Outsourcing Mowing Services: What Does it Mean?

In a 3-2 vote during the Sept. 8 Special Budget Meeting, the Gulfport City Council passed the first reading of the Operating Budget for fiscal year 2012. The Gulfport Parks Department is among the departments slated to receive funding cuts.

What does that mean for the Gulfport Parks Department, its employees and services?

According to Director of Administrative Services Dan Carpenter, if the city moves forward with outsourcing mowing services, four full-time Parks Deptartment employees will be eliminated.

The move would save $47,877 from being used out of the General Fund Reserve and save $84,276 from the Sanitation Fund (garbage and recycling). The total savings for eliminating four positions and contracting out mowing services would be $132,153.

The city has budgeted $63,642 to pay for mowing services in fiscal year 2012.

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According to Gulfport City Manager James O'Reilly, there are no current proposals for outsourcing mowing services, but he says the city "will begin seeking a vendor immediately (and) seek competitive bids and adjust accordingly with remaining staff."

As to which four of the seven current Parks Department employees would lose their jobs, O'Reilly says the decision would be made to eliminate "those performing tasks that may (be) contracted for or tasks that may be combined within other departments."

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Parks and Recreation Superintendent Bob Williams has been with the city for more than 30 years and says he doesn't want to lose his team. "I can honestly say that I’m hoping they keep the parks division together because they do such good work.”

"I feel that the parks department could do a better job than the contractors; they know the areas much better, they know their job, they know the little things that you need,” Williams said.

Williams says those at risk of losing their jobs do a lot more than mow lawns at city parks.

"Mowing is like one third of their job," he said.

Williams says they trim trees, weed, pick up trash, rake the beach and playgrounds and perform pest control, among other duties. He says the department is responsible for taking care of four baseball fields in the city, mowing bermuda grass two to three times a week at Hoyt Field and Tomlinson Park's Lum Atkinson Ball Fields. He says whoever takes over the services has to have specialized equipment, which the city already has.

“We have to decide (for) each park, itemize: Are you going to do weeding, mulching, trim trees?” he said in reference to hiring an outside company.

Williams says if the department loses four positions, essentially cutting more than half of the parks department, it will lose 45 to 50 years of combined experience.

“You have to be neutral in a certain aspect, but your feelings don’t,” he said.

Williams says there's a lot of unanswered questions, and he doesn't know exactly how the department and the residents would be effected.

“Which persons are going to go and which are going to stay and what are the responsibilities going to be for who’s left?” he said.

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Mayor Mike Yakes says he has a plan that would keep the four parks department employees at risk of losing their jobs.

By increasing water and sewer from the already proposed 10 to 12 percent, the city could generate $87,460. That number factored into the equation produces a surplus while keeping all city employees, keeping the parks department as is and keeping the police dispatch center.

His proposal adds $13,244 back into the general fund reserves.

“I’m representing my people,” Yakes said.

According to the budget passed by 3-2 vote during the first reading, $121,338 would be added into the reserve in fiscal year 2012 by outsourcing the Gulfport police dispatch center and mowing services, increasing various city and utilities fees and rates and by increasing the millage rate to 4.0. Mayor Yakes and council member Sam Henderson voted no during the first reading.

“I’m not voting for this; the solution that I have is not a Band-Aid, it will resolve the problem,” Yakes said.

Only one other council member, Sam Henderson, supported Yakes and presented his own compromise during first reading. In the end, three council members showed no support for Yakes' proposal or Henderson's proposal to increase water and sewer to 12.5 percent and keep the millage rate at 3.9.

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Vice Mayor David Hastings says now is the time to balance the budget and make decisions that will help the city financially in the years to come. He proposed outsoucing mowing services during a budget workshop in July based on available options presented by City Manager James O'Reilly.

Hastings says at that time, the city council was faced with dipping into the General Fund Reserves or cutting the budget elsewhere.

"We would be looking at the same – if not a worse – budget deficit next year," Hastings said.

Although the city manager does not have a proposal or bid for outsourcing mowing services, Hastings is confident with the numbers that have been provided.

"He's assured me that the savings is real; I'm basing that on what he is telling me," Hastings said.

But Hastings says the parks department may be saved during the second reading of the operating budget.

"I think what I'm hearing is that there's a little bit more sentiment out there to keep the parks people. I don’t know if that’s going to hold up on the next meeting,” Hastings said.