For all the criticism that Auburn City Manager Mark Palesh gets for some of his decisions (trying to stop the sale of adult videos at a local video store, challenging the city's civil service commission, and changes at the fire department), there is little doubt that he has a keen eye when it comes to putting together a fiscally and politically sound budget.
The $47 million spending plan that he released Thursday seems, at first glance, overly palatable to the five people that have to vote on it - the new mayor, Michael Quill, and the city councilors. While there might be exceptions to some of the specific line items he has suggested (i.e. the elimination of the compensation for the appointed Civil Service Secretary, not the staffer who is full time in the office) he has crafted a document that leaves little wiggle room for objections, without requiring new spending (and a resulting tax increase) - something that no member of the city council wants to be labeled as causing.
As with last year's spending plan, Palesh is holding the property tax rate flat at $12.81 per $1,000 assessed value. Last year that eased adoption of his spending plan, compared to the chaotic (and that is being charitable) year before under his predecessor, John Salomone, who was calling for a large tax increase and dramatic cuts in personnel (more than two dozen).
Add to the property tax freeze the idea of not raising sewer and water rates and you have the perfect political trifecta for the city council and the manager. Such a proposal gathers the highest common denominator of votes among the council, who can point with pride that unlike the Auburn school district and the county - they have held the line on taxes - though not always identifying that those bodies have larger unfunded mandates that than the city has.
Yet, while Auburn school district Superintendent J.D. Pabis suggests that the 4.9 percent increased spending plan that he has voters casting a vote on in less than two weeks is a “maintenance budget,” Palesh can contend that his budget may be anything but that.
His budget addresses several long lingering policy questions. Topping the list is getting rid of the current part-time consulting legal staff and moving back to the system of having a full-time corporation counsel's office. While it is not clear that the city council will stay out of the appointment process, Palesh has paid heed to their request for how the office is set up, another smart political decision on his part.
While it is now up to the council to adopt a budget, Palesh has created a situation that in order to ask for new items to be put into the budget, Quill and the council will have to take the responsibility of raising taxes or rates.
Cosentino is a former mayor of Auburn and can be contacted at cozguytho@aol.com
As with last year's spending plan, Palesh is holding the property tax rate flat at $12.81 per $1,000 assessed value. Last year that eased adoption of his spending plan, compared to the chaotic (and that is being charitable) year before under his predecessor, John Salomone, who was calling for a large tax increase and dramatic cuts in personnel (more than two dozen).
Add to the property tax freeze the idea of not raising sewer and water rates and you have the perfect political trifecta for the city council and the manager. Such a proposal gathers the highest common denominator of votes among the council, who can point with pride that unlike the Auburn school district and the county - they have held the line on taxes - though not always identifying that those bodies have larger unfunded mandates that than the city has.
Yet, while Auburn school district Superintendent J.D. Pabis suggests that the 4.9 percent increased spending plan that he has voters casting a vote on in less than two weeks is a “maintenance budget,” Palesh can contend that his budget may be anything but that.
His budget addresses several long lingering policy questions. Topping the list is getting rid of the current part-time consulting legal staff and moving back to the system of having a full-time corporation counsel's office. While it is not clear that the city council will stay out of the appointment process, Palesh has paid heed to their request for how the office is set up, another smart political decision on his part.
While it is now up to the council to adopt a budget, Palesh has created a situation that in order to ask for new items to be put into the budget, Quill and the council will have to take the responsibility of raising taxes or rates.
Cosentino is a former mayor of Auburn and can be contacted at cozguytho@aol.com
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