By Doug Miller
A no vote by Tepper, combined with two dissenting Republican votes, would be enough to defeat the budget. GOP Councilman Tom Sofield could not be reached for comment.
Tepper¼s letter, dated April 17, calls on Laffey to direct Edwin Eaton, a former city manager who served as Laffey¼s budget advisor, to provide a written, public report detailing the city¼s current financial standing.
Eaton could not be reached for comment.
The proposed budget calls for $72.4 million in spending for 2006-07, up from the current $55 million. It includes a property tax levy of $31.1 million, up from the current $24.8 million.
Laffey has called the increase the consequence of two years of austerity budgets passed by the previous Republican administration, combined with accelerating overtime costs for police and firefighters and projected revenue sources that did not materialize, specifically the sale of the Superblock property and the Waldbaum¼s Plaza.
The City Council will hold two budget hearings, May 16 and 23, at which the public is invited to comment.
For his part, Tepper said he was not trying to pick a fight with the city manager, but merely looking for answers on residents¼ behalf. „As a first step, I¼d like to get a clearer picture from Ed [Eaton],¾ he said. „He doesn¼t answer to Democrats or Republicans, he¼s an independent contractor. And he¼s the most knowledgeable guy that I can think of anywhere to give us this analysis.¾
In addition to searching for areas where spending might be curbed, Tepper said he thought there were unexplored sources of revenue available, in the form of utility credits when the city overpays taxes and fees for certain services, which has been described by city officials as a frustratingly frequent occurrence.
„I proposed to the city to hire a firm to do utility audits,¾ Tepper said. „They can bring in tens of thousands of dollars, and nobody is going after these things. ... There¼s really no excuse for that.¾
Tepper said in his letter that he would like Eaton to provide a breakdown of current budget items compared with the proposed budget, and a review of the increases in costs among the police, the fire department, Long Beach¼s lifeguards, the corporation counsel¼s office and the city¼s termination, retirement and benefit costs. He also called for a review of the city¼s use of seasonal employees, many of whom, Tepper said, are kept on well past the end of their seasons.
Far from taking the letter as a dig, Laffey said he welcomed the scrutiny. „I¼m asking Mr. Eaton to do what council member Tepper has requested,¾ Laffey said Tuesday. „And that is to do an analysis of my proposed budget with respect to the points Mr. Tepper outlined. ... I think it¼s a good exercise, and I look forward to reading his report.¾
Tepper also called for an analysis of the termination package given to former City Manager Charles Theofan, who resigned suddenly at the end of December after being told he would not be kept on by the Democrats. Theofan received three months of severance pay, totaling more than $50,000, a package many Democrats have called exceedingly generous, given that he approved it himself without council approval, and he was employed by the city for only two years.
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