2018 Manager's Recommended Budget

Mary had a little scam
As deep as drifting snow
And everywhere that Mary went
The scam was sure to go

Mary failed to recuse herself

Which was against the rule
It made the Ethics Board investigate
Individuals at the schools

And so the public tuned her out
But still she ruled with fear
We waited patiently
With hopes she’d disappear

The 2018 Mt. Lebanon Manager's Recommended Budget has been published. On page 51 of 92 pages of the pdf, the service level narrative for Outreach is:

Minimum Support (Current Level). Subsidy to provide the current range of counseling services to Mt. Lebanon clients at no charge for two sessions and reduced session costs for sessions 3-10. Provides for free parent consultations. Includes office and counseling staff with facility located within Mt. Lebanon. Provides for 1,045 hours of direct services.

The Outreach Program is operated by an independent nonprofit corporation. 

The service level cost remains the same at $104,040. This is a little misleading, however. The magazine provides free advertising via ads, social media, feature stories, and brochure mailings in the print mailings of the magazine.

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Additionally, the manager is recommending $55,000 for deer "management." See pages 46-47, service levels 3 and 4.


Mt. Lebanon Commission will hold open discussion workshop sessions to review the 2018 Manager’s Recommended Budget. These sessions are scheduled for 6 p.m., at the Municipal Building, 710 Washington Road, on the following dates:

Monday, November 13, 2017
Monday, November 20, 2017
Wednesday, November 29, 2017

Portions of these meetings may be in executive session to discuss personnel matters related to compensation.

The public hearing on the manager’s proposed budget will be held on Tuesday, November 14, 2017, at 8 p.m., in Commission Chambers located at the Municipal Building, 710 Washington Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15228. On Tuesday, December 12, 2017, the Commission will hold a public hearing at the same location on the proposed adjustments to the manager’s recommended budget and vote on the final 2018 budget document.

Kelly blogs about turf, deer, and the budget

Commissioner Kelly Fraasch has updated her blog in time for tomorrow's commission meeting.

2014 Budget has links to the 2014 Recommended Budget and the Amendments to the 2014 Recommended Budget.

Why I voted No on Bendel's Proposal for Turf? Kelly discusses her concerns with the Turf Proposal for Middle and Wildcat Fields.

Kelly has been working on a non-lethal deer management option, sterilization. Deer in Mt. Lebanon Part 3 Biologists are learning that this method is extremely successful.

Thanks Kelly, for keeping us informed.

Since Susan is busy,

I thought that the amended 2014 Manager's Recommended Budget should be published SOMEWHERE before Tuesday's Commission meeting. It is not on the Municipal website, other than on Tuesday's Agenda.

Amendments to the 2014 Manager's Recommended Budget

The final public hearing on the 2014 Budget will be held on Tuesday, December 10, 2013. According to the Commission Agenda, the commissioners will be approving the new budget on the same night.

This is our last opportunity to voice our opinions (not that it matters) about artificial turf and any other Commission revisions to the Manager's Recommended Budget.

Tuesday will be President Matt Kluck's last meeting as a commissioner. He is such a gentleman. I hate to see him go. Good luck, Matt.  Thank you for all your hard work and efforts to keep the Commission grounded.

The 2014 Manager’s Recommended Budget UPDATED 2X

The 2014 Manager’s Recommended Budget has been posted on the Municipal website. http://ebooks.mtlebanon.org/budget/budget2014/  or  
http://mtlebanon.org/DocumentCenter/View/9737 (PDF)

A public hearing will be held on Tuesday, November 12, 2013. The second budget review will begin at 5:30 PM on Thursday, November 14, 2013. The third budget review will begin at 5:30 PM on Monday, November 18, 2013. A second public hearing and Budget Adoption will be during the regular Commission meeting on December 10, 2013.

The first budget review video is available online here.

Update 11:01 PM The deer culling debate starts at the 2:58:30 mark of the video. I did not attend the first budget review for that very reason. Spoiler alert: Dave Brumfield will vote against marksmen in the community. Kristen was very disappointed to hear that. Knowing Kristen, she will have her supporters at Tuesday's public hearing to speak in favor of culling. Please watch Kristen, Matt, and Dave discuss this issue for fifteen minutes or so. Matt, Kelly, and Dave would like to have a second aerial survey repeated at the same time as last year, to compare apple to apples. Are the deer moving on? Are the numbers increasing substantially? We won't know until we have a second survey. Kristen was not in favor of that for some reason. John Bendel was not at the budget review. Remember, Kelly has been suggesting a nonlethal sterilization program from the beginning.

Thank you, Dave for taking that position. Matt, thanks for pressing for a second survey. Kelly, thanks for all your research to find a safe alternative to culling.

