did notice some big is here too.

The peddler one I had questions about.

Um, I need to put on my there's some questions here, and the peddler license seems to see.

We expect five, no, wait a minute.

Peddler is zero.

Yeah, that's because we don't charge anymore, right?

The city has not been issuing those licenses.

And what's going on with this dog license?

12,000 uh 600 down to 8,000.

Uh was that projected this year wrong?

I did not provide any input on those projections.

I'm not sure.

I I I wouldn't want to answer that incorrectly.

I'm sorry.

Yeah, because I see lots of dogs in my neighborhood.

And the auto repair license, I know this is I'm a stickler on, but how is that going from 10 to 6'5 when I just spent months calling them between us?

Are we having less auto-repeer businesses in Cranston?

I'm really concerned with that one.

This one is dropping 50,000.

Then um certified vitals.

I just like I need to really go deep into all this and see how we're doing it.

Um if we're on board to project what we need to pay.

So to answer both of those questions in two parts.

First, many, many of the licenses are statutorily set by the general assembly.

Um, but I'm happy to go through the licensing fees and see if there's anywhere that we can increase those fees that were sometimes there's a the state says this is what you can charge, and then sometimes the state says you can charge up to.

So I'll see if maybe there's some ceilings there that we we can can go up to.

Um, as far as what is represented as revenue in these in this budget, I did not have any input on that.

I honestly didn't have any input on this budget at all.

Um, so I don't know where those calculations are coming from.

I'm assuming those calculations are coming from you know, the fiscal year 26 actuals, but that that's a question really for the finance department.

Okay.

Um if it was a general assembly set rate, but other cities and towns, if you honestly feel that we are below in the amount of work going in before the licensing clerk, because she does all kinds of research.

Please feel free to call me.

And if we need to contact the legislator to put in legislation statewide, I don't want to be missing out on this.

I also want to make sure everyone is properly licensed.

Sure.

Thank you.

Um, I'd be happy to also, you know, check in with my peers in other cities and towns and see not only what they're charging, but if they feel that some of these fees need to be increased, so we can make a collaborate effort um from through the clerks association to go to the general assembly, and I'd certainly contact you.

And you know, I have some ideas about some restructuring in the department for some efficiencies or whatever that I would love to have a conversation with you, not obviously here.

This isn't the forum, but exactly when you have some time.

Yeah, with the business owners, um, they often reach out to me.

I don't think the problem is ever with your department.

They have a great it's with another department to get where they need to be.

So thank you very much.

Thank you, Director Strohl.

Yeah, just to follow up, uh, councilwoman on the revenues.

Uh much of that was based on uh time was a factor.

We were trying to get this budget done on a timely basis.

So most of it was generated from the activity from what this year's activity or revenue.

So revenues were running below uh maybe probably years we would allocate it based on a 12-month period for the coming year.

Um, could I ask you a question?

Does the directors have an input on their budget, or is it something you do?

Um well, because I came late in the game, so to speak.

Uh I usually meet with every director and go over their budget.

This year I did not, I only met with about three or four of the large um uh departments.

Thank you, Mr.

Auditor.

Yes, director, just explain to the council that one of the um revenue um categories also has a corresponding expense category.

So it may see there that is revenue going up, but the it's just a pass through it if I'm correct that it's with the state filings.

That is correct, but we do get a uh um amount that's greater than what we file on this, Mr.

President.

We it looking over the budget your budget forecast, your budget protect uh projections and the revenue.

I'm looking over quickly for the most part.

It seems like you on you went very conservative at the revenues.

Would that be correct in uh in that department?

It looks like those those projections are on the conservative.

You didn't overestimate what you thought have for the most part, as I compare them historically going down the line for the most part.

Would that be accurate?

I think he's talking to you.

Good, Mr.

Director.

Yeah.

Let me say it.

Let me start with the talking to the director.

As I review the revenues in this in this group, it would appear to me that these projections are on the conservative side.

You kind of you you had a low projection for the revenues, meaning you there should be a good chance we should be able to come across with those things.

I I believe case in point, um, councilwoman Heroyan said the dog licenses have gone down.

We all know I can't imagine that the dog population is going down.

You follow me that we're good, we shouldn't have a problem making these figures, is what is what I'm trying to say in a long drawn-out way.

Well the based on the prior budgets, I always take more of a conservative approach.

I remember that speculating that what we might get, and if we do get more, that's advantageous to the city.

And we'll help offset a deficit or uh hopefully uh be a surplus.

Um but overall, councilman the overall uh uh revenue has gone up a half a million dollars.

Yeah, I did see that.

Yeah, yeah.

There's one is it's one or two lines that are you know are a little bit higher.

I see.

Yeah.

So you you feel confident that we'll make these revenue figures.

Um I'm confident we will, yes.

Especially based on this year's activity.

Thank you.

We'll end with councilman Ritz.

Yes, I I think uh a couple of mine were already asked.

I had the same question as council uh vice president Hararian about a bench, not benchmarking, but seeing if the fees could could be moved up.

So that's a great exercise.

And then this the same thing as the council president marriage and and dog license seem to go down.

So I I felt they were conservative uh efforts there too.

With some of these, it looks like they would be like you'd have higher seasonal volume.

Would a seasonal person help there to increase these revenues and and process when I see like fishing licenses and those type of actions?

Well, we don't issue fishing licenses anymore.

Um so when we talk about business licenses, it's secular.

