Fight against budget begins

CITY HALL — As the City Council today officially delves into what is expected to be a long and arduous budget process, finance and audit officials have for months been working behind the scenes to squeeze all they can out of local government.

In reports to the city’s Audit Committee on Monday, city officials reviewed a number of efforts to shore up inefficiencies and reduce costs throughout City Hall departments as the City Council, fresh off the election circuit, prepares to plug a budget gap estimated at between $6.5 million and $7 million.

Contract change orders have come under greater scrutiny, as have the ways employees spend city money or use government vehicles.

Already, the number of vehicles that city employees are allowed to take home has been reduced 28%, from 105 to 76, and the Police Department is evaluating an additional 18 cars to be included in the reduction plan, according to an internal audit report presented Monday.

Calling the report an “outstanding example” of how the auditing system can shed light on inefficiencies, committee Chairwoman Rebecca Delfino encouraged city officials to focus on regulating the remaining stock of take-home vehicles.

The figures came as officials embark on a plan to consolidate all 1,119 public vehicles under one maintenance system to cut costs and evaluate a number of other programs for inefficiencies “because there’s such a desire to capture every dollar we can,” City Auditor Bill Fox told the committee.

Janitors no longer work night shifts, cutting down on energy consumption at a savings of roughly $200,000 a year, Finance Director Bob Elliot said.

A new insurance broker with cheaper fees was hired, and longtime contractors will likely have to compete to keep their status, officials said. In the meantime, city department managers are reevaluating their public fees to make sure they’re at least covering the cost of doing business.

City auditors recently renegotiated the levels of financial contributions from cities that use the Glendale-based Verdugo Fire Communications Center for emergency dispatch services. A new system to ensure Glendale doesn’t end up subsidizing the center is expected to be ready in the coming months, according to a report.

Despite the slicing and dicing, city executives are preparing for hard cutbacks as the City Council prepares to draft a new budget for fiscal year 2009-10, which starts July 1.