City will take second look at cuts for budget
By Matthew Whittle
Published in News on March 10, 2011 1:46 PM
With Goldsboro facing a $500,000 shortfall in the current year's budget, city finance director Kay Scott presented to the City Council a cost-savings proposal at the end of its meeting Monday.
Utilizing a portion of the Utility Fund that would likely have been spent by the city's engineering division on various projects, and freezing most of the city's current vacant positions, Ms. Scott identified approximately $474,000 in potential savings for fiscal year 2010-11.
However, that wasn't enough for Councilman Chuck Allen who urged city staff to continue working on the issue.
"I'd like to see some real cuts," Allen said. "Kind of like when the governor takes 5 percent away from everybody, that's kind of like what I want to see us do, take whatever from everybody."
The problem, Mayor Al King said, is that the upcoming 2011-12 budget "is going to be the toughest budget we've ever had to deal with," and rather than deal with short-term solutions, Allen said, that's why he would rather begin finding more permanent solutions.
"I guess what I'm saying is keep looking at it," he said.
And that's exactly what interim City Manager Tasha Logan plans to do.
"We're constantly evaluating the budget and where we stand, but staff will go back and look and see if there are any opportunities we missed," she said.
In other news Monday, the council heard an update on the Arts Council of Wayne County, received the N.C. Main Street Best Public-Private Partnership in Downtown Revitalization award from Downtown Goldsboro Development Alliance Julie Thompson for its work on the Self Help housing project, and recognized the youth rec league basketball teams from Tommy's Road and North Drive elementary schools, ages six to eight.
The council also unanimously also approved its consent agenda, which included:
* the scheduling of a public hearing for 7 p.m. April 18 on the closing of the portion of Park Avenue that runs through Herman Park.
* the scheduling of a public hearing for 7 p.m. April 18 on the noncontiguous annexation request by Landvest Development for a lot off of Windsor Creek Parkway between Wayne Memorial Drive and Tommy's Road where a new medical office complex is planned. Also approved were the site, landscape and building elevation plans for the site.
* a request for the clerk to determine the sufficiency of a contiguous annexation petition off of Glenda's Drive by F.E. Enterprises of Southwest Florida for property next to new day care Brighton Academy.
* and the approval of changes to the Paramount Theatre rental contract designed to address some issues discovered in the facility's first three years, and to provide flexibility in dealing with groups, some of which are already booking events for 2013.