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Board weighs cemetery maintenance contract and personnel reallocation
Summary
Officials reviewed bids and whether outsourcing cemetery maintenance would save money; staff warned reallocating park or street payroll to cemetery duties would require budget amendments, and the mayor recommended trying a contract with a cancellation clause.
The board discussed a bid to outsource cemetery maintenance and the staffing and budgetary implications of accepting that bid.
Staff explained current mowing and maintenance are handled across street, park and cemetery crews and provided salary and small-asset figures. One staff member said the cemetery line item shows $47,850 for cemetery work last year; the mayor recommended taking a bid on a trial basis if the contract includes a cancellation clause.
Board members and staff debated whether moving existing park or street personnel to cemetery duties would save money or require a budget amendment. A legal/finance staffer warned that transferring payroll between departments would likely require a budget amendment and that if the city moved $100,000 of park payroll into cemetery payroll, that reallocation would need formal action. The mayor said trying the contract with a cancellation clause would allow the city to test the contractor's work without long-term commitment.
"If my discretion, yes. If we're not doing adequate job, we can cancel this contract," the mayor said of the proposed bid; staff said a cancellation clause exists and the board could terminate if service was unsatisfactory.
Board members asked staff to bring back a clear budget amendment plan if positions or payroll need reallocation and to supply more precise cost comparisons between in-house labor and contract proposals.
