What City Services Could be Dropped or Outsourced?

[ErieRocks]

It's budget time again, and maybe this time City Council and the Mayor should ask the CITIZENS what services we would be willing to do without before they start cutting things. Even small things might make a difference. Personally, I think the "street cleaning" could be done away with. All they do is come down my street and kick up dust - they don't clean a darn thing. It's something small, but it's a start. Anyone else have any VALID ideas that could be passed on to the people in charge?

[Old Timer]

Erie needs to get out of the garbage business. Lots of deadwood there that costs way too much money. Private indsutry could do it a lot cheaper. I think that 'streets' needs to stay...otherwise who would plow the snow and fix the potholes. May it's time for the city to cut back on all the parks it operates too.

[Penny from Tenney]

Cut the garbage staff in half. Pick up on the East side of town one week and the west side of town the next. I can go two weeks before having my garbage picked up. It won't kill people to be a little inconvienced. Get rid of the radar lights! That cost the city a good amount of change.

[Merv]

Get rid of the garbage collection. Perhaps waste management could do it better and at a cheaper cost to the citizenry? Also, outsource the repair of the fleet mechanics...that could probably be done cheaper than the City does it for.

Maybe the City could also consider outsourcing the lawn maintenance of its parks and boulevards?

Bottom line, the only thing the City should be doing is plowing snow and fixing potholes...everything else should be outsourced

[JMT]

The city can farm out the garbage part of refuse but continue with recycled because I think they actually make money on it.

[name]

Merv wrote:

Get rid of the garbage collection. Perhaps waste management could do it better and at a cheaper cost to the citizenry? Also, outsource the repair of the fleet mechanics...that could probably be done cheaper than the City does it for.
Maybe the City could also consider outsourcing the lawn maintenance of its parks and boulevards?
Bottom line, the only thing the City should be doing is plowing snow and fixing potholes...everything else should be outsourced

the city already outsources lawn care for most of the parks and boulevards.

[Joe the Plumber]

Outsourcing the trash collection is a good idea. The city can consider cutting the following three departments. The city controller (Casimir Kwitowski) has a department with a 2008 budgeted cost of $214,070 - what exactly does he do and why does he need a staff to do it? The city treasurer (Susan Divecchio) operates a department with a 2008 budgeted cost of $470,572. The city operates a printshop at a 2008 budgeted cost of $106,808. Surely the work done by the printshop can be outsourced for less. These three together cost almost $800,000.

These are small examples, but the more savings the Sinnott administration identifies then the better off for all of us.

[Exit]

Pete Petriani needs to be fired. The problem is that Joe Sinnot doesn't have the balls to do it.

[yogi]

Exit wrote:

Pete Petriani needs to be fired. The problem is that Joe Sinnot doesn't have the balls to do it.

...you must be related to Fiore Leone and Dave"wannabe cop" Mazzone who walks around the civic center like he's a real cop. The real cops should be ashamed of the people Massone hires - one being Dan Strong (ex-felon)

[Steve the Citizen]

Joe the Plumber sounds pretty smart. All citizens should go to the city website and download these reports.
Exit sounds pretty knowledge too.
It takes guts and balls to run a large organizations. It takes smarts too.
Then go to council meetings and talk, I have.
The Mayor has a monthly newsletter. Look at the first line of the October letter. He says Erie is a safe community. Then why do we need new police cars with new colors? Why do we have more crime in past 6 months than in previous 3 years put together?
Mid-year financial report - what sounds fishy to you? That is what needs fixed/cut.
http://www.erie.pa.us/pdf/mid.year.report.200...
The last couple years budgets - look through them and try to see where things could improve. see which line items stay same, which go UP and which go down - hint: not many.
http://www.erie.pa.us/Departments/Finance/tab...
All of public works seems like a bloated mess.
Health insurance for 7 council members cost more than $114,000 last year alone!!! Outrageous.Their salaries were ONLY $43,000 but WE the citizens of Erie deposited almost $38,000 towards their PENSIONS!!!!!!!
The Controllers office is a joke. The deputy controller makes $6,000 more than the elected controller. Fire him and keep her, she must be doing more work.$250,000 total budget expenses to do what? What exactly does that office do every day?
$500,00 to staff a solicitors office. Couldn't we write a check to a local firm for $450,000 and both parties be happy?
Ditto treasurers office. That whole place should be outsourced tomorrow, there are many public companies which already do that same function. Heck, the city outsourced income taxes two years ago, why not real estate taxes too?
I looked for the Act 47 report and recommendations but its not there. Wonder why?

