Number
101459
Version
SUBSTITUTE 2
Reference
Sponsor
ALD. WADE, WITKOWSKI AND PUENTE
Title
Substitute resolution requesting the Fire and Police Commission to conduct a study of all sworn positions in the Fire and Police departments to identify all positions that can be reclassified as civilian positions.
Analysis
This resolution requests the Fire and Police Commission to conduct a study of all sworn positions in the Fire and Police departments to identify all positions that can be reclassified as civilian positions and to provide any other information from past studies that could produce efficiencies.
Body
Whereas, Governor Scott Walker’s 2011-13 Executive Budget will reduce the City of Milwaukee’s allocation of State Shared Revenue by over $10.3 million; and
Whereas, The Governor’s Executive Budget will also:
1. Reduce the levy-increase limit and Expenditure Restraint Program limit for municipalities.
2. Require that any savings in a municipality’s debt service be passed along as a tax-levy reduction.
3. Eliminate recycling grants to municipalities, including $3.3 million for Milwaukee.
4. Reduce General Transportation Aid funding to local governments by 10 percent; and
Whereas, These State-imposed fiscal constraints, together with continued weakness in the economy and stagnant or falling property values, will make it more difficult for the City to develop, for 2012 and beyond, balanced budgets that fund the level of services that Milwaukee residents need and deserve at a price they can afford; and
Whereas, Personnel costs account for 84.9% of the City’s general purpose spending (2011 Budget); and
Whereas, The Police and Fire departments account for 64.1% of the City’s O&M-funded, full-time-equivalent positions (2011 Budget); and
Whereas, Since sworn positions in the Police and Fire departments are generally compensated at higher rates than civilian positions, one means of reducing the personnel costs of these departments is to increase the proportion of civilian employees within their workforces, to the extent that such an increase can be accomplished without jeopardizing the safety of police or fire personnel or the general public; and
Whereas, As the Common Council crafts future budgets to meet the new fiscal constraints facing the City, a greater understanding of which sworn positions within the Police and Fire departments could be civilianized would help the Council in evaluating alternatives for reducing departmental personnel costs in a way that minimizes layoffs and impacts on service levels; now, therefore, be it
Resolved, By the Common Council of the City of Milwaukee, that the Fire and Police Commission is requested to conduct a study of all sworn positions in the Fire and Police departments to identify all positions that can be reclassified as civilian positions and to provide any other information from past studies that could produce efficiencies; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the Fire and Police Commission is requested to provide the results of this study to the Common Council within 90 days of adoption of this resolution.
Requestor
Drafter
LRB125205-3
Jeffrey D. Osterman
11/17/2011