Politics & Government

Council Talks Over a Number of Big Topics in Public Work Session

From the 2012 budget to the overtime pay, city councilors had several items to discuss outside of council sessions.

With the first half of 2011 almost gone, the dived into its first public work session of the year but not everything was immediately resolved. 

A major part of the meeting was spent discussing money, more specifically, looking back at the budget for the first quarter, looking ahead to the 2012 budget and reviewing the overtime payments of employees.

Without the Director of Finance Randal McDaniel in attendance for an update on the and to assist in the financial matters, the council moved forward in discussion of thoughts on 2012.

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“This is going to be a tough year,” Ward 7 Councilwoman Karen McKay said.

With an increase in utility tax, McKay proposed the possibility of taking park employees’ salaries out of the park improvement fund and moving to the general revenue fund.

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Although councilors didn’t agree on the issue, councilors did agree that they must maintain services provided to Florissant residents.

In addition, they agreed that the 2012 budget would be heavily scrutinized, and hard decisions would be made in regards to department spending.

“We control the purse strings,” Ward 1 Councilman Tim Lee said.

In regard to overtime, Ward 4 Councilman Keith English said it was his understanding that city employees had been paid overtime from this past winter’s snowstorms. However, what was not made clear was where the funding had come from.

The discussion turned to how departments could offer alternatives to overtime pay, such as compensatory time. However, Councilman Lee made the point that each department handles the situation differently instead of a uniform system.

Lee said he would not support any upcoming bill that allocated additional funds for overtime for the remainder of the year, with the exception of dire situations.

Councilors agreed that the administration would need to meet with department heads to come up with a consistent budget as well as system for overtime situations.

The councilors also discussed:

  • The councilors quickly agreed in the beginning of the meeting to make sure that the building code matched the zoning code’s definition of . Since March, the council has debated how the definition should be changed to be accurate and consistent. During the May 23 meeting, it decided to postpone the bill until the July 25 meeting.
  • The council agreed to put together a committee with two council members and a planning and zoning commissioner who would review the 20-page proposal on stricter child care facility ordinance. The planning and zoning commission submitted the guide to council in hopes of creating further guidance on day cares in Florissant.
  • On the topic of speeding cameras, Councilwoman McKay said she would gather more information to be presented to council and the administration. Councilors said they would consider placing more of the cameras in school zones to help with the speeding issues of Florissant.
  • The council said they would like to speak to the administration and city attorney further about training for members of the planning and zoning Commission as well as the Board of Appeals. Ward 2 Councilman Grib, who served on the planning and zoning commission for a number of years, said that the training would serve those volunteer residents who might not understand what they can and can’t do nor their role.
  • Ward 9 Councilman Ben Hernandez proposed a new twist on an off-site tent sale ordinance, which had first been proposed by former Ward 3 Councilman Tom Schneider. His proposal would reduce the cost of an off-site tent sale from $100 to $40 as long as a nonprofit organization would produce its 501(c) paperwork. The council agreed to the idea, and it looks to be a possible ordinance. 


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