Commissioners weigh-in on proposed cuts, seek more clarity on line items
By Barb Pert Templeton
Marine City Manager Michael Reaves gave a budget presentation at a special meeting on April 15 that began at 5 p.m. and lasted an hour and 45 minutes. All seven members of the city commission were present for the meeting.
After explaining that the budget has a $650,000 deficit Reaves laid out $450,000 in proposed cuts. They were mostly tied to eliminating employee wage increases, cutting some wages, halting Capital Improvement Plans, cutting some positions and moving some full-time employees to part-time status. He also floated the idea of the city doing a Special Assessment District which would mean new taxes for citizens to maintain the police department.
After a lengthy discussion the commission agreed to meet prior to their regular meeting on Thursday, April 16, when Reaves would share more ideas for cuts in the current budget to accommodate the deficit.
During the recent meeting after Reaves explained his ideas Mayor Pro Tem Lisa Hendrick shared her concerns for the citizens who are already “drowning” with bills from the city including the water rates, which recently increased by 75 % for some users.
Hendrick and Commissioner Rita G. Roehrig said they had ideas for items for services listed in the budget, like contracting with a software company that has lower rates and several other reductions for services the city could be considering.
Marine City Commissioner Trish May.
“We need to show our citizens that we are trying to lower our rates,” Roehrig said.
She also asked if they could slash the costs of the charges for City Attorney Robert Davis.
Hendrick agreed and said the current project to update ordinances is really costing them some attorney fees and if they have to put that project on hold, they can live with the ordinances currently in place.
Reaves said he was going to work on that line item.
Other commissioners share thoughts
Commissioner Jacob Bryson said looking into the items brought up by Hendrick and Roehrig would be fine, but at this time with the time constraints of the current budget having to be adopted in just a few months, the commission has to move forward.
Commissioner Sean O’Brien said he felt the city should reconsider the list of $450,000 in cuts because citizens and employees need to adjust to the cuts, you can’t just make them all at once.
Commissioner Jacob Bryson said while he appreciated the alternate, cheaper services Commissioner Rita Roehrig was suggesting for use by the city, right now the priority had to be getting the budget balanced.
“When you do slower cuts, it’s easier on the employees and healthier for the services,” O’Brien said. “I really think we have to have a stable plan to commit to these cuts over time.”
“I don’t think we can wait,” Hendrick said.
Commissioner Trish May said she both agreed and disagreed with statements made by Hendrick and O’Brien. She said you have to have a core group of employees and staff to be able to provide the services but you have to have a healthy staff that’s not overworked and rundown.
“Right now, the DPW is already down into the ground, so you can’t get blood from a rock,” May said.
She also said the police department has taken major concessions in this budget and the commission has taken concession now too.
“Mike has been saying this to us for the last year, he has been building up to this very meeting, everybody has to take a cut, everybody has to tighten their belts and sharpen their pencils and that unfortunately includes the citizens,” May said. “That’s not our fault, that’s not the city manager’s fault, that is from our predecessors, that is what we inherited. If we want the city to continue to be strong and move in the right direction, does it suck, yes.”
Bryson said the city has to address the deficit now or things will just compound and get worse.
“If you don’t do this now you don’t have to talk about next year because you’re not going to get there, you’ll be under the state or receivership or something,” Reaves said, noting that he’ll listen to any idea from any source at this point and he has very little time to put another plan together.
Hendrick said her concern falls to all the increases for residents, water, sewer and now a tax increase.
Reaves said nobody wants to talk about the fact that their commodities rates were so low for so many years or that water rates were low as well, too low, and now the current officials have to keep raising things to catch-up.
O’Brien asked when will the services from the city be reduced if these cuts are made. Reaves said changing the city hours and employee cuts would be effective in July.
“There has to be some cuts, it’s unfortunate, I don’t like it, I don’t like doing it, it’s part of the job I understand it,” Reaves said. “There has to be an increase in revenues. Just like your home budget you don’t bring in more money you cut something, if you bring in more money you have the ability to meet the expenses, it’s the same type of operation here.”
He added that discussion can’t just last for a few meetings it has to be an ongoing process
“We really need to put a lot of effort into how we are going to right side this ship,” Reaves said.
The commission agreed to host another budget meeting before their regular commission meeting on Thursday, April 16 at which time Reaves would share more cuts to the budget. Officials aren’t expected to adopt of 2026-2027 budget until late May or early June
