08-31-95 Personnel & Finance - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

ti COMMITTEE REPORT: PERSONNEL AND FINANCE COMMITTEE TO THE COMMON COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SOUTH BEND: The August 31, 1995, meeting of the Personnel and Finance Committee was called to order by its Chairperson, Council Member Steve Luecke at 4:10 p.m. in the Council informal meeting room. Persons in attendance included Council Members Steve Luecke, Roland Kelly, Ann Puzzello, Tom Zakrzewski, and Sean Coleman. Also present were Mayor Joseph E. Kernan, City Controller Kevin Horton, Deputy City Controller Jeff Rinard and citizen member Cathy Roemer. Chairperson Luecke turned the meeting over to Mayor Kernan who advised that the budget review process will be the same as in the past but the substance will be different in that the City will be utilizing a performance based budget format. Mayor Kernan stated that there will be yardsticks in the budget that we have not had in the past. These yardsticks will measure performance as well as quality. He noted that this is the City' s first attempt at this format and the additional information will help make better decisions. Mayor Kernan noted that as in the past, the budget emphasis this year will be on public safety. There will be more revenue than expenditures and there will be significant capital projections. It is the administrations goal to spend money that they know they have as opposed to spending money on projections. He noted that they would rather be conservative than running the risk of spending money they may not have. Mayor Kernan also stated that it is hoped that the City will be able to put money back into the neighborhoods. The Mayor further informed the Committee that the yardsticks that will be utilized need further refinement. Comparisons with other cities of similar sizes will be utilized. The Mayor asked that the Council begin digesting some of the information that will be provided to them and asked for their advise and counsel. Mayor Kernan advised that the City's financial report has, in the past, been recognized for its excellence and it is hoped that it will again be recognized for the fifth year in a row. City Controller Kevin Horton informed the Committee that the 1996 budget will be the worst budget in this new format. The budget will contain performance indicators that may not be used next year. The benchmark will be next year's budget, it will be a