Big Cuts and Fee Increases Will Soon Hit Brighton Residents

Drastically increased trash and recycling service fees and reduced contributions to retirees are just two of the things that will soon affect Brighton residents as a result of the city's 2011-12 adopted budget.

Thursday night city council adopted a balanced budget for 2011-12 that entails serious cuts and new ways to generate revenue to help combat a loss in revenues due to declining property values.

Six-year projections show that the city could potentially lose over $1 million in revenue as a result of the plummeting property values. The projections don't show a turnaround in overall revenues until the 2016-17 fiscal year, said City Manager Dana Foster.

City council has helped the city generate savings in recent years by reducing overtime, restructuring healthcare and by eliminating positions through attrition. As a result, the city has reduced personnel and labor costs by more than $2 million over the last three years.

The city has also saved $340,000 in the last three years by requiring employees to take one day off each month without pay. Foster said these steps were necessary to keep the city from being in a cash deficit.

But as property values continue to decline, Foster, along with the city council, have found new ways to cut costs and to generate additional revenue that balance the 2011-12 budget.

The city is reducing contributions to the South Eastern Livingston County Authority by 50 percent, which will bring Brighton's contributions closer to the average contribution from surrounding communities. As of now, the City of Brighton pays $3.82 per resident to SELCRA, compared to Brighton Township paying $3.11, and Green Oak Township, which pays $1.93, according to Mayor Pro Tem Jim Bohn.

Bohn says that even with the city cutting its contribution to SELCRA by 50 percent, Brighton will still be contributing more than Green Oak Township.

The new budget also includes new ways of generating revenue, such as charging residents a maximum trash pick-up fee. Residents will now pay $13.64 for trash pick up compared to $1.91 they paid in 2010. This measure will generate around $387,000 for the city.

The city also plans on reducing Other Post Employee Benefits (OPEB) contributions to $50,000 in the general fund and to $24,472 in the city's utilities fund.

A clerical dispatch position at the city police department will also be left open, which should save around $63,000 annually, said City Finance Director Kelly Lalonde. However, this decision could potentially affect public safety.

“Without this position, it's going to affect our ability to cover our front desk and receive phone calls from the public, and walk-ins from the public as well,” said Police Chief Thomas Wightman.

With drastic cuts and fee increases in the new adopted budget, the city's budget will remain balanced for the 2011-2012 fiscal year, though upcoming years still remain uncertain.