By Andrew Knittle
The Norman Transcript
NORMAN — Just days after Norman voters emphatically rejected a pair of utility rate hikes, the city’s finance committee met Thursday to look at possible ways “to fill in the holes” that are sure to open up in the water and trash funds.
The finance committee discussed only proposed actions to prepare for an anticipated budgetary crisis in the water and trash funds, with the full council slated to meet later this month to decide what to do.
Before the committee began discussing specific actions to take, City Manager Steve Lewis talked about a recent customer survey regarding city services, saying that Norman residents valued their trash service above just about everything else.
Minutes later, Utilities Director Ken Komiske discussed several ways to scale back that service, citing the failure of the proposed rate hike (which was decided Aug. 24).
One of the items discussed at length was doing away with the fall and spring clean-up services the city provides, although officials seemed to agree that it would be too late to cancel the coming fall pick-up. The two services combined cost the city about $220,000 each year.
Nixing polycart pick-up from alleyways, which accounts for 17 percent of the trash haulers’ travel time, also was discussed at length.
“This is a waste of time and gas,” Komiske said, mainly because most of those who place their polycarts in the alley simply could put them out front, instead.
One official said it was ironic because the alleyways are mainly in Norman’s core, which supported the rate hike.
The committee discussed doing away with the city’s three drop-off recycling centers, but not laying off the employees who maintain them.
Komiske said doing so wouldn’t help or hurt the city, financially speaking, although he did say that the city would keep recycling cardboard, because they make a profit in that business.
Other possible ways to fix the problem in the trash fund included increasing fees for residents using additional polycarts, charging more to drop off garbage at the transfer station and billing delinquent accounts $40 to remove and return polycarts (there is currently no fee for this service).
The committee also talked about charging a fee for collecting trash on game days and during festivals.
To shore up the water fund, the committee discussed not using Oklahoma City for non-emergency water on peak days, a move that would save the fund $300,000 per year.
Komiske also suggested reducing water pressure by operating water towers at a lower level, which would save the city money by reducing power costs. He said doing so “gets the public’s attention” when water becomes scarce.
As for long-range issues, the committee discussed putting off large capital projects, including the construction of a $2.7 million water tower and repainting the Boyd water tower ($540,000), until enough money, whatever that is, starts flowing again.
The committee also discussed not moving ahead with work to bring more arsenic-tainted wells back online, even though Komiske said doing so generates revenue and that each well produces about 500,000 gallons a day.
Other infrastructure projects, including water lines under Berry Road and Flood Avenue, also could be pushed back, Komiske said.
Committee members tossed around the idea of rationing water, but most seemed to agree the idea wouldn’t be that effective. Finance Director Anthony Francisco said people tend to use more when a ration program is in place.
The committee also suggested numerous fees to be added or increased, including charging businesses to have their fire sprinklers attached to the water system and billing contractors for flushing newly installed water lines, which can waste about 100,000 gallons with each flush.
Layoffs?
At no time did the committee discuss eliminating jobs, although city officials revealed that none of the city’s unionized employees are participating in the furlough program, which was supposed to help save the city about $2 million this year.
Department heads, including the finance director, city manager, city attorney and non-union workers have been taking furlough days since the new fiscal year began July 1. The furlough program calls for city employees to take one day a month or 96 hours per year off without being paid.
Andrew Knittle 366-3540 aknittle@normantranscript.com