Update November 11, 2013 8:04 AM Page 69 and 70 of the PDF, or page 64 and 65 of the Budget show $1,050,000 for turfing and lighting Wildcat and Middle Fields. It is line item 23 and below the line on The Manager's Recommended Budget. The line is drawn under item number 19. At Tuesday's meeting, we will also have the sports people asking to move line item 23 above the line. Just months before, they were willing to pay part of the project through their funds and signage revenue. Now, we get to pay it all with our tax dollars.

Another way, proposed by the Manager is on page 3 and 4 of the Budget.

"The Commission may also want to consider expanding the size of the issue to reduce the size of the backlog of capital projects for major projects such as the development of athletic facilities, park master plan improvements, and other priority projects."

In other words, increase the bond issue to include artificial turf.

Municipal Salaries

While I was sitting through those soooo exciting budget meetings, I was looking through the 2013 Manager's Recommended Budget and realized that I had no idea of what kind of money these folks earn. It really isn't broken down.  So here is what I was able to find.  2011 and 2012 Municipal Salaries I do not have names listed, only by position. These figures do not include medical insurance costs, life insurance, vehicle allowances, worker's compensation, or bonuses.

Salary amounts will change in a couple of months when the new budget is passed.  The final budget hearing is scheduled for December 11, 2012, when it will be approved.

The 2013 Manager's Recommended Budget is now online

The 2013 Manager's Recommended Budget has been posted online here.  The good news is that:

• The budgets for all funds are balanced using a combination of ongoing revenue sources and available reserves.
• The budget assumes a property re-assessment that will result in an increase of 5 percent over real estate revenue received in 2012. Because of the reassessment and “anti-windfall” legislation, we expect that the millage will actually decrease from 5.43 mills to 4.4 – 4.89 mills, depending on the results of appeals.
• There is no increase proposed in the earned income tax rate or deed transfer tax rate.
• There are also no proposed changes to the sanitary sewer fee or stormwater fee.

Budget review meetings start next week beginning Monday, November 5, 2012 at 6 PM with future meetings scheduled for Thursday, November 8, 2012 and Wednesday, November 14. I believe Citizens' Comments will be held November 13, 2012.

Field of Dreams

Hmmm.  When was the Joint Steering/Discussion/Leadership meeting? February 28? We have now gone from Dave Brumfield's idea of turfing and lighting a middle school's field to Josephine Posti's last item, "Field Use" on the March 12 school board meeting agenda, as a proposal from the Commission. How did that happen?
I went back to read the 2012 Manager's Recommended Budget. There are 299 service level rankings. Each "decision package" is listed in order of importance to municipal operations. Steve Feller provides an excellent explanation to his zero base budgeting.  I do not see anything listed for improving District fields. What is interesting to see is what a million plus dollars (cost of lighting and turfing a District field) buys in the municipal budget. The Commission determines the level of service. If a service level is listed as a "1" on the service level rankings, as I understand it, it is considered to be basic service. If a decision package is listed as a S/L 3, then it includes Levels 1, 2, and 3.
On pages 14-19 of the 2012 Manager's Recommended Budget, list the 299 service level rankings. There is a line under number 166, Forestry. Anything above the line is funded.  Anything below the line is not. I believe that means that 133 items did not make the suggested budget.  To put it simply, those items were sacrificed and yet the "Commission" is proposing that they turf and light Mellon or Jefferson field.
Sooo, how is turfing and lighting a District field benefitting the community, Josephine and Dave?  Ding, ding, ding.  That round went to the District.

On the Municipal side...

The 2012 Manager's Recommended Budget is now online here. Additional links to the recommended budget are on lebocitizens.com here or here.  The Manager's Recommended Budget shows a .245 mill tax increase which translates to a $146.60 increase for a house assessed at $200,000.  However, that is based on a 20% increase in County reassessments.

In the Trib:

Without the reassessments and the.245-mill proposed tax increase, Mt. Lebanon would face a $1.46 million deficit, Feller said. Covering that to balance the budget would required a hike of .71 mills. Or commissioners would have to cut things like a new pumper truck for the fire department; Sunday hours at the library; civic activities like the celebration of the upcoming town centennial; and aid to community groups like the Teen Center, Mt. Lebanon Partnership and the historical society. In previous years, some of those cutbacks have been proposed or carried out, but restored after community outcry.

Maybe it is time for the Allegheny County Housing Authority to start paying taxes on the seven or so houses they own here in Mt. Lebanon. Or maybe certain candidates who have been in the media lately should be paying their fair share in taxes.  Or I could just add a side porch roof to my house.

In any case, the public hearing is set for November 14 at 8 pm at the Municipal Building.