Eastlake budget in limbo over disagreement on city pool

The few residents who attended the Eastlake City Council meeting knew from the beginning that no budget would be passed Tuesday night.

Instead of going through a full veto process, which Mayor Ted Andrzejewski said he would do if the budget did not include the city's pool, the council decided to put the budget on first reading to try to further negotiate with the administration.

"I am against the veto. This council is against the veto," Council President Dennis Morley said.

But the state deadline for budget passage is March 31, which is Easter Sunday. Law Director Randy Klammer said the statute states the permanent budget must be passed no later than the first day of April, possibly allowing the city to take some budgetary action on Monday.

"Based on my review with the law director, if there is no budget -- a permanent budget -- adopted by April 1, I have no authority to pay anybody for their work or anything else," Finance Director Mike Slocum said. "I think it shuts the city down."

The sticking point for Andrzejewski is the city's pool.

"With the cost of the pool in the budget we are projecting a surplus of $550,000. The net cost of the pool is $55,000 to operate," he said. "There is money available to open the pool."

The surplus, Andrzejewski said, wasn't there in 2012. The city began the year with no additional money. Because the city has the money the mayor said it should provide recreation to its residents.

Morley said when the decision to open the pool in 2011 was made the city was unaware of the future cuts coming from the state. Since 2011 the city has cut $2 million from the budget.

"If we want to go back to zero (surplus), why don't we use the $550,000 we have left and add a policeman, a fireman and a service worker?" Morley said.

"If we go to zero again, would that be OK, Mr. Slocum? Since we started out last year with zero, can't we do that again? Over the last so many years we've had budgets where I don't like everything in the budget and people on council don't like everything in the budget, but we don't vote no on the whole budget over one line item. That's what is being done."

Councilwoman at large Laura DePledge said the reason not to spend until there's nothing left in the surplus is because the city would be unable to handle any unplanned costs, like the aftermath of a natural disaster.

"(Five hundred and fifty thousand) sounds like a lot of money but when you're running a city this size it isn't," she said.

Tempers ran high during the meeting, and the mood was decidedly taught with accusations of officials playing politics with the budget. It is an election year. Andrzejewski and Morley have filed to run for mayor.

Another wrench in the pool is the $150,000 state grant that was used to help open the pool two years ago. There is some debate over language in the grant as it pertains to the pool being open. The mayor told the council he was able to persuade the state to get them to hold off for one year, but said the money would be in jeopardy if the pool does not open.

Other council members said they were looking into the matter, and hope to have a response from the state soon. As of the end of the meeting Tuesday night, Eastlake officials were still determining when they could all meet again to discuss the budget before the Easter deadline.

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