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Posted by: mturnipseed on 06/16/2009 01:57
Updated by: mturnipseed on 06/16/2009 01:57
Expires: 01/01/2014 12:00
Proposed Solutions to the Current Budget Crisis
Proposed Solutions to the Current Budget Crisis
Comments to the Kern County Board of Supervisors
By Michael Turnipseed, Executive Director
Kern County Taxpayers Association
June 16, 2009
Chairman McQuiston and Members of the Board:
I am Michael Turnipseed, representing the Kern County Taxpayers Association. Mr. Chairman, at last week’s Board meeting, you asked us for some solutions to the current budget crisis. The challenges you face are mammoth in nature; but the long term fiscal health of the county is at risk if critical issues are not addressed with a sense of urgency. KERNTAX has taken your request very seriously. Our primary goal is to identify areas were the county can cut costs so it can maintain core services: deputies on the street, prisoners in jail, and firemen in the fire stations.
Proposed Solutions to the Current Budget Crisis
Comments to the Kern County Board of Supervisors
By Michael Turnipseed, Executive Director
Kern County Taxpayers Association
June 16, 2009
Chairman McQuiston and Members of the Board:
I am Michael Turnipseed, representing the Kern County Taxpayers Association. Mr. Chairman, at last week’s Board meeting, you asked us for some solutions to the current budget crisis. The challenges you face are mammoth in nature; but the long term fiscal health of the county is at risk if critical issues are not addressed with a sense of urgency. KERNTAX has taken your request very seriously. Our primary goal is to identify areas were the county can cut costs so it can maintain core services: deputies on the street, prisoners in jail, and firemen in the fire stations.
We must thank the CAO’s Office, the Auditor’s Office and several other staff members for providing us with the critical information needed to make these recommendations. While we reviewed all departments’ Functional Statements and Tier Recommendations, we focused our comments today on five departments. Many of these recommendations could be made for every other county department.
Knowing how unstable the situation is with the state’s finances, we are taking a long term view of issues that must be addressed if the county is going to remain fiscally responsible and stable. The figures we are using today are best estimates, based on various sources of information; KERNTAX believes your board has four priorities:
1. Do everything possible to reduce the costs of your inputs.
2. Eliminate duplication of services.
3. Work to create new, more cost efficient delivery systems for county services.
4. Work with other government agencies to consolidate program delivery systems.
KERNTAX would like to propose the following actions for your consideration:
1. Meet with all bargaining units together to negotiate employee concessions to reduce labor costs:
1.1 Healthcare costs for 2010 are estimated to be $100 million.
1.1.1 An across-the-board, for every employee, all bargaining units, 20 percent co-pay of total premium cost. This would produce an estimated $7.9 million in net county savings.
1.2 Pension costs for 2010 are estimated to be $155 million.
1.2.1 According to county payroll records for the past 26 pay periods, the
County paid $159.5 million and county employees contributed $15.8 million to
County’s pension fund.
1.2.1 An across-the-board, for every employee, all bargaining units, 20 percent co-pay of total premium cost. This would produce an estimated $15.5 in net county savings.
1.3 For 2010, the total net county savings of $23.4 million is possible. Using an 8 percent cap rate to value this income stream, the cap value of these savings to the county is $292.50 million.
2. Meet with all bargaining units together to negotiate KMC becoming the primary source on inpatient healthcare for all county employees.
2.1 This could realistically generate $24 million per year for KMC.
2.2 We estimate that KMC would be able to annually pay the county’s general fund $15 million for past loans, past write-offs, and future capital needs.
2.3 The cap value of this new income to the general fund is $187.5 million.
3. For all departments, your board should impose all of the following immediately:
3.1 Continue the elimination of travel without board approval.
3.2 Eliminate all overtime, without the Board’s explicit approval (budgeted).
3.3 For those employees who take county vehicles home, implement an effective cost recovery policy for all vehicles.
3.4 Identify all duplicative services, identify sole appropriate provider, and direct the duplicative providers to cease duplication of services.
