Here is another fact from the previous City of Memphis reports that points out the fact that the Memphis City budget is all about jobs, not efficient government. With the improvements in computer management and government computer programs, they should have been able to reduce the number of employees from 1996 to 2008 with only an 8% increase in population. But their objective is not efficiency, it is about jobs.

YEAR	1996	2008	DIFFERENCE
POPULATION CITY OF MEMPHIS	614,289	664,215	UP 8%
FUNDED STAFFING LEVEL	4764 (actual)	6225	30%

One other point. I asked last week for a copy of the proposed budget. I was told that it was not on line and would not be available until after it was finally adopted. I complained and asked how the public could review the administration requested budget without a copy on line. I have been told that Council Chairman Myron Lowery will have it on line by the end of this week. I have posted below the budget committee meetings, dates and times. Let us show up and let them know that we want real reform and cuts in the budget.

Here is what needs to be done.

My recommendations for the 2010 budget year is the following.

1. A 10% personnel cut in the City of Memphis. The actual funded staffing level for 2007 was 5534. The adopted 2009 funded staffing level was 6309, an increase of 14%. A 10% cut is not unreasonable. It should be across the board from the top to the bottom. For instance, we do not need a deputy director in each department. This is a layer of bureaucracy that we can do without. Also crony friends of the Mayor who have been given plum jobs should be laid off.
   
2. We need a fundamental change in our personnel policy to bring it more in line with the "for profit" world where all the tax money originates. We now have at the top end of years in service (15 years or more) 5 weeks vacation, 5 weeks of sick days, 11 holidays, 4 bonus days and three days death in family leave. This amounts to over ¼ of the year. On top of this we have the federal FLMA (Family Leave Medical Act) which allows up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave for various reasons. Private for profit companies do not have anywhere near this level of days off. We could cut our work force by 15 to 20% by bringing days off down to private levels.
   
3. We have over $3 billion of unfunded liability in OPEB costs (other post employment benefits) that represent promises made by politicians for retiree health care costs but without the money set aside to pay for them. We are now promising to pay 70 to 75 percent of these costs. We need to reduce this promise by 5% a year for the next 14 years so that the retirees can prepare for this reduction and to not make this promise to future employees.
   
4. We need to move to a defined contribution pension plan similar to a 401K used in the for profit world of companies for all new employees. The present plan for existing qualified employees would be maintained.
   
5. We need to look at changing the retirement age of employees which currently is after 25 years of service regardless of age. The highest cost of retiree medical insurance is for retirees at ages before they become eligible for Medicare. I have recently gotten current financial reports for the MLGW and have asked for the same from the City and the County. It is not a pretty picture. The MLGW is increasing their contribution by $18 million dollars because of losses in the market.
   

The guiding principle of these recommendations is that public employees' salaries and benefits should be no greater than the salaries and benefits of the taxpayers (the people who work in "for profit" businesses). Fairness and equity demand this.