Recent email correspondence to at least one City Councilman reveals an emerging concern over City Manager Jim O’Connor’s request of his department heads to identify budget cuts for the next fiscal year of 10.9 percent to 14.9 percent.

In a memo to all department heads dated May 15 O’Connor wrote, “You need to think about this in terms that next year your money allocation will be reduced by these amounts and you will need to scale back or contract out the activities of your department.”

Today, Councilman Richard Winger received an email from a member of the Police Department reporting on a meeting Chief David Curry held informing his department of what he sees as the likely consequences of the proposed budget cuts. 

Officer Jack Dube wrote, “Chief Curry called a department meeting yesterday informing us that with the proposed budget he will be forced to eliminate the communications center and turn over those duties to Indian River County.

“This will eliminate ten certified communications officers, who cannot easily be replaced.  Doing this will hamper the officer in performing their duties and also cause reduced response time.  The Vero Beach Police Department has an excellent record to response times to citizens calls.  The County response times are dismal.  Several years ago the Sebastian Police Department turned over their dispatch to the County which turned out to be a mistake.  Sebastian had numerous issues and had to bring back their own dispatch center.   I do understand the constraints of “budgets,” but hindering the efficiency of the police department is not the answer…”

Winger forwarded Dube’s email to City Clerk Tammy Vock, adding, “For the record, I am totally opposed to this proposal from the City Manager. We have the best police force on the Treasure Coast and without high quality dispatch, that is not possible. The public has already shown their support.

“Across the Board cuts as proposed in the City Manager’s May 15 memo to his department heads, make no more sense in Vero Beach than they do in Washington…”

“This is an essential service and one that I think the people want and expect to pay for. But more importantly, the meat cleaver approach and the consternation it causes our employees is not the Vero Beach way!”

Earlier in the day, Winger received an email from a member of the City’s Riverside Racquet Complex raising concern over the proposed layoff of the complex’s manager Gabrielle Dwyer.

Lloyd Smiley wrote, “Supervisor Gabrielle Dwyer has done a very good job in managing the Riverside Racquet Complex.  Having had extensive membership and playing tennis at The Moorings, Timber Ridge, Grand Harbor and Riverside and drawing a comparison there is no doubt that Supervisor Gabrielle Dwyer has done an outstandingly good job in maintaining a productive friendly sportsmanlike atmosphere at all times in every activity at Riverside.

Recreation Department Supervisor Rob Slezak said the move would be necessary with the proposed budget cuts.  He said that with 10.9 percent cuts in the Recreation Department’s budget he would need to eliminate two full time positions.

Winger said he is totally opposed to O’Connor’s current approach to making budget cuts, partly because he appears to be preparing to make across the board cuts, and because he has yet to report back to the Council on opportunities to reorganize city government to make better use of space and personnel.

For example, Winger said, O’Connor could move his office downstairs, possibly into the office occasionally occupied by Mayor Fletcher.  There, O’Connor could share secretarial and administrative staff with Vock, rather than needing his own full-time assistant.

“There are ways to cut expenses without reducing services, and we are not even trying to figure that out,” Winger said.  Instead, Winger said, he thinks O’Connor is taking a “meat-clever approach” to cutting expenses.

Winger said he is also opposed to making sharp spending cuts beyond what will be needed to close the budget gap expected to result if and when the electric system is sold.  Current estimates are that the city will need to raise taxes from $4 million to $5 million, make another $1 million in spending cuts, or craft an approach that includes some combination of the two.

O’Connor’s requested 10.9 percent to 14.9 percent cuts amount to some $2 million to $3 million, more than twice what Finance Director Cindy Lawson and Finance Commission Chairman Peter Gorry have estimated will be needed to balance the city’s general fund budget in the year following the sale of the electric system.

Further, Winger said, he sees no need for such sharp cuts in the 2013/2014 fiscal year budget, because he does not believe the electric system can be sold in that time.  Winger’s view on the timing for the sale is echoed by representatives of the Florida Municipal Power Agency, who have consistently said they believe even a late 2016 target date is ambitious.