So business licenses are the majority, the bulk of our licenses renew around December 1st.

That's when all the liquor and the victoring are due, um, some of the entertainment things like that are due right around that time frame.

So um an extra set of hands, but what happens is uh, you know, we have a team of people and everybody just starts pitching in more to help out um with that, you know, taking calls, taking in paperwork, and then letting the licensing clerk do what she needs to do to do with those things.

I think an important um thing that I just want to add is um, you know, these revenues could be increased if we had some type more enforcement mechanism, um, whether it be fines or someone going out and actually saying, you know, you need to have this license.

We don't really have that mechanism right now.

The city clerk's office role isn't to go out door to door and be like knock knock knock, you need a license.

Um, so I do think there's up a missed opportunity there to bring in some additional revenue if if we had someone in that capacity.

Uh councilwoman Horoid.

Have no worry those ordinances are being done for enforcement.

We just need to find out who does the enforcement.

Okay, wonderful.

Thank you.

Mr.

Auditor.

For perspective of the budget, right now that the clerk's office is running at 92%.

And as I said, at 40 weeks, we're roughly at 77%.

So it's about 15% over budget on revenue.

And as far as you know, asking the question of Director Strom, I've done six budgets with Director Strom.

I have all the confidence in his calculations and the numbers are attainable unless there's an anomaly that takes place.

Thank you.

With that, we're moving on to probate court.

Um, I believe that's 1106, page 12.

Do you have to say anything about the only comment I have on the probate is that um line item 5204 departmental expenses 2500?

That is for the probate software.

The actual cost of that is 4,000.

That's what I had put in last year's budget.

It the amount was cut to 2500.

Um, and I, you know, uh if I don't fund that at 4,000, then that $1,500 difference is gonna have to come from somewhere else.

So I just want to point that out.

Is that a one-time upgrade or is it ongoing like a yellow license?

It's um to maintain the probate.

So we basically, yes.

Mr.

President, anything Mayor Trappigante.

Thank you so much for your time.

You will you want to end with saying something?

If I may, um could I at the chairman's uh discretion and also the council president just uh I want to red flag a couple things in the city council budget because I do handle those bills.

Um so the uh city council is group one one zero two.

All right, just give us one second to get there.

And it's gonna be in the short version, it's gonna be pages 11 and 12.

Snuck that one in, but we'll let you go.

Proceed.

Okay.

So under 5204 departmental expenses, which is currently budgeted in fiscal year uh 27 at 24,200.

If you look back, the fiscal year 25 actual was 47,843.

That was the year uh for a mayoral inauguration following the November 2024 election.

The fiscal year 26 budget was 24,200.

There was no inauguration that because there was no election in 2025, the fiscal year 27 budget is level funded at 24,200, and we will have a council inauguration that will need to come out of this budget.

So it's just a suggestion that you might want to just look at that number.

Um, you know, obviously it doesn't need to meet the amount when we have a mayoral inauguration, but there are going to be some expenses there that you might want to consider.

Um, and then the only other one I had is five two two one zero city code.

It's budgeted at five thousand.

I don't know if anybody has the fiscal year 26 actual.

Um, but they this council has passed a lot of ordinances this year, and I think we might be over budget already this year for over the 5,000.

We budgeted 5,000 as you stated.

And right now we're there at 5,000.

However, it's based on the second.

We've spent basically spent 4200 and we got 732 dollars in encumbrance.

So there's gonna be a bill or something coming down the pipe between now and the end of the fiscal year.

Okay.

So it will be absorbed at 5,000.

My concern with that $5,000 number is if you recall we're in the middle of a recodification project, and um, I got the notice from the vendor that's doing the recodification.

There are over 500 questions about our code that need to be researched and answered, and that may result in a substantial amount of ordinance amendments.

Um, and this number represents codifying those ordinance amendments.

So again, just something I want to put on your radar just to flag that number, take a look at it, and maybe if there's some riggle wiggle room somewhere else, you put some more money there because I don't think five thousand dollars is gonna be enough for this fiscal year with that recodification project coming down the road.

Can I ask a question?

Uh council president.

Uh actually he's still the chairman of this one.

Yeah, floor is yours.

Um I'm looking at prior years.

Is this something new for this year?

Yes.

Okay.

Councilman Campbell.

Just something quickly.

Uh line 52213 stenographer.

We're zeroing that out.

That I I had no input on that.

The stenographer is the court stenographer.

That would be like Ron Ronzio.

The council stenographer.

Yeah.

Uh Director Renzulli.

I was not privy to any of conversations about this, but I've been told that perhaps using the video stream to only um use a sonographer if you need something to go to to go to court.

They could basically transcribe it off the video screen.

You can get a transcription off of YouTube now.

I know we had this discussion on doing something like this a while ago, but I don't we never wanted to do this for legal reasons.

So this is up to you guys.

Madam Director, what oh, it uh Mr.

Chairman, thank you.

So I did get a call from the mayor's office and I spoke to the uh Mr.

Ballet about this when they asked me about this.

There is no legal requirement that city council meetings be have sonographer um and whatnot.

Um I'm frankly, I'm aware I'm not aware of any um cities and towns that currently have a sonographer because everyone has gone to video basically live stream.

We rely upon that.

It's very rare that you would actually need a transcript from a city council meeting um related to any type of legislative act or anything like that.

