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WILKES-BARRE — The three city council members who voted against Mayor George Brown’s proposed 2021 budget haven’t ruled out passing an amended version in order to avoid layoffs.
Tony Brooks, John Marconi and Beth Gilbert McBride Friday repeated their willingness to work with the administration to craft a spending plan that’s balanced without the $2 million in revenues from doubling sewer and recycling fees sought by the mayor.
At Thursday’s vote on the $53.2 million budget the trio opposed raising the annual fees to $100 each, leaving Brown to warn of possibly laying off 25 to 30 employees because he wasn’t going to ask for a 30-mill property tax hike.
“I’m looking for a compromise,” Brooks said.
Brooks and McBride individually spoke to City Administrator Charlie McCormick saying they wanted to continue the discussions to reach an agreement.
“No one from the administration reached out to me, ” Marconi said. “I am very much willing to sit down with them and talk to them.”
McCormick confirmed he spoke with Brooks and McBride. Whether council and the administration can reach a compromise remains to be seen.
“We’re just analyzing and going through our options,” McCormick said.
Any decision or statement from the mayor will likely come after the Thanksgiving holiday, McCormick said. City Hall is closed next Thursday and Friday.
McCormick further explained the reason why he, the mayor and Deputy City Administrator Butch Frati left the council meeting Thursday night after the budget vote. They were not making a statement with their exit, McCormick said. At that point council had finished the voting and there was no reason to say, McCormick said.
Council has two scheduled meetings before the end of the year – Dec. 3 and 17 – the deadline for approval of a city budget.
The city charter authorizes council to amend the budget and submit it to the mayor for approval. If neither the original budget is approved by council nor the amended budget is approved by the mayor, the proposed budget goes into effect.
But in the case of Brown’s proposed budget for next year, it would be unfunded and without the $2 million in revenues from the higher fees. Council Thursday also voted 3-2 against the two ordinances to raise the fees.
McBride noted council’s power to amend the budget. But she said council doesn’t have the resources such as a staff or data to make the amendments.
The best case scenario would be to include council in the budget process before the mayor presents it publicly by Oct. 15 as required by the charter, McBride said.
McBride said the day before the budget address she and Marconi met with the mayor and he gave them the options to balance it – the fee increases, layoffs or a property tax increase. Having just been given the budget, McBride said, “I couldn’t make that decision right then and there.”
Council held a public meeting on the budget nearly a month later on Nov. 12.
“At this point the mayor and his administration know where we stand,” McBride said. The onus is them to make the next move, she said.
“I think we could avoid layoffs altogether if concessions were made,” McBride said. She suggested a salary freeze for city employees and didn’t dismiss touching council’s salaries and benefits.
“I think everything’s on the table right now,” McBride said.
Brooks took up the invitation to visit the Department of Public Works offered by employees who called in to council’s online meeting Thursday. The workers expressed concerns about layoffs and how that would affect services such as plowing the streets and picking up trash and recyclables.
“I assured them that I’m not for a layoff,” Brooks said.
On New Hancock Street Jared Soto, 20, and Michael Linder, 21, emptied recycling bins filled with glass, plastics, cardboard and paper into the back of a city garbage truck #672.
The two temporary employees were aware of the talk of layoffs and worried the budget impasse would affect workers and their families, the prospects of them getting full-time jobs and overload an already thin DPW.
“We do the job of 70 people with 40 people, ” Linder said.
Jared Soto, left, a picked up recyclables Friday afternoon on New Hancock Street with Michael Linder for the Wilkes-Barre Department of Public Works. The two temporary employees were aware of the talk of layoffs and worried the budget impasse would affect workers and their families, the prospects of them getting full-time jobs and overload an already thin DPW.
Reach Jerry Lynott at 570-991-6120 or on Twitter @TLJerryLynott.