To balance this year’s gap, Brun recommended pulling money from the program’s fund balance, leaving in place the 36% rate hike over three-and-a-half years approved by council last July.
Brun recommended three measures to help address the projected $1.9 imbalance in the upcoming year. The first is to cancel the transfer of $1.1 million to the Public Works Department to help resurface streets damaged by heavy garbage trucks, a proposal Brun acknowledged as unpopular.
Simply put, though, Brun says the fund “can’t afford the transfer.”
He’s also recommending adjustments to the contract with Napa Waste and Recycling Service. The total cost of the service agreements accounts for 65% of the division’s expenditures, and he’s forecasting savings of $100,000 to $700,000 depending on how negotiations unfold.
The final suggestion is a request to the Waste Management Authority to forego the annual increase in cost per ton of waste brought into the transfer station.
“It’s small, but I can tell you we’re turning over every rock in this fund,” Brun said.
Because the city contracts much of the collection service to a contractor, city labor makes up only 4% of the budget and Brun isn’t recommending lay-offs.
Things are a little “rosier” when looking at the impact of COVIVD-19 on the Water Division’s budget, Brun said.