So it was something that they that they confirm with me that there is no legal requirement that your meetings be um uh recorded by our sonographer.

Sounds like a move in the right direction then.

Let's see.

Uh councilmanano, anything?

Councilwoman Graziano.

Oh, Mr.

President's here.

Sorry.

All right.

Well, well, thank you.

And listen, I probably will ask um the city clerk to give me those figures in specific because uh regarding the inauguration, there's absolutely going to be an inauguration.

You know, yeah.

Um, so that that that money's going to have to be in there, and where they're gonna inaugurate councilman, you know, judges.

Um that's nearly necessary.

The figure regarding the re uh codification.

Well, that sounds like that's gonna be kind of high because something tells me, pardon me, there are lawyers involved in that, and those fees are always high.

I didn't say that.

Well, the this amount, this line item represents the cost to actually codify the ordinances.

It doesn't represent any legal fees.

So, how the process is going to work is they have sent me um access to all 500 of those questions, and obviously some of them I can answer and some of them I cannot.

So I will vet those out to other departments, and then if legal has to be involved, um, you know, and then legal review, but I yeah, the that's not in my budget.

That would be part of legal's budget.

Solicitors on they're on a sip and solicitors, they can read it.

All right, I just want to make sure because if that has to be done and that cost is going to come out of the city council budget as we're making amendments and we're looking at that.

Listen, I wasn't yeah, I wasn't uh included in this but this budget either, but I have to look at it.

Um interesting as that may seem.

Um, the first time I found out that stenographer wasn't going to be in there is when I got the budget and there was some rumor about it.

I'm glad I I heard heard the uh the information that uh the attorney Marcella gave us.

Um so there will be amendments to this budget because it's gonna be necessary, at least with a very much.

So I will get with you perhaps this week.

We'll look at certain figures because this budget won't work.

Um that's all I have.

I don't think we unless the council, you're all set.

All right, we'll finish with you, mayor traffic agency.

Uh yes, uh I'm looking at the um grant write up.

I know she's in the city council's budget.

I don't I do not know who this person is, nor am I questioning the capability of that person, but I I'd like to have a listing if we could of the grants that we have received through her or him for the last two or three years.

Who would provide that?

Hello.

Yeah, you councilman.

You know what?

I can probably see a nice uh I'm the one who signs her check.

Um I can I can ask her.

You just the last five years is that what you want?

Or or during her tenure, I'm not sure how many years she's been with her.

Just a list of all the grants, and there the you basically basically this grant amount.

I can do that.

All set all set, mayor, madam clerk.

Thank you for being here, everyone.

Enjoy the rest of your day.

Department of Public Works going once, going twice.

Oh, I didn't see you.

All right, 1300 in the big book.

And it's page 17.

17 in the small book, 13 and 1300 in the big book.

13, 1300.

Director, thank you for coming.

Thank you for your service.

Um, we're all big fans of yours.

Um I'd like to thank the men and women that work for your department, they do extraordinary jobs.

Um traffic engineer, though, sometimes you know, we you know, we have to ask questions about him, but he's seems like he's a good guy.

Um, you have the opportunity to give the committee a statement, or we could just go right into questions.

Yeah, I was tasked to reduce the expenses while minimizing the impact to the health and safety and welfare of the citizens of this Cranston.

I did the best I could during my review of the expenditures in this department, as well as the reorganization that I was asked to look at.

Just as a quick overview, I would just like to take a second to kind of go over the departments in the staffing that we have presently in the department of public works.

We currently have three employees, three in the the division of traffic safety.

We have one in the division of highway maintenance, we have 35 funded positions, and all of these are as of today, these positions exist in the division of engineering.

We have two employees in the division of building maintenance, the reorganization resulted in two trade positions and six custodian positions in the removal and disposal of waste, we'll have zero employees, and in the division of fleet management, we have nine employees.

So that's just a quick overview of the number of personnel that we currently have within the public works or that we have, or what is proposed as a result of this latest budget.

After that, I'm available to answer any questions.

I believe I will start with Councilwoman Graziano.

Thank you.

Um director, and um are you telling us that you're understaffed?

I think that's an understatement.

Do you have this is as of this budget?

This is as a result of the 27 proposed budget.

And it and that this will no additional this is all they've budgeted for.

So what did you have last year?

Do you know?

I I don't have all of the numbers for those going forward, but most of them the same.

The only thing that would be different would be on the waste.

We had one employee for the trash.

You said trash.

Yeah, yeah, sorry.

One, and that will not be backfilled.

That's correct.

You need that.

Not really.

Oh, you don't?

Okay.

Okay.

Um, is there anyone that you need that is not being funded?

That's a difficult question to answer.

Okay.

I mean, currently in the engineering department, we do not have a chief engineer.

Okay.

I currently take on that role.

Yeah.

And the way things seen right now, the director or the head of the building maintenance department will may not be returning, or he'll be here for short time, and he will be retiring.

And as a result of that, I will probably take on the responsibilities of taking on the couple of individuals that would be left within the uh building maintenance department.

All right, this is building maintenance.

How many people you're saying there's three people in building maintenance?

No, no, building maintenance will have eight employees.

Eight minus no eight total.

Eight total, what was it before?

What was it before?

Uh before they were approximately 15.

Okay, but okay.

Can you get by with that?

It'll be a challenge, but I'm willing to take that on.

Can you give me one second, Councilwoman uh Director Renzula, you have something?

