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(DISCUSSION/ACTION) Further review of the draft Dept FY 06-07 budget with possible recommendations to the full commission.
M. Lui was asked what the results of the Dept’s efforts with City Hall were this past week, and he declined to answer. He said he continued looking at cuts in the budget to make up the $546K shortfall. He said he found $140K net by not hiring a couple of positions. The two positions came to about $240K. He then estimated increased costs of $100K in utilities for the new juvenile hall. This was just a "guestimate". He said it could be off by $10-20K. He didn’t know. With this added cut, there remains $480K to be cut to meet the city’s target.
Comm Fetico asked about the OT for the Superintendent of Buildings and Grounds.
He asked about the former PrIDE grant. M Lui asked L. Jackson-Simpson to respond. She said the PrIDE project isn’t funded this year but she didn’t know how it was re directed. M Lui then said that during this year’s (05-06) budget process, it was used to subsidize all the other contracts whole. He said without this $140K reduction in TANF they would have been looking at other ways of cutting. This allowed them to reduce the budget without having to touch the other contracts.
Comm Stiglich asked about the possibility of the home detention contracts being performed by POs.
L. Jackson-Simpson said that those services were contracted out without objection from the Probation Services. The granting period is 3 yrs, up next year. She said, yes, most of all the work done by contractors could potentially be done by POs.
Comm Ricci asked for a spreadsheet report on the CBO contracts status and assessment of their service results to date.
L. Jackson-Simpson said she only had one staff to help her do this.
Comm Fetico said that there were still many items that he wanted to get to because they remain questions in his mind, as attempts are made to further reduce waste. The cell phone use, the number of
”Xerox” machines, how does SF’s membership cost compare to other counties in the Chief Probation Officers Assoc. etc. He said he wanted to see a finance process that would start early and be able to utilize the active, ongoing budget oversight to more easily project future years’ needs. He asked about the savings from not having an Asst. CPO. M Lui said he was still being supported through our budget.
MOCJ is borrowing him, but this Dept still pays him.
Comm Stiglich asked how much this was costing the Dept. M Lui couldn’t say. The Committee felt the Dept shouldn’t be shy about its needs (the City hasn’t given the Dept any “gift”), while M. Lui gave reasons why the Dept wasn’t trying to get this expense reimbursed to the Dept.
Comm Stiglich asked how cuts to the LCRS would affect the bottom line. M. Lui said probably first to go would be staff. He said they didn’t have enough to pay for food and clothing as it is now.
The relative cost/impact was discussed, if more kids were sent to LCRS, the costs would increase there? What were the alternatives? CYA? Out of Home Placement. Costs for monitoring those would increase? M. Lui said that it doesn’t cost our dept more; it would cost the federal govt more. Most of those costs for monitoring out of home placements are reimbursed through AB 933. The percentage reimbursed via AB933 is higher than with title IVe.
The Chief came in at this point and reported that he was unable to discuss the Dept’s budget needs with the Mayor’s Budget Director. He’s decided that whatever final budget Mark puts together will be what the Dept presents to the Mayor’s office, whether it meets the city’s targets or not.
The Chief said he would be looking at expenditures to see how further reductions could be made, eg. OT for administering the risk assessment instrument at juvenile hall on holidays.
Comm Stiglich asked if the WC savings projected for next year were already accounted for in the budget.
The Chief also mentioned that there is a separate budget being worked on for LCRS, which is not a part of this budget.
Comm Fetico asked about the electronic monitoring costs. The Chief said that this was being mishandled, for over extended periods of time. This is being looked at now. He said the defense/prosecuting attorneys and the court control use of this. Comm Fetico asked about contracting accounting help from the controller’s office. M. Lui mentioned a number of staff reductions in the finance/accounting division.
Comm Stiglich proposed that with whatever additional savings the Dept can come up with, to result in, in the worst case $480K less than the City’s targets, the Committee will recommend that the Commission support and advocate that with the Mayor’s office.
The new budget packet will be available in the Commission office on Monday, the 13th by end of the day.
The Chief asked that for questions about the budget from other commissioners, if the Committee could help explain them before the Dept has to field them.
M Lui said that there would be no significance changes from the document the Committee already has. Comm Stiglich asked for an explanation of all the changes the Dept has made, which brings the budget to the current $480K shortfall from target.
Comm Ricci commended the Dept for their efforts on this budget. This has been a relatively painless process compared to the past few years. She said it would help for our partners and the Commission to participate in the City’s hearings on the budget, and advocate along with the Dept.
(public comment)
Bruce Rice, Huckleberry House, agreed with the Dept and Commission’s position that they cannot be expected to cut anymore.
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