AURORA | City council will move forward with a city-county study focused on saving money that would cost $40,000-$45,000 at a study session Monday.
“If you recall, the current study assumes everything we build is new. This would look at other options that might provide savings on the capital side,” said Deputy City Manager Michelle Wolfe. The study would also develop a budget, include a detailed job/function analysis for all city services, and a refined analysis of the city’s current facilities, according to city documents.
The study would be conducted by TischlerBise, and would take 3 to 4 months, according to city staff.
Council agreed that they would need to decide whether to elect or appoint city-county positions before moving forward with the study.
“We have to make decisions. Are we going to have an elected city clerk, are we going to have an elected coroner?” said Councilwoman Barb Cleland.
“I don’t want to spend another dime on this study,” said Councilwoman Sally Mounier.
TischlerBise took about two years to complete a worst-case scenario study for city council. That study recently showed that incorporating the city into its own county could cost $325 million in new buildings and expenses. That study cost the city $249,000, and also predicted the gap between operating revenues and expenditures would cost the city around $20 million a year for the next 20 years.
“I would like in 2016 to go the Legislature,” said Cleland. “We have to mount a campaign for the City of Aurora. If the council decides what we want to do, we have to campaign for 2015. It has to start before the end of the year to get it going.”
City Councilwoman Molly Markert pointed to the fact that Aurora becoming a city-county could greatly decrease its social service levels, based on the study results.
“I worry the more analysis we do, there’s no guarantee its accurate,” she said.
I agree with Council Member Sally Mounier. Not one more dime should be spent. Enough already.