Just within within that department, I just want to note that that is one of the departments that was part of a restructuring that we were trying to do that director Corral can also speak to as we've had meetings about it.

We are having conversations about bringing the trades people back that you will see zeroed out there.

Um, electricians, a carpenter.

That is something that because they can't really bump anywhere else.

Um, we are in active conversations also with their union leadership.

We have to figure out to work with you guys how we can do that.

But I just want you to know that that is actively occurring currently, and yeah, I thought Mayor Trafford would want to know that as well.

Yeah, again, we we we did have ongoing conversations just in the past week with the union representatives explaining their concerns with that restructuring, and uh, we are in currently discussing that with them.

Um, I will ask for the record if you believe this is sustainable.

What being sustainable?

Having less having less employees, it's never sustainable, it just results in other people having to pick up the slack and work a little bit harder.

Okay, I just wanted to get it on the record.

Um you know, one of us is gonna ask this question every time.

I'm just first because this is my bailiwick.

So um there's an increase in salary.

Is there any non-contractual increases?

We're gonna say the same thing over and over.

No, they're not.

No, all contractual, all contractual.

Okay.

Um Mr.

Order.

That is correct.

Okay, thank you.

Um, and I just want to put some things on the record.

I um let's see public works facility maintenance.

No, the one before street lights.

Sorry.

Um, it looks like we've always budgeted around 700 last year for some reason we misbudgeted.

Um putting that lightly.

Um can do we know where we are today on the lighting budget line item for percentages.

Yeah, I know.

Right now we're at well over 100,000.

What are the what are the final projections?

Do you have an idea?

I think the order is gonna give me a number so we can hold and I can keep going.

Um if I could just quickly add to that.

Um, one of the things that the the city has looked into is uh there's a way of somewhat negotiating prices for electrical costs per kilowatt hour.

And at the time these other rates were done, we were at 12 and a half percent, I believe.

And the most recent renegotiation has brought it down to about 9.5%.

So we're gonna we've we've seen a significant savings and drop in our utility bill going forward.

We anticipate that.

Um is it possible to like you know, dark sky initiatives?

Maybe we should be dimming some of our lights or shutting them off earlier.

Is that something that we can start looking into seeing that cost is so high or changing out with different I guess primarily these are for your uh street lights?

Um this is street lights only right now.

Yes, it's not building or anything of that nature.

It's not stadium, it's none of the parks at wrecks.

This is okay.

We'll make a note for all those things.

That's what we want to do.

Um then just lastly, it looks like you would significantly reduce public works facility maintenance.

Is that just I mean, that's a big drop.

Oh, yeah.

At the time we did the budget originally in 2020 budget, we had rent and space from Janicis Building on Sakanasa Crossroads for the building inspections.

We have since relocated them out of that building and into the Pastori Youth Center.

Okay, great.

Thank you.

Great.

Savings.

Mayor Trevor Kate.

Uh Frank, uh, earlier we had the uh recreation department speak to the council.

And uh in that conversation, uh they lost 13 men, but they get it back.

They had to come from somewhere.

I assume they came from public works.

Now you had, if I'm not mistaken, a total of 66 men in your department prior to the reorganization.

Is that correct?

Yes.

So you're down to based on the numbers you gave me, you're down approximately eight or nine men.

Yes.

All right, so they came from your department to basically take care of recreation.

And Mrs.

Graziano made a good point.

You know, by losing the manpower in the highway and in public works, it's going to have an impact upon, of course, the services that you deliver, which are critical in many cases.

Just as a point of clarification, there are no losses in the highway maintenance division that I'm aware of.

There are none.

They came from your department, public works.

Public works is an umbrella, yes.

Where do they come from?

Basically, what'd you lose?

It's the it's the building maintenance reorganization that they were looking at.

That although that was the original intention based on what I was in, I was asked to do.

Uh, but right now we are continuing some discussions with the union to see what can be done to possibly refund some of those positions.

I assume you talk about electricity, you're talking about carpenter, who that is that is correct.

Just those two positions.

It's uh it was the electrician and it was a senior maintenance worker.

You're in discussion about that with the union?

Yes, we are.

All right.

So I want to ask the same question that Mr.

Rosaleono has.

Based on your losses, can you still maintain the services of this particular department?

We can maintain it.

Some of the things would take a longer time to get to, but things would continue to function, it would just take more time to get to certain things that have to happen.

What particular areas you're talking about?

Well, for example, if you needed to replace something at a building for a an electrical, if somebody's not there, it may take a little bit longer.

You'd have to get somebody there instead of a day.

You may have to go three or four days.

Please, please let us speak.

I'm sorry, continue, Director.

Yeah, it just would take longer to get to the issues that need to be addressed.

So in the in the discussion about the the building maintenance personnel, uh I assume they have certain certifications.

Yes.

Now I realize the mayor can move the mayor's the ability to move manpower around where where it's needed.

Uh I assume they're not going to lose those qualifications.

They would not lose those qualifications.

Certification.

With those qualifications comes a particular salary, even though you may use them in different positions.

Yes, the licenses would not be taken away.

That is correct.

All right.

And what I'm trying to say, because they have a particular license, they receive a certain salary.

Yes, based on that classification position.

If you utilize them in other areas, regardless where the area is, whether it be in highway, etc.

They're not going to lose that certification with the with the related salary.

I I couldn't answer that.

