|
By any economic account,
we are now in the worst economic downturn in decades. National
unemployment numbers are approaching eight percent. Our local
Metro Government is facing a projected $20 million budget
shortfall, due primarily to lost payroll taxes. In other words,
many of our fellow citizens are out of work or working greatly
reduced hours.
Locally, that means many of our
MSD customers are having a harder time making ends meet. Utility
bills must be balanced with the cost of prescription drugs, home
heating, groceries, and other basic necessities.
At the same time, MSD has
regulatory requirements and public health and safety commitments
to provide the highest level of sanitary sewer; stormwater
drainage; and, flood protection services. We are also under a
federal order to reduce combined sewer overflows and to
eliminate sanitary sewer overflows over the next fifteen years.
The cost is roughly $840 million and will be borne by our
ratepayers, those same folks who are being squeezed by the
current financial crisis.
MSD must do everything in our
power to ensure that our customers know that their hard earned
dollars are being used to provide a safer and healthier
community. They must trust that each dollar is being used to its
maximum potential. As MSD employees, we are all fortunate to
have a job. We have cut our employee numbers by over 230
employees over the past five years. We are doing our jobs at a
very high level, with the fewest number of employees.
In an effort to reduce our budget
further without affecting current employment and service levels,
I am taking the following steps.
- There will be no annual cost
of living wage adjustments for the calendar year 2009.
- There will be no adjustment
of salary ranges for the calendar year 2009.
- There will be no travel that
can't be proven to have a critical benefit to MSD's
operations.
- MSD union contracts will be
honored as negotiated, but, overtime will be determined
strictly by emergency.
- Both the Executive Director,
and MSD Chief Engineer Mark Johnson, will take 10 percent
wage cuts for calendar year 2009.
In an effort to assist more of
our senior citizen customers, MSD will increase the Senior
Citizen Customer Billing Discount from the current threshold of
$25,000 annual net earnings (65 and older) to $35,000 annual net
earnings (65 and older). This reduces qualified seniors'
bi-monthly billings roughly fifty percent.
We, as a community, will get
through this difficult economic time, and we will do it
together. MSD will continue to be dedicated to our obligations
to our customers, while assuring them that we are doing it at
the least possible cost.
As always, MSD will do whatever
possible to assist Metro Mayor Jerry Abramson; the Metro Council
Members; and all other community service agencies as we all do
our part in providing services to our community.
News Release Archive |
