Board of Aldermen — 4/11/17 Page 18
UNFINISHED BUSINESS - ORDINANCES
O-17-031
Endorsers: Mayor Jim Donchess
Alderman Richard A. Dowd
Alderman Ben Clemons
Alderman-at-Large Lori Wilshire
Alderman June M. Caron
Alderwoman Mary Ann Melizzi-Golja
Alderman-at-Large Michael B. O’Brien, Sr.
RELATIVE TO THE WASTEWATER SYSTEM FUND AS A SEWER FUND
Given its third reading;
MOTION BY ALDERMAN DOWD FOR FINAL PASSAGE OF O-17-031
ON THE QUESTION
Alderman Deane
| have a question for our attorney. Attorney Bolton, | served on the Board of Public Works for four years, and
from 2002 to today I’ve been an alderman. I’ve seen many operating budgets, and I’ve seen the positions that
had percentages that were part of or service thereof be it solid waste or wastewater, which are both enterprise
funds. Tonight | hear there’s a state law that does not allow that to take place. Could you let me know what
that state law number is so | can look at it or can you comment on the state law that’s been mentioned?
Attorney Bolton
| wish someone would let me know what that number is because | do not read the laws that reference sewer
fund or as we call it wastewater fund to provide for that at all. When you allocate time that is spent by one city
employee, if they are working on something related to the wastewater system, it is proper to allocate if you
allocate correctly. If they are spending half their time, you allocate half their time. If they are spending ten
percent of their time, you allocate ten percent. The fact is that’s not only allowable, that’s required because
you are not allowed to fund your wastewater system through general tax revenue. You must fund it through
your sewer fees, which we sometimes call wastewater fees. That’s what the law requires, that’s what we are
doing.
It is not a lot different than the positions that spend some of their time on various federal grants or other grants.
They all have a budget. It’s all how much time is spent by a given position working on, for example, the bus
system. Again, we have to account for the federal government for all the time spent by the employees,
allocate their salary appropriately to expenses related to the bus system as opposed to expenses of that
position to fulfill other tasks. All of that is proper. All of that is not comingling.
There is a prohibition against comingling, if that’s what people are referring to. But that does not prevent the
proper allocation of time when people spend some of their time doing work on wastewater system and part of
their time doing work on other things.
Alderman Deane
So there’s nothing illegal or underhanded or anything of that nature that’s been going on?
Attorney Bolton
Not as far as this allocation of a position.
