By Fallan Patterson
Staff Writer

Bonuses may be in the future for city of St. Cloud employees, according to the 2011-12 fiscal year budget recommended Tuesday by the Citizen's Advisory Finance Committee.

While a hiring freeze within the city continues except for crucial positions that become vacant, such as the newly-hired public services administrator Randy Jackson, City Manager Tom Hurt found money to provide bonuses to all employees, some of whom are doing the work of two people.

“I think they're happy to have a job, but patting people on the back only goes so far,” Hurt said. “I think a little something is better than nothing.”

Full-time employees would receive $500, part-time employees $200 and seasonal employees $100. The amounts are after taxes have been taken out, Hurt said.

Hurt faced opposition over the bonuses from finance committee member David Welty, who said the employees should be grateful to have a job in this economic climate.

“The times are tough,” he said. “It's probably the wrong time to approve an employee bonus.”

The bonuses, which were approved 3-1, will cost the city $319,350. When they would be given to employees wasn't known at press time Friday.

“It's less than $10 a week but it does show employees (the city) is grateful,” committee member Red Morse said.

Bonuses are easier to provide than raises, Hurt said, as they are one-time payouts whereas a raise would have to be maintained. The last merit raise city employees received was three years ago; the last cost-of-living adjustment was provided four years ago.

“We figured (the bonuses) are conservative and won't hurt us,” Hurt said. “I just think it's time to reward these employees.”

Hurt and the city's finance department, headed by Director Michael Turner, were able to balance the projected $106 million budget, which begins Oct. 1, without raising the 4.91 millage rate despite a 9.8 percent drop in property values. Services provided by the city won't be affected.

Preliminary figures from the Osceola County Property Appraiser's Office, released June 1, estimated St. Cloud property values had dropped 13.8 percent, prompting Hurt's team to slash the budget at the time an additional $700,000.

“This is a bare-bones budget; it has been cut to the bone,” Hurt said.

St. Cloud's property values dropped 17 percent in 2009 and 15 percent in 2010 so this year's 9.8 percent shows the decline has slowed.

“Although national economists have declared a technical end to the Great Recession, we would be hard-pressed to find many in the local economy who feel that is true,” Hurt wrote Monday in a memo to the St. Cloud City Council.

Despite the request by the council to buy back into the Osceola Legislative Effort to the tune of $20,000, the finance committee unanimously voted to move the money into the contingency fund instead and stick with Bill Barrett, the city's current lobbyist.

Barrett has been St. Cloud's lobbyist for nearly 10 years and is paid $57,963 annually, city spokeswoman Sandra Ramirez said.

“We have our own lobbyist, full-time,” Hurt said, adding he spoke to Barrett as much as four times a day during the last legislative session. “I would put the (funds) somewhere else, if I had the choice. We get more out of our own lobbyist.”

Due to financial reasons, St. Cloud has declined for the past two years to join the local lobbying group, of which the city of Kissimmee, Osceola County government and the Osceola County School District are members.

St. Cloud benefitted from OLE when the organization lobbied for the Florida's Turnpike interchange that opened in 2007 on Kissimmee Park Road. The city also used the lobbying group, headed by Tom Franklin, in pushing for the widening of U.S. Highway 192 from the turnpike exchange across from Shady Lane to Budinger Avenue, a project that is currently in the planning stages.

“That was the biggest push we had with them,” Hurt said. “We don't really have a list from the council yet of what to ask for (next year).”

Additionally, the finance committee unanimously approved reducing the St. Cloud Community Development Agency's budget by $50,000, leaving just $25,000. The CRA, its board comprised of the five council members, works to ensure the long-term economic vitality of downtown as well as create a traditional urban district and unique entryways into the city.

A current goal, at the suggestion of residents, is to revitalize Florida Avenue, “the main thoroughfare to the lakefront,” Hurt said.

This also is the fifth and final year of the city budgeting $150,000 for a new $750,000 aerial fire truck for St. Cloud Fire Rescue. The funds come from a 1 percent sales tax, which is used to purchase high-priced items that would otherwise upend the city's budget, Hurt said.

This truck, which is expected to be delivered in October or November, will replace a 1987 fire truck, Fire Rescue Chief Bill Johnston said.

The new truck will have a 70-foot ladder and an elevated platform; the highest ladder the department currently has extends 50 feet. The department does not have a platform truck now.

The older fire truck will be sold at auction, Johnston said.

Furthermore, to save money, the city switched from United Healthcare to Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida for employee health insurance. The switch will save $30,000 annually and the program also offers rebates to the city if claims end up being lower than anticipated.

The City Council will review the budget Aug. 1 during a public workshop.