4. As far as individual departments, let’s start with the Sheriff’s Department. Many of these questions could pertain to other departments. Performance levels are very hard to determine. Supervisor Maggard has asked departments several times for the definition of minimum level of service and not received any responses publicly. Questions your board should be asking the Sheriff about his budget:
4.1 In quantitative terms, what does “meet the mandate” mean? Quantitatively, what are minimum levels of service?
4.2 With uncontrollable employee costs:
4.2.1 Is it time to privatize the operation of county jails?
4.2.2 Is it time to privatize jail transportation?
4.2.3 Is it time to privatize facilities maintenance?
4.2.4 Is it time to privatize communications?
4.2.5 Is it time to privatize fleet management?
4.2.6 Is it time to privatize technology services?
4.2.7 Is it time to privatize planning and research?
4.2.8 Is it time to privatize public information?
4.3 What is the cost of air operations?
4.3.1 How many deputies are removed from the street to fund this program?
4.3.2 Is the county reimbursed when the helicopter supports other law enforcement agencies?
4.4 These savings could keep more deputies on the street and prisoners in jail.
5. Questions for the Fire Department:
5.1 Does the law require a Battalion Chief to oversee the following operations?
5.1.1 Fire Planning with 6 employees
5.1.2 Fire prevention with 14 employees
5.1.3 Arson investigations with 6 employees;
5.1.4 Training division with 9 employees?
5.2 Does it take two captains to oversee facility maintenance with 13 employees?
5.3 With uncontrollable employee costs:
5.3.1 Is it time to privatize communications?
5.3.2 Is it time to privatize technology services?
5.3.3 Is it time to privatize fleet maintenance?
5.3.4 Is it time to privatize facility maintenance?
5.4 According to former Chief Thompson, 73 percent of the department’s vehicle miles are used for EMS response. According to EMS, ambulance providers respond first to EMS calls 65 percent of the time. For the record, 20 percent of EMS calls are auto accidents, where fire department response may be appropriate. Dispatchers have this knowledge. Can the county afford to continue the double response to the vast majority of EMS calls? If policy changes occur, the useful life of fire equipment would more than double and department vehicle maintenance costs could be reduced by more than 50 percent.
5.5 The Fire Department spends untold monies on unnecessary movements of fire vehicles and aircraft on a daily basis. With the costs of operation and maintenance very high, each trip must be scrutinized, just like travel and overtime.
5.6 The Fire Department has recently started to respond to the Sheriff’s Search and Rescue calls. Is this costly duplication of service needed?
5.7 Is it time to consolidate fire services in Metro Bakersfield?
5.8 These cost savings should be used to keep fire stations open and fully staffed.
6. Emergency Medical Services
6.1 Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD) is a nationally recognized standard of care that the fire and all ambulance dispatch centers follow; using the County approved Medical Priority Dispatching protocols (a national program of EMD protocols). The majority of dispatching costs for the County/City joint fire dispatch center, Emergency Communications Center (ECC), is driven by their being an EMD center and fielding over 90% of the medical dispatching calls via the 9-1-1 system. The City and County could save hundreds of thousands of dollars, annually, by switching from the current system to having the contracted providers perform these duties, as Fresno County did.
6.2 The EMD protocols are set by the EMS Department; which must be authorized and signed by the Medical Director, Dr. Robert Barnes. One of the primary functions of EMD is to reduce unnecessary emergency vehicles responding to calls when it isn’t needed. The concept is based on these three thoughts; first it is to reduce unnecessary risks to the general public as all emergency responses represent a hazard to the general motoring public as well as the emergency responders, secondly to keep resources available for the emergencies where they are truly needed, and lastly to reduce unnecessary costs. However, in Kern County, the EMD response configurations are driven by the Fire Departments’ (both city and county) response to every call, many times with multiple vehicles. When your board considers that approximately 65% of the time the private ambulance services are arriving before or at the same time as the fire personnel, the first responder program needs to be evaluated. In Tulare County, the Tulare Fire Department asked the Board of Supervisors to allow a change in the county policy which reduced their emergency responses to truly life threatening medical emergencies, vehicle accidents and hazardous material incidents. This was a way to save money due to budget cuts. These savings could be used to make sure every county fire station is open and fully staffed.
7. Questions for the Library Department:
7.1 Is it time to revisit transfer of the Public Libraries to the County Superintendent of Schools?
8. Questions for the Parks Department:
8.1 Are usage fee increases for rentals being contemplated for 2010?
8.2 Do you have an asset divesture plan for properties that are located within the boundaries of existing cities, school districts, park and rec districts, county service areas? A list of facilities and the appropriate government agencies are attached.
You may say many of our proposed actions are prohibited by state law. Well, if they are, it’s time for this county, your lobbyist, every other county and the California State Association of Counties to aggressively push the legislature to repeal any laws that affects your ability to deliver services to county residents in the most cost efficient way possible.
Our goal today is clear. Identify ways for the county to reduce costs and maintain critical services: deputies on the street, prisoners in jail, and firemen in the fire stations.
The Kern County Taxpayers Association respectfully thanks your Board for this opportunity to present some commonsense solutions to your budget challenges.
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