I would have to see how that was developed with the pub with personnel on what the real the rules are regarding that kind of a change in positions.

Yeah.

For example, if you use the carpenter to help with a snowstorm as a laborer, he doesn't lose that, he doesn't lose his salary because he reduced to a laborer to do labor work, I should say.

Yeah, the employee rules.

Yes.

Whatever position you're in, that's the classification you are, and that's the pay that you receive.

All right.

I understand.

Thank you.

Councilman Calpavero.

Thank you, Chair.

Um, just a couple of things.

Well, first of all, you are definitely one amongst the shining stars in our city.

So thank you very much for what you do.

You do a great job.

And your staff does a wonderful job, and all your men and women do a great job.

Um just a couple of quick questions.

I I did the math when you says who you have on now, it's 58 people.

What is an ideal number?

You have an ideal number of I mean, the more staff we have, the less you have to outsource.

I mean, some of the things we have issues with is you know, you're outsourcing some of the snow removal because we have to hire vendors because we do not have enough CDL drivers within the highway maintenance division.

I mean, some of the work that has to go out as a result of that's being done with uh building maintenance, and again, this has nothing to do with the personnel that are in building maintenance.

The the work that they've done from what I've seen in the past year, they all do an excellent job in what they do.

The senior maintenance operate worker.

I mean, we've done construction, they've done work in the buildings, their work is impeccable.

But this is not what this is all about.

Um, unfortunately, we have licenses, for example, for the electricians, and it's no fault of theirs, they're forced by state law to have a reduced license.

They have limited work that they can perform within a municipality.

So by having them on staff, we still have a number of opportunities where we have to go to outside resources to do the work because their license is restricting them from performing that work.

And what happened is when I looked at that, it's you not only have those resources there, they can come back and tell us what's wrong, but then they're not able to make that repair.

So we're still having to outsource that work.

So this is not really anything to do with the people, the employees or the staff themselves.

It's just we're forced with based on the limitations they have, there's only certain things they could do.

And when asked to try to cut costs, I mean, one of the things seems to be the common theme is you need to save money, save money, and how do you do it?

If you have people that are limited in what they can perform, that was possibly an opportunity we wanted to consider, which again is still back on the table because we are still renegotiating that with the unions.

Okay, and um I got when will we know that thing I have is I I see part-time help, it it goes up wildly.

Uh high in 2025 of like seven almost 80,000 to zero and then back to 15,000 this year.

What's the cause of that?

What is that?

Are we uh are we on the division engineering uh public works?

51200.

There is oh, there is a consultant, I believe that's through the administration that is just getting billed to our department.

We do not have any part-time, right?

Yeah, that that's right.

So that's not part of you then.

Okay.

Not directly that I'm aware of, no.

All right, so we should factor that out.

All right.

And the last thing I have uh I've seen on social media uh the apprenticeship program helping them out with sidewalks and stuff like that.

Is that working out?

How does that work for you?

Does that help?

It does, it is limited, but but we also need to provide staffing to oversee the work that they do.

It's a great training program for them, and it does reduce the cost a little bit, but we still have to have our resources there, so there's really no cost savings with say the sidewalk work.

Um, we did use them to help do some of the work in the pastori building, because again, when you have a senior maintenance worker, there's only one individual.

That's very difficult for one individual to do any kind of major carpentry work.

He does the best he can when he's at the own.

We try to get him a helper when you can, but doing the walls and the framing that needed to be done that was a little bit beyond what you could do with one individual.

So we did seek help from the students, and the students did come in, do a portion of that work, but it finally got to the point where they were kind of extended beyond what they could because they had classes, so they had to leave, and the building department did come in, step in and actually do finish the work for them.

I I totally it's a double-edged store uh sort.

I I deal with that.

I understand exactly what you're saying.

Yes.

Oh, it's just great to see uh the students working with the hands and building their way up so they can help us out help us out in the future.

So that is a great program, and I'm glad to see you're working with them.

Again, thank you for what you're doing.

Thank you.

Councilwoman Horroy, and then I'll go up to the president.

I don't have too many questions.

I just want to say thank you for the job you're doing.

I think I'm having trouble taking this all in right now with the moving of positions and all that.

It's a little hard to concentrate, honestly.

Um the 66 men, but so this part-time help is not part of your department, but you're being belled in.

It's an administration job.

I believe it's not a job, it's just a it is a consultant.

I believe that is on call for some reason.

I do not have all the details of that.

Do the chair to the finance director or to administration.

Could somebody I have no idea what that is, but I am also the communications person, so I I know things just because I kind of float around, but I I can find out.

Yeah, I'm happy to find out.

Chair person that can we uh flag that it's kind of like the grant writer coming under council.

You could just re-uh revise that what's what's that line item?

Five one two zero zero.

All right, we have that flagged.

Continue.

You're also set.

Councilman Graziano, I saw your hand up.

Yeah, I unless somebody else wants to go below.

I'm going, I'm going, I'm going.

Um, sorry, you I feel like you knew I was gonna ask care of trees.

Yep.

I care about them.

We do as well.

However, however, they do become a problem in areas where they've been placed in the sidewalks over the years, they lift the sidewalks and they've been creating some potential trip and fall hazards.

So sometimes you need to try to trim the roots, but in trimming the roots, we find out that you may kill the tree.

Um, one of the things I would like to mention when it comes to the trees is we have an on-call consultant right now that has arborists and tree trimmers and everybody that's certified and licensed to do that work.

