Perrette’s proposed cuts include grant writer, others

During a committee meeting Tuesday, Bogalusa City Council President and Finance Committee Chair Wendy Perrette got a little more specific about a proposal she first mentioned last month to improve city finances by eliminating some substantial salaries for “jobs that aren’t real” from the budget.

City Administrator Jerry Bailey and Personnel Director Sandy Bloom were in attendance as were councilmen Michael O’Ree and Andy Deleon, the remaining members of the committee.

Perrette recommended dropping the salaries of one of the two city purchasing agents, the warehouse manager and the “city planning, economic development and grant writer.”

“Those are my top three,” she said later. “More cuts can be made. And I think some of the people with smaller salaries could benefit, and get more. Those are the people who really do the work.

“I’m not trying to pick on anybody. I’m not even looking at names, just titles.”

Last year, the purchasing agent made $34,192.75, the warehouse manager made $29,219.31, and the grant writer/planner/developer got $40,769.50, said Perrette.

“We should take the money and put it in the general fund,” she said.

So the people in the affected positions would not have to go into the holiday season facing the prospect of losing their jobs, Perrette suggested funding the first two positions for the first three months of 2010. That would mean $8,548.17 for the purchasing agent and $7,304.83 for the warehouse manager, she said.

The grant writer’s salary should be a part of the grants received, said Perrette.

“He should earn his salary through grants,” she said. “That’s what a lot of people do. That’s what they do in the parish. And I’m even not sure what he does.

“These are all these jobs that don’t seem like jobs and they have all these benefits, like cars and gasoline.”

The funding for those jobs is being misspent, said Perrette.

Besides questioning what the one actually does to earn his salary, she said only one of the city’s two purchasing agents really works, and that while the warehouse is required by ordinance, it is empty and has been “written up” for years “for non-functionality.”

Bloom said the city is developing plans to re-stock the warehouse as funding becomes available. It’s also working on “getting performance plans in place” and is preparing to start documenting compliance, she said.

That should have happened a long time ago, said Perrette.

She was hoping to gain approval to present her proposal as a recommendation from the finance committee to the full council during its next meeting Tuesday.  But O’Ree said that while he believes the purchasing department does “need tweaking,” and that a corrective action plan needs to be implemented, he feels the administration is “doing a great job” trying to get the budget in balance.

Perrette requested Deleon’s support, but said if the committee will not recommend the proposal, she will present it herself.

“I’m a taxpayer, too,” she said. “Across the world, people are being laid off. I don’t see where it stops at City Hall.”

Deleon made no comment.

Bailey said he intends to ask the council Tuesday to pass the 2010 budget “as is,” with the salaries intact.