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Public works director details staffing shifts, licensing pay incentives and looming general‑fund shortfall
Summary
Clinton Smith told the council his MBH proposal trims staffing, shifts pay allocations (including a quarterly split for Kendra), and proposes stipends for water/wastewater licenses to avoid costly outsourcing; the discussion also flagged a significant projected loss in levy revenue and constrained matching funds for road grants.
Clinton Smith, the city department head overseeing public works, presented his 2026 MBH packet and told the council he reduced personal services by cutting planned positions and reallocating portions of some staff pay across water, sewer, street and planning. He said the proposed figures are based on last year’s salary ordinance and will auto‑recalculate if the council adopts raises or different pay steps.
Why it matters: Public works accounts drive both routine maintenance and capital projects (roads, sidewalks, sewer) and staff argued that retaining and incentivizing licensed operators internally is cheaper than repeatedly contracting expensive third‑party engineering firms.
Key proposals and figures: Smith said he cut approximately $118,176 from the prior year’s budget and that Baker Tilly’s revenue projection was a baseline in forming the proposal. He described a union contract proposal to increase CDL pay (to $0.75/hr for class A, $0.50/hr for class B) and proposed monthly license stipends for water and wastewater certifications (examples given: $200/month, $100/month for additional water licenses and $1,000 for a responsible 'signer' wastewater license split in practice into $500/$500 for the two water credentials). He noted that Dave Turpin currently receives $800/month for two licenses.
Operations and procurement: Smith described a one‑time bulk chemical purchase this year (a 250‑gallon tote he estimated at roughly $10,000) to reduce future purchases and said the city recently received 160 tons of salt with 800 tons ordered, which will drive large appropriations later in the year. He also urged outsourcing some property maintenance tasks to free city crews for targeted work and enforcement.
Roads, grants and revenue constraints: Smith warned that reduced county wheel tax receipts (the county did not increase the wheel tax) mean the city’s expected share dropped to about $63,000 versus a possible $220,000, removing a typical match used for larger state paving grants. He also described new PASER certification and scanning requirements for grant eligibility and said the city will need a certified person and data collection to compete for state funds.
Budget shortfall implications: Councilors and staff discussed using dedicated safety tax (LIT) or one‑time lease proceeds to cover immediate gaps, but noted such moves are politically sensitive and may not address the structural shortfall. Participants emphasized that persistent use of reserves or one‑time funds risks future layoffs or deferred capital investments.
"The initial…we have projected to get 683,477. So no matter what, you always take $100,000 off that number for MBH restricted," Clinton Smith said, summarizing assumptions used in his packet.
The council asked staff to circulate updated numbers and to reconvene the following day so members could review the mayor’s remaining packet and the updated line items.
