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7. OPERATIONAL
BUDGET REVIEWS FOR ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES - EXAMEN DES BUDGETS DE FONCTIONNEMENT DES SERVICES
ADMINISTRATIFS - BUREAU DU DIRECTEUR
MUNICIPAL ADJOINT DES SERVICES ET TRAVAUX PUBLICS |
Committee Recommendation as amended
That Council
approve the final 2008 Operational Budget of the Office of the Deputy City
Manager of Public Works and Services, as amended by the following:
1. That
the Budget of the Deputy City Manager’s Office of Public Works and Services be
reduced by $235,000.00.
Recommandation modifiée du comité
Que le Conseil approuve le budget
final de fonctionnement de 2008 du Bureau du directeur municipal adjoint des
Services et Travaux publics, tel que modifié par ce qui suit :
1. Que le
budget du Bureau du directeur municipal adjoint des Services et Travaux publics
soit réduit de 235 000 $.
Documentation
1. City Council report dated 31 January 2008
(ACS2008-CMR-CSE-0011).
2. Extract of Draft Minute, 8 February 2008.
Report to / Rapport au :
Long Range Financial Plan Sub-committee
Sous-comité du plan financier à long terme
and Council / et au Conseil
Submitted by/Soumis par : City Council / le Conseil municipal
Contact Person/Personne ressource : Diane Blais,
Committee Coordinator / Coordonnatrice du comité
City
Clerk’s Branch / Direction du greffe
(613)
580-2424 x, 28091
Diane.Blais@Ottawa.ca
That the Long Range Financial Plan Sub-Committee recommend Council approve the final 2008 Operational Budget of the Office of the Deputy City Manager of Public Works and Services, as presented in the attached updated 2008 operating budget pages.
Que le Sous-comité du plan financier à long
terme recommande au Conseil d’approuver le budget final de fonctionnement de
2008 du Bureau du directeur municipal adjoint des Services et travaux
publics, tel que
présenté dans les
pages mises à jour du budget de fonctionnement de 2008 ci-jointes.
In December 2007, during its deliberations on the 2008 Budget, Ottawa City Council approved a motion calling on the Long Range Financial Plan (LRFP) to conduct operational budget reviews for administrative services.
At its 9 January 2008 meeting, Council considered and approved a subsequent motion, which amended the schedule for the LRFP’s review of the various branches.
In order to assist the LRFP in
its work, Financial Services staff has provided updated budget pages for the various branches being
reviewed. These pages have been revised
to reflect any changes approved by Council during its budget deliberations.
The budget pages for the Office of the Deputy City Manager of Public Works and Services are attached to this report and are numbered sequentially, however they also include the reference page to the 2008 Draft Budget document in case members of Council have made notes in their budget books and want to refer to them.
This item will be advertised in the local dailies as part of the Public Meeting Advertisement on Friday preceding the Long Range Financial Plan Sub-Committee Meeting.
Any changes approved by Council
will amend the City’s 2008 Operating Budget.
Staff from the various branches to implement any changes approved by Council.
OPERATIONAL
BUDGET REVIEWS FOR ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES - OFFICE
OF THE DEPUTY CITY MANAGER OF PUBLIC WORKS AND SERVICES
EXAMEN DES BUDGETS DE FONCTIONNEMENT DES SERVICES ADMINISTRATIFS - BUREAU DU DIRECTEUR MUNICIPAL ADJOINT DES
SERVICES ET TRAVAUX PUBLICS
ACS2008-CMR-CSE-0011 City Wide / À l'échelle de la ville
Mr. R. Hewitt, Deputy City Manager of Public Works and Services, spoke to a PowerPoint presentation in which he discussed his office’s structure, program units, functions, budget and staff. He also outlined performance results and measures. A copy of his presentation is held on file.
Responding to a question from Councillor El-Chantiry with respect to the Infrastructure Services Branch, Mr. Hewitt discussed the use of in-house and external engineering resources and indicated staff would be bringing forward a competitive service delivery review with respect to the mix of in-house versus external resources.
Because it was consistent with what Committee had been doing with the other branches, Councillor Wilkinson referenced the reduction option outlined at page 60 of the agenda and asked whether there currently were vacancies in the office. Mr. Hewitt confirmed the area currently had 2 vacancies, which he would look at. However, like Mr. Kanellakos, he preferred to have any reduction expressed in dollar value rather than FTEs so that he might have flexibility in implementing it.
In light of this, Councillor Wilkinson indicated she was prepared to move a $235,000 reduction to the DCM’s office budget.
Responding to questions from Councillor Brooks with respect to budgeting for vacant positions, Ms. Simulik indicated every FTE that was in the budget book had been budgeted for. She explained the City budgeted for vacancies. If a department had a position, it budgeted for that position, whether it was vacant or not. However, there were gapping provisions, which reduced the amount departments received for filling positions. She noted, as an example that, if Council eliminated a position in Mr. Hewitt’s office, he would have to achieve his gapping target through some other method because the vacant position would likely have been contributing towards the gapping provision assigned for his branch.
Speaking to the reduction option for his office, Mr. Hewitt maintained that eliminating a vacant FTE would have an impact. He noted these were not efficiencies. They were program reductions. In the case of his department, he indicated they would be looking at the areas of efficiencies amongst the branches as well and managing issues and inquiries. He did not want to characterize the reduction as having no impact.
Mayor O’Brien discussed the
budget pressures created by budgeting for vacant positions and the related
impact on the tax rate. For this
reason, he hoped Committee would be more aggressive on FTEs as the review
process got into some of the larger branches.
Committee voted on the
motion introduced by Councillor Wilkinson.
Moved by Councillor M.
Wilkinson
That the Budget of the Deputy City Manager’s Office of Public Works and
Services be reduced by $235,000.00.
CARRIED
Committee then voted on the
item as amended.
That the Long Range Financial Plan Sub-Committee recommend Council approve the final 2008 Operational Budget of the Office of the Deputy City Manager of Public Works and Services, as amended by the following:
1. That
the Budget of the Deputy City Manager’s Office of Public Works and Services be
reduced by $235,000.00.
CARRIED as amended