After months of jockeying from various city departments for more funding, the city council Monday night passed a resolution 6-2 approving Española’s $15.7 million budget. The $10.2 million general fund budget was approved, compared to $9.9 million for 2012.
But what Mayor Alice Lucero was hoping would be a quick formality turned into a heated debate when Councilors Robert Seeds and Peggy Sue Martinez contested some of the budget increases going toward raises and new hires throughout Española.
Conflict arose when Martinez seconded the motion to pass the resolution, only to say that her support was contingent on adding an amendment to the budget.
When Lucero said amendments weren’t possible during a resolution, Martinez promptly rescinded her support and ultimately joined Seeds in voting against the resolution.
Despite their dissent, Seeds and Martinez couldn’t stop a budget that will raise all city employees’ salaries by 3 percent including temporary workers.
Additionally, the public safety, human resources, finance, library and city manager departments all received more funding to allocate toward hiring new full-time employees and raising current workers’ salaries.
Municipal Judge Stephen Salazar’s request to give municipal court employees a 5 percent raise was denied during early budget meetings while the parks department received no city money for new pool maintenance equipment or a revival of the city’s basketball and volleyball leagues.
Even with the setbacks, Recreation Director Andrew Herrera received a small victory when the council approved his proposed extension of the pool season to Sept. 14.
The new budget also sees significant increases in insurance expenses, with the governing body’s insurance coverage almost doubling from $25,872 to $50,643.
All departments took a 33 percent increase hit in health insurance costs. Departments that added employees saw a larger increase.
Interim city manager Joe Duran said Monday the rates come from the state and the city is obligated to pay them.
“The only differences are that employees can choose within the network either Blue Cross, Blue Shield; Presbyterian; or Lovelace,” Duran said.
The city clerk’s office budget increased $52,288 from 2013, a 31 percent jump, to fund the deputy clerk’s position.
The recreation department increased $8,000 to fund two part-time life guards.
The senior citizen center’s budget received $3,415 more to pay for a dishwasher and maintenance contracts on equipment. Its health insurance went from $15,304 to $29,314.
The finance department’s budget expanded from $360,862 (actual) to $621,488 to pay for new positions and the corresponding health insurance.
Also kept in the budget from last year is a $195,000 expense for audits. Only $55,044 was spent on audits in the last fiscal year.
The council also discussed the 2010 audit, which should be back from the state auditor in two weeks, according to finance Director Joyce Sandoval.
Planning and zoning’s budget was flat for salaries. Full-time positions remained at $261,726 but only $195,474 was spent on salaries in FY 2013.
Public safety’s budget grew by $91,000, in the full-time positions line item and health insurance.
The fire department shrank its budget by $59,316 to just under $1.2 million.
In addition to increases in departmental budgets, the city council restored some cuts that had been made throughout 2013, including the $71,000 allocated for legal fees, which had been cut to $43,959 at one point this year. Councilor Seeds had suggested cutting legal fees to $35,000 at a April 16 council meeting.
Though many in the city government are happy with the raises, not everyone in city council was approving of the new increases.
In support of his dissension, Seeds proposed waiting six months into the year before deciding whether it was financially viable to hire some of the upper level positions.
Councilor John Hernandez echoed Seeds’s sentiment but still sided with the mayor in passing the resolution.
Perhaps most unhappy with the new budget was Martinez, calling the current budget deficit “irresponsible.” Martinez said she felt a merit-based system should be used when determining city employee raises, with only the most deserving receiving them.
The actual passage of the budget took place July 17 when numbers were presented to the council, including a breakdown of salaries.
At that meeting, again Seeds and Martinez were the vocal critics of the budget and how it had come to its present form.
Martinez said some of the line items approved in April and May were no longer in the budget or were different.
“I’ve heard from community service people we are doing okay without Len (Cata),” Martinez said. “Why are we funding that position?”
Duran said the department needs the help and that Cata was an “on the ground” guy.
“We voted on the preliminary budget to not fund this position,” Seeds said.
Lucero said the city manager and his people know what is needed.
“I support Joe and if he says it’s needed, then it is,” Lucero said. “They’re the ones who do the work. We have to consider what the department heads need.”
Other line items were questioned including postage costs and water project costs that went from $51,000 to $923,000.
Duran said the council had approved the appropriate change orders on several water projects and the funding was coming from prior years’ cash balances.
After discussion died, the mayor called for a vote. The mayor held up the vote while two people left council chambers to look for Councilor Dennis Salazar. When it was announced he had left, the vote was taken.
It passed 5-2 with Salazar absent.