Council Looking Over Budget's Small Details

Evaluating a budget with more borrowing and less cushion than City Council is comfortable with, council members continued to pour through the proposal Wednesday night, scrutinizing even some small details of the mayor's proposed $65 million spending plan.

One example: Councilwoman Karen Dolan questioned a $2,500 line item for promotional items for the city's recycling program. She also asked about the bureau's $13,000 printing bill and $37,000 postage bill for newsletters and brochures.

Council President Robert Donchez asked whether the city's urban forester, a $56,000 a year job, needed to be a full-time position. He also asked about city loan programs for small businesses.

More than once in the last week, Donchez has said he is not satisfied that the budget proposal has but a slim $200,000 margin for error in its surplus and that more cuts should be sought.

Mayor John Callahan has presented a budget that is $6 million leaner than the one the city had this year, with 54 fewer employees. Most will come through early retirement incentives, though a handful of layoffs are likely.

Other council members, including Dolan, have expressed reticence about a plan to borrow $20 million against the city's municipal maintenance garage in a lease-buyback deal; money Mayor John Callahan has said is needed to get the city caught up on its medical insurance payments and pension obligations, as well as pay other bills.

The second of council's budget hearings were devoted to the departments of Public Works and Community and Economic Development, by budget the two largest non-uniformed departments, accounting for nearly 17½ percent of city expenditures.

City Public Works Director Mike Alkhal gave a presentation that included a synopsis of some of his major project goals in the next year. They include the replacement of the Lynn Avenue bridge in South Bethlehem, continued work on Route 412 and the South Bethlehem Greenway, reconstruction of North Street and Martel Street and Mauch Chunk Road storm sewer improvements.

Alkhal said his department will also implement a new automatic vehicle location system that will track the location of city plows and salt spreaders in real time to help the streets bureau manage and deploy these trucks where they are most needed. The same will be done with street sweepers and leaf collectors, he said.

Councilwoman Jean Belinski asked Alkhal to prioritize the projects in order of most importance and the city engineer could not do it.

"If there was any reason to delay it, if there is any reason not to do it, it's not in this budget," Alkhal said.