So they are on an on-call basis, and as we get a request from the public based on a sidewalk that's heaving in front of their property, or if something else is causing a problem.

We in we enlist them to go out there, take a look at it, they do an evaluation.

If it's something that could be trimmed, if it's the um uh canopy, we have it trimmed.

If it's something that has to do with the tree, meaning the roots, we ask them if we can trim the roots prior to removing the tree.

And then as a last resort, we will get to the point where we may have to remove that tree and grind the stone.

So that is what they do, and that's what the tree services are.

Okay, so you actually can remove the root structure without killing the tree.

Um and um, so this is more like the it says care of trees, but that's really like removing them.

Correct, not taking care of them.

So this is a benefit to me.

It's it's a care, as in some of the things when we do have to trim, we will trim, and we don't always remove.

Okay, okay.

Um, but then it says planting of trees.

I lose there because I'm now I'm not getting trees.

Well, you well, you are.

We we have a program set up with the West Bay Land Trust.

Okay, and we provide them with six thousand dollars every six months.

Yep.

And they do what they call, they reach out to the public and they look at planting trees on private property, not on city property.

They do supply the trees, they provide the volunteers to install those trees, and that's what they do with the six thousand dollars.

And twice a year we receive an invoice from them of the trees they purchased in the locations they put them in.

Losing 15 here.

So it won't go well, going for it is costing us 15,000.

No, you're going last year.

We gave you 30,000.

This year you're only getting 15 for planting of trees.

Oh, I yes.

See what I mean?

Yes.

So the trees.

Well, you got to do that.

Um, also I'll say I'll say um I enacted a tree preservation by law, and I raised over a hundred thousand dollars every time a developer came in and cut down the trees within the zoning setbacks.

I said that they had to write a check for all the lost trees.

I wish Beth was here.

They should do that.

Mr.

President.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

I only listen, I echo the sentiments of all my colleagues.

You guys are doing a great job.

All right.

I I won't belabor that point.

We all agree.

I will ask this question.

Um, the traffic engineer.

You believe yes.

Okay.

I say this is there some statute, some law, some um Mr.

President, I don't want to interrupt you, but I think we're just uh we're on public works right now.

I think we're gonna move on next to building maintenance engineering and then oh oh, we're not gonna go do you because it's part of your your No, I mean if you want, I'll let it all roll if you want.

We could ask all the questions.

No, let them finish and then I'll roll.

Okay, no, no, so so go ahead.

Well, we'll just well go through the whole department right now.

Well, it's tough to follow along, Mr.

Chair, because we've got to go back and forth.

No, go go finish up.

I thought we were on this.

Anybody else of public works, uh, councilman Bonato?

Yes, thank you.

Um Director Crayo, I you know you've heard it.

You're very responsive to us, you do a fantastic job.

And I think the city is a better place because you're hearing it.

Um I also want to commend the men and women that work under you because they also do a fantastic job.

Uh and I know that they're extremely frustrated with what's going on.

Um this is not an easy time.

My question is uh about city vehicles.

And uh how many uh how many staff or leadership get uh the privilege of a motor vehicle that is essentially their motor vehicle to take home uh and drive around at will.

I believe the only one was myself, and I do not use it other than when I'm here.

So you so you leave it.

I leave it here overnight.

I take my own vehicle, and where I have to, I use my own vehicle during the day if my vehicle is out because I do let anyone who is in the build who is in our office to utilize that vehicle.

That's refreshing.

Um I think the the vehicles, not necessarily not necessarily the vehicles themselves, if we already have them, but the gas to go in the vehicles is a significant expense.

Uh and um trying to cut that down going to and from home, I think is is where we can do it.

I think people need to use the vehicles when they're here at work for work, but cruising isn't isn't fun.

All right, that was basically uh all the rest of the questions um were were asked and answered.

Um and do we get a number on the the amount the uh act the uh projected amount we're gonna spend and how much we're gonna be off on last year's lighting of the streets?

I thought I heard some numbers being thrown around, but I didn't I don't think we answered the question.

Council auditor, uh the mayor said 693.

So I can't okay, so 700's good.

Yeah, I think that's a fair fit.

Okay, all right.

Yeah, because I saw it up here at over a million dollars.

Um, so that makes me nervous.

Uh okay, thank you.

Mayor Draft Gates.

Uh Frank, there's something you said that I want you to clarify.

You said that we have an electrician on board.

He could tell you what's wrong with the problem, but he can't fix it.

Is that because he doesn't have the certification to fix it?

No, he has the certifications.

There are state laws that are in place that limit their license to a I believe it's a class three as a master electrician or an electrician's assistant.

They're just not allowed for some reason.

Whatever state law was established several years ago, and one of the individuals had explained that to us in our prior meetings with the unions relative to that restriction that's placed on them.

Have we ever thought about sending them back?

I hate to say it's put sending them back to school, so to speak, they get that that higher classification.

It's not that they don't possess it, it's the fact that the state law says they're unable to perform that work.

That was something that was established several years ago through a statute based on work that they were doing that I believe may have been taken away from other union members from the electrical union, and as a result, those lobbyists produced a law that restricts them to a certain license, even though they have the master license electricians, master electricians' license.

It's just they're not able to perform certain tasks.

Uh what one other thing.

I they're talking about carrying trees.

Do we do we contract out?

We write down the removal of trees.

We do, yes.

