Alder Arata-Fratta 2022 Budget Amendment Message
Below is a guest post on budget amendments by District 2 Alder Julia Arata-Fratta. For more information on all the amendments, click here.
Comments and Amendments to the 2022 City of Fitchburg Budget
Hello Neighbors,
The 2022 budget will be another very tight budget for Alders to introduce new projects. There is only $12K room left for us, Alders to propose amendments. This is not enough. I submitted amendments to the 2022 Mayor’s budget that are focused on helping some departments that are having capacity and staffing issues. Our city is growing at a rapid pace and the City’s service demands are increasing so fast that it is affecting staff’s capacity to new levels. With the annexation of the Town of Madison, 1,500 new residents will be part of our city and we need to be prepared to absorb that capacity.
My priorities for this 2022 budget are:
To provide staffing support to the Fire Department (facts: town of Madison annexation, and some retirements at the end of the year, in the paid-on-call staffing that works as FT employee are affecting staffing situation)
To increase and annually adjust the paid-on promise/paid-on-call firefighters starting wage to be equal and consistent with the rest of the city staff.
To increase the Urban Forester/Naturalist hours,
To add an essential amenity to the Inclusive Playground Park: a water fountain.
See my amendments below:
Amendment #8 - Add One Additional Daytime Career Firefighter (Arata-Fratta)
Add one of the two additional daytime career firefighters requested by the Fire Chief. As described in the new staffing proposal request, call volume is increasing (especially with the impending absorption of a portion of the Town of Madison) and recruitment for paid-on-premise/paid-on-call firefighters has stagnated. By adding daytime career positions, less overtime should be required to adequately staff the 24/7 fire service. This position will be funded with the reduction of an earmark of the levy limit adjustment towards 2023 capital, provided in another amendment.
Amendment #11 - Increase Urban Forester/Naturalist Position from .6 FTE to .8 FTE (Arata-Fratta)
This amendment will add 8 hours per week to this position to increase from .6 FTE to .8 FTE. This position has been 0.6 FTE since 2008 and the park system has grown from 527 acres in 2010 to 729 acres today. The funds to cover this amount will come from the amendment to delay the new Assistant Public Works Director. City is growing and with the Town of Madison annexation (one park 6.5 acres), this increase in hours will allow the City’s Forester to allocate more professional time to take care of the City’s growing urban forest needs, coordinate the volunteer activities, better support the neighbors, and dedicate more time to the management of the City’s natural areas. Also, Town of Madison has a lot of ash trees that the City will need to deal with. The City of Fitchburg Urban Forester & Naturalist job was designed to plant about 100 trees a year (among other tasks). Here are the actual numbers of trees planted since our current forester has been working with the City: 2020 - 430 trees planted; 2019 - 203 trees planted; 2018 - 136 trees planted; 2017 - 361 trees planted
Amendment #12 - Add Reclassification of Three Full-Time Firefighters to Lieutenants (Arata-Fratta)
This amendment will allow the Fitchburg Fire Department to proceed with the reclassification of 3 Full time firefighters to lieutenants. These promotions that were approved in 2017, but not budgeted in recent years. This proposal does not change the total number of staffed positions in the fire department. The amendment is in the amount of $22,235 and will be funded with the delay of the position: Assistant Public Works Director (see additional amendment). During 2019, the fire department adjusted its budget to cover the additional expense of personnel cost for the full time Lieutenant promotion and the Council took out it from the 2020 budget. With the Town of Madison annexation, the department structure adjustment with the promotions will be more needed. I have full confidence that the Fire Department will seek the funds needed beyond 2022 budget within its own budget to continue funding these well needed reclassifications/promotions.
Amendment #14 - Increase Paid-on-Premise / Paid-on-Call Firefighter Starting Wage (Arata-Fratta)
This amendment increases the starting pay of a paid-on-premise / paid-on-call firefighter (POX) from $8.50 to $8.67 (2% increase). The increases to that base rate for education and certification would remain the same. The POX pay structure was last updated in 2019. The same 2% COLA increase included in the 2022 budget for nonrepresented staff is proposed for the starting wage for POX employees. This wage adjustment should be applied each year, based on the COLA approved in each budget.
Amendment #18 - Add Hearing Conservation Program (Arata-Fratta)
This amendment adds funding to establish a hearing conservation program for employees that are exposed to vehicles, equipment, tools, etc. in the departments of Public Works, Utility, Parks, Streets, Police, and Fire. Hearing exams would be provided annually, upon hire, and at termination. In the last 10 years there have been multiple Hearing Loss/Noise Exposure claims at municipalities (not specifically City of Fitchburg). Including all of Public Works, Utility, Parks, Streets, Police and Fire employees in the Hearing Conservation program will reduce the City of Fitchburg’s Worker’s Compensation exposure by providing documentation for the employees’ hearing ability for each year of employment.
Amendment #19 - Add Water Fountain at McKee Farms Park Inclusive Playground (Arata-Fratta)
This amendment is to install a water fountain at the new Mckee Farms Park Inclusive Playground in the amount of $19,500. The funds to cover this new amenity at a community park should come from the park fees in lieu of land dedication from the Quarry Ridge retirement community. The Inclusive Playground at Mckee Farms Park will need a drinking water fountain installed close to the playground area since we need to consider that some kids will have some mobility issues (walkers, wheelchairs). It will be hard or impossible to access the other drinking water fountain located in the park beside the Kid’s Crossing playground. This drinking water fountain should follow the ADA guidelines, for example free standing or built in units shall have a clear floor space of 30” by 48”. Drinking fountains primarily used by children ages 12 and younger should have a maximum spout height being 30”. The spout needs to provide a water flow of at least 4” high to allow the insertion of a cup or glass. (See additional information with examples of accessible water fountain)
Amendment #1 - Delay Hiring of Assistant Director of Public Works (Arata-Fratta)
This amendment is to delay the hiring of this new position to 2023 or future years. The tax levy funding saved with delaying this position should be used to cover the reclassification of the three firefighters to Lieutenants and the additional eight hours per week to the city’s forester (see other amendments) which have more pressing need.
Amendment #2 - Reduce Fire Fleet Vehicle Replacement Fund CIP #2299 (Arata-Fratta)
This amendment is to reduce the fire fleet vehicle replacement project number #2299 in the amount of $22,235 for 2022 and increase it to its original amount in 2023 to cover for the reclassification of the three lieutenant positions.
Amendment #6 - Reduce Levy Limit Adjustment Strategy Earmarked for Future Capital (Arata-Fratta)
In the Mayor’s Proposed 2022 Budget, it assumes that $390,746 of the levy limit adjustments expected in 2023 will be used for capital purchases in 2023. This amendment reduces that earmark by $173,900 which is the Police Body Camera purchase in 2023 (CIP #2140). This 2023 capital purchase could be funded by the one-time TID closure funding expected in 2022 or 2023. This amendment will provide the funds needed to cover the addition of one career firefighter (see separate amendment).
On November 9,2021 at 7:30 p.m. the Common Council will hold a Public Hearing at the City Hall. This is your opportunity to advocate for any amendment that you want to support. During this meeting, Council members will discuss amendments, vote them up or down, followed by a vote on the entire 2022 budget.
How Can you Participate?
By email: to submit an email to the Mayor and Council in support of any of my amendments, you can use this email: Council&Mayor@fitchburgwi.gov
In person: be at the Council Chambers at 7:30 p.m. Remember that you only have three minutes.
Remotely: email Scott Yarbrough @: Scott.Yarbrough@fitchburgwi.gov for a Zoom link.
Julia Arata Fratta
District 2 Alder – City of Fitchburg