[Exit]

yogi wrote:

<quoted text>...you must be related to Fiore Leone and Dave"wannabe cop" Mazzone who walks around the civic center like he's a real cop. The real cops should be ashamed of the people Massone hires - one being Dan Strong (ex-felon)

Please talk more about what you just said. I don't go to the civic center. Who is Dave Mazzone? Does he work at the civic center
full-time or just do security there for events? I have heard of Dan Strong. He's bad news.

[Amazed]

Everyone should take the time to drive by the Public Works place at 20th and French when the garbage trucks go out. Three on a truck and many many trucks. There also has always been a bureau chief that works days when all the workers are on nights, so there is a foreman as well. Then, on another night watch the cruisers as they head out. Only a few two-man cars, the rest one man. In Millcreek (I hate to admit that they do a better job) there is one person picking up garbage during the day. We have our garbage taken to a transfer station which the other municipalities don't have to do because the landfill is open during the day. How much extra does this cost us? AND, we are not allowed to put out anything other than bagged stuff for our money. But, the garbage dept is the only place that political hires can be made easily, so it won't change.

[mrkihn]

Out source any job that has union members. Their greed has cost the tax payers way too much money.
That will also get rid of the favoritism of friends only getting the city jobs.

[Bryan Delio]

Amazed...Do you have any idea how many tons these guys in the city pick up on any given night? I do agree they are way to top heavy in the refuse dept. If the city outsourced refuse to Waste Management they would have us by the short hairs,you can bet the price would skyrocket.

[Bryan Delio]

I'll name them...Bryan Delio(firefighter),Corey Delio(firefighter), Terry Delio(streets), that makes THREE DELIOS. Yer awful brave hiding behind a fake screen name.

[Penny from Tenney]

The Anti-Delio wrote:

Always remember, every argument that comes from Delio is made with an agenda: to preserve the status quo for himself and his other family members who depend on city tax money for their entire livelihoods.
These are people who could not work in the private sector like everyone else. So they use their connections to secure city jobs for themselves and members of their families.
Delio will always defend anything related to a city union.
He is a parasite

I know the Delios and you are dead wrong. I love it when people bash people that they don't even know!!!! Jealousy. What, you couldn't make it as a firefighter!

[Joe Wecandowithout]

This is and idea put the entire city on E bay and see if there is even and interest. Before u slam me for leaving u r right but this is the best entertainment for cheap during these tough times. You people are comical. Action not talk

Last one south of 38th and Peach please turn out the lights this city has been dead for years and no one wants to admit it. Get rid of Jim Thompson and u have a punchers chance. How much tax does he owe this year? What a bum

hint hint I - 79 goes SOUTH

[Bryan Delio]

Hello Penny...thanks.

[Allie]

Joe Wecandowithout wrote:

This is and idea put the entire city on E bay and see if there is even and interest. Before u slam me for leaving u r right but this is the best entertainment for cheap during these tough times. You people are comical. Action not talk
Last one south of 38th and Peach please turn out the lights this city has been dead for years and no one wants to admit it. Get rid of Jim Thompson and u have a punchers chance. How much tax does he owe this year? What a bum
hint hint I - 79 goes SOUTH

You need to get a new tag line, your "last one south of 38th please turn out the lights" is really growing old.

[Allie]

The Anti-Delio wrote:

Always remember, every argument that comes from Delio is made with an agenda: to preserve the status quo for himself and his other family members who depend on city tax money for their entire livelihoods.
These are people who could not work in the private sector like everyone else. So they use their connections to secure city jobs for themselves and members of their families.
Delio will always defend anything related to a city union.
He is a parasite

I hardly call working for a living being a parasite...