That is a contract.

We do also our highway maintenance division does go out and assist from time to time if we have trees that have fallen branches that are within the control that they can handle.

Yes, they will go do that as well.

They supplement the tree service.

You're talking about fleet maintenance.

Oh, so they contract out at all fleet maintenance.

Who repairs all your trucks?

Yes, yes, yes.

They do have to some of the larger diesel work, but they do perform many of the repairs and the main maintenance repairs of of our city vehicles.

I hate to hop on this again, but but during like let's say it's during snowstorms.

Do you utilize any of the manpower for recreation?

From recreation, they have their own set of tasks that they need to perform.

They have their own buildings that they need to do.

Most of the people that we get would be our highway division, and we also get them from the uh probably from building maintenance.

Some of those people, those driver, they are certified CDL drivers.

We truly appreciate them, and they come over and they will work to drive some of the larger trucks during the winter.

We don't have any CDL license personnel in recreation.

I believe they do, and we may we may get one individual out of parks and recs, but I'm not sure exactly if there's any more than that.

Thank you, Frank.

You're doing a great job.

I'm not being critical.

I just wanted to know all this moving around to make sure that public works is taken care of because there's a it's a critical division.

And just to follow up on that, I do believe that a couple of the positions that they are looking at right now.

I'm not sure if all of any of those individuals are CDL drivers.

It's part of that reorganization as well.

All right, if I could ask the uh Mr.

Igo if you could um elaborate on line 51200.

Just trying to that part-time help.

I guess it was 147 already spent.

What is that?

I don't is that this year they're saying it was already spent?

Is that Mr.

DeMoo saying it?

Yeah, part-time help this year, yeah.

I don't see that number.

The answer that I got from that is from approximately 25 to 30,000 in 2025 was to support the admin when there wasn't a public works director.

So I don't know if that was someone else coming back in to do part-time help.

I'm not sure who that was.

Director Marty can answer all of this in detail when he's here, but and in 2027, that $15,000 is there to allow us support to not fill the building maintenance supervisor that's leaving.

Um, and if you would want to cut that, then you'd have to put back in over 100,000 with benefits to or restore a full-time position.

And he said Mr.

Igo knows what he's talking about.

2024, I don't know.

I mean, right now, currently, I don't know.

Madam Chair of the DPW commission, uh, are you satisfied with that answer?

I would love to give you more information.

I just but I mean we have Mr.

Eggle here.

Doesn't he have the system where he could tell us what it was, who it was, where it was, when it was.

I think systems are kind of legacy and it doesn't work that way when I ask questions, but he might be able to, Mr.

Argo.

I mean, we're instructed by Mr.

Maretti that he takes over.

So I mean if whatever Mr.

Moretti has, and you just said he could do it, he should be able to do it.

Yes, you may.

Yes, you may.

Yes, you can make fill in Chris Why, Mr.

Ego looks for that.

Chris, I just want to follow up on something with you.

Because you had some concern with the street lighting going from a million down to 700.

I believe we've uh started to generate some solar credits that are offset in the cost of uh street lighting that's helping us to reduce our uh expenditures.

Thank you.

I just want to say that I appreciate that acting director I go and Mr.

Director and Zulia here.

We've got to have these questions answered.

And the fact that the people who need to answer the questions aren't here is bothering me.

I just wanted to say that.

I know it's a Saturday and it's not raining and it's getting warmer, but that's irritating.

Mr.

Igo.

Sorry I for the delay.

I had to look it up.

It's a company called Brooke Street Associates that the administration had hired to help transition the current director when there was no director of public works.

Thank you, Mr.

Ego.

Madam Chair, yes, you're good.

So to be clear, it's not needed.

But it was zero funded last year.

Is it when did you come on, Ms.

Director Crayo?

Uh, full time I came on in April, I believe, of 25.

April 25, which would have been the end of the 24 budget.

I mean to 25 budget.

Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry.

Gotta gotta get it.

Um that had 80,000.

So last year it had nothing, but then it's popping up again.

Could be a different position this time, though.

Fine, but I fine.

It's just not clear to me.

So last year there was nothing.

So end of 25, they had 80,000.

I wasn't here then, so I don't know.

Um, but why do we need it again?

Well, I guess he's here, he's transitioned.

Director Renzou.

I'm I'm being told that what you see in 2027 is is part-time help.

It's it's not for anyone in particular.

That's because the buildings director is retiring, and it I don't know that it's going to be that blue ridge.

I don't know who it's going to be.

It's just part-time help to if they need someone for the building instructor.

And I'm being told if that's they want to you want to take that away, then we need the full capacity, I guess, to hire a buildings director.

I don't know if whatever this is is to bridge the gap and assist Mr.

Correo because he's going to be taking on other he's taking on buildings now too.

I'm not sure, but it's supposed to be to bridge the gap there.

So thank you.

I appreciate that, but it sounds like the director doesn't even know about it and didn't even ask for it.

I understand.

So I would definitely just talk to someone that's above both of us.

Because he can't even defend it because he didn't know about it.

So thank you.

Point taken.

All right, let's move on to highway.

All right, um, wait, councilwoman Horoyan.

Could I just do the chairperson to the communications director?

Yes.

Could I please have the name of that company again, please?

Brooke Street Associates.

Brooke Street Associates.

Mr.

President, you had a question.

Well, am I it's the uh traffic engineer?

Oh, okay.

Well, I was just nothing to do with this.

Let's move on to highway.

Let's go to highway.

Anybody with questions for higher?

Councilman Ritz has a question on highway.

All right, so I'm sorry.

We're on highway.

Yes.

And that's 1302.

Yes.

Thank you very much.

I I was asked how we we budget for a mild winter versus uh a severe winter.

I have some thoughts of how we do it, but I don't know if you could explain a little bit more, like how we plan out that budgeting from year to year with the different levels of winter.

Are you talking for this year or the previous uh previous this well it kind of in general how we would do that?

I assume the money carries over, but uh I've been asked that I didn't know the correct answer.

So in general, the way they used to do it was it was pretty much a carryover from the year before based on what you knew that you had the previous year.

There may have been slightly increases as a result of what they anticipate, but again, no one knows exactly what you're going to encounter.

Um, as you'll see, a lot of the numbers that you see from prior years were just because we've had mild winters, they knew what they had the year before, they brought material in, they may have material that they were able to carry over from the previous season, and then it's the personnel, etc.

I assume it's not going to go down.

So if we do not have another blizzard, yes.

If we have our conventional six to eight inch storms, uh, yes, you we should have plenty of material to cover us through the season.

Mayor Trevor Kind.

Frank, on average.

Uh I know we contract out for snowstorms on the average.

How many heavy trucks do we contract out?

How about the six, eight wheelers?

Many of the vendors that we have come in, they're usually a pickup or a small landscape truck.

We don't have a lot of the larger trucks coming in because we can pretty much handle the larger trucks with our own.

I believe we have enough 10 wheelers to be in each one of the districts that they have.

There's 16 different snow removal districts.

There's usually enough to have at least one of those larger machines that we have trucks, and then we supplement it with the smaller pickup trucks and landscape trucks to do more of the side streets.

On the average, what does that cost you for contract out?

For vendors, we're up to approximately 225,000 a year.

Thank you.

Um, how far over budget?

It's been stated that we're, you know, because of the uh large amount of snow we got.

We had two uh to set call them significant, I think is an understatement.

We had two significant storms this year.

Yeah, one one probably you know 50 year storm and one uh big one.

Um, and then the rest of the little smattering.

So it's been noted by the administration officials that that that contributed to our deficit, and I believe that.

How much are we off from our projections from last year uh with the snow removal?

Yeah, I believe uh uh councilman.

We um we budgeted last year 700,000.

Okay, and it's up over one four, so it's close to one five.

So I would say round it off 800,000 over budget.

So basically double.

So yeah, that was my next question.

Um as councilman councilman Graziano said that there's an application for some FEMA help.

Is that accurate?

As it relates to the storm itself, the the historic one, yes.

Uh, our fire department, our EMA representative had gathered all of the receipts.

We provided them with all of the personnel, all of the vehicles that we use, etc.

That they are seeking reimbursement and any damage as a result of that storm.

I know when we're sorry, go ahead.

Can I just know one thing too?

That we've done this before in the past some years ago, and we did get reimbursed by FEMA, and it does take sometimes a year to two years before you do actually receive it, but once you get approved, they will send it to you.

Yes, but it may not be like the next fiscal year, okay.

Maybe in the following year.

All right.

Um we're talking about snow, it's impossible.

You know, the crystal ball has to work when you're talking about snow.

There's no other way to predict it, even the weathermen don't know what the hell's gonna happen.

So um, my question is how how do we feel about getting any money back?

Is that is that an application process and it's approved or denied, or it's a if you have all your T's crossed and I's dotted, we will get the money.

Are you referring to the FEMA money?

Yes, that would only be for the one storm.

I understand one storm, yes.

Yes, we we are confident that we are in line with the number of other communities that would submitted the uh money request through the federal government to get reimbursed as a result of that storm.

Okay, okay.

Um thanks.

Councilwoman Graziano.

If if there is, which I know there's not currently, if there is for some reason, we have a fund climate change winter, and um we have no snow, it goes the other way in climate change.

Um that money goes directly back into what you guys call the rainy day fund.

I call it free cash, but yes, if those are the terms you do is yes.

Okay, hold on.

The process acts as the end of the year, any surplus in any line items, there'll be fourth quarter adjustments to fulfill any overages and other line items at after those adjustments made.

If there is a surplus, then that will drop down to the ready day fund, which is which is really our fund balance.

Uh I don't that goes.

I don't like the term rainy day form.

I hate it.

I use free cash, but whatever.

There ain't no such thing.

Oh, but then that can go into investing in the city.

All right, last question.

So when I'm I apologize for not asking this in a when I asked if anyone was getting a raise, that I meant all of these departments.

Correct.

No.

Okay.

All right.

I think we let's move on to building maintenance.

Which is the big book is 1304.

Mr.

President, do you want to start with this?

Sure.

I just have one quick question.

I think you already said the everybody's a union employee except for you, and this is that's correct, right?

Um are they all in the same?

They're all in the same collective bargaining unit.

It depends where they are.

Okay.

The people within this building, I believe they're teamsters.

Right.

Everyone outside would be laborers.

Okay.

So building maintenance would be a teamsters contract.

Laborers, a labor's contract.

Um what percentage increase did they get this year?

I believe it's a three percent, three percent.

Okay.

Um, I do notice a significant decrease in the salary, right?

$600,000.

Sounds like this is a place where we lost a lot of positions, it sounds like that is correct.