Thursday, February 28, 2013
There are more than 90,000 federal employees in Michigan. Click on Oakland County in the interactive chart below to find out how many there are here and hover over the bars to see which departments they work for.
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Thursday, February 28
Unless Congress reaches a last-minute agreement on the sequester by Friday, the huge budget cuts slated to kick in have the potential to affect over 1,200 federal employees working in Oakland County. Barring any kind of deal, the Obama administration will have to impose $85 billion in across-the-board spending cuts to military and domestic programs on Friday, according to The New York Times. Those cuts would be the start of $1 trillion in cuts over the next decade. The numbers in the graph above show the number of federal employees in Michigan by county in 2012, according to the latest figures from Eye on Washington, a DC-based lobbying firm that tracks federal employment. It compiles the data from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management …
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Officials hear on Tuesday that they may be looking at an $11 million deficit in the 2013-2014 budget.
While this year's Farmington Public Schools budget got a $3 million shot in the arm this year, officials will likely face another double digit structural deficit in 2013-2014. Associate Superintendent of Operational Services David Ruhland told board members Tuesday that amended budget numbers reflect the district's position as of Dec. 1, 2012. Changes result from adjustments made to the district's student count, federal funds, state funds and retirement costs. Ruhland said the loss of 27 more students than anticipated cost the district $171,000, but lower than anticipated retirement costs, grant spending, the impact of employee cost-sharing for benefits and other factors resulted in more than $3 million less in expenditures. This year's…
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Two board members raise questions over proposals submitted by firms serving the district.
With a 4-2 vote Tuesday, Farmington Schools board members approved fee increases ranging from 2-10 percent for two of the seven legal firms that serve the district. Board member Karen Bolsen abstained from the vote, saying her husband is a partner in one of the law firms, although he does not do work for the district. At the board's last meeting, secretary George Gurrola asked to see justification for the requested increases, which he feels are inappropriate given the district's current financial challenges. Officials in June approved a budget for the coming year that uses more than $11 million of the district's fund balance to offset declining revenues and increased expenses. "I know our attorneys are excellent … they all deserve a raise…
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Officials credit a voter-approved public safety millage with helping to balance the coming fiscal year's budget.
For the first time in about five years, Farmington Hills officials have approved a budget without dipping into financial reserves. Officials expressed appreciation to voters for a 2011 public safety millage, which shores up police and fire budgets, while taking some pressure off the city's general fund. The resolution city council members approved Monday includes just $28,000 in reductions. City manager Steve Brock pointed out that significant budget cuts were made in previous years, including a round of voluntary separations that cut the city's workforce by 39 employees. The total general fund budget, which covers operating expenses, is $51.4 million, more than 60 percent of which goes toward personnel costs. Brock said department …
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Board members approve changes that will provide better benefits at a lower cost.
Farmington Community Library board members have taken action that will save more than $298,000 in annual operating expenses. Since last year, a subcommittee has been reviewing the library's current benefits program, provided through Michigan Employee Benefits Service (MEBS). In January, board members approved hiring Warren-based Advanced Insurance to look at alternatives for both retired and active employees. At the board's Feb. 9 meeting, Advanced Insurance principal Mark Van Den Branden told officials they could separate the two groups and see significant savings. The library currently has one "pre-65" retiree and 18 retirees 65 and older. The library's 24 active employees will be switched from Blue Cross Blue Shield to Health Alliance …
42.498884
-83.371202
The Farmington Community Library Main Library
32737 W 12 Mile Rd, Farmington Hills, MI
/articles/farmington-library-board-saves-thousands-with-new-benefits-plans
706983
/locations/6681113
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
City manager Vince Pastue tells officials he will present a recommendation as part of this year's budget process.
In an effort to create what he calls a "sustainable budget", Farmington city manager Vince Pastue is proposing that a capital improvements millage be presented to voters this year. During a Monday night city council study session, Pastue said the separate millage for projects like sidewalk replacement, road and building improvements, would allow for better and more efficient planning. The millage would also ease the burden on the city's operating fund, he said. Among the potential uses for funds generated by the millage would be sidewalk improvements to make the city more walkable and major urban forestry projects. In Floral Park subdivision, Pastue said, a number of large trees are rotting from the inside and are "starting to become a …
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Flat revenues and rising costs will likely mean more red ink in 2012-13.
Although she stressed that the numbers were very preliminary, Farmington Public Schools Executive Director of Business Mary Reynolds delivered grim news Tuesday about the district's 2012-13 budget. Anticipating flat state revenues, skyrocketing retirement costs and the loss of one-time state funding that helped offset those costs, Reynolds predicts a $13.5 million budget shortfall next year. And this comes, she said, even after the closing of four schools, painful concessions from district staff and proactive efforts to reduce districtwide energy costs. "This is the first blush of where we think things will be," Reynolds told officials during a 7:30 p.m. study session at the Schulman Administrative Center. "The numbers are a tool at this…
42.465783
-83.369608
Farmington Public Schools Lewis Schulman Administrative Center
32500 Shiawassee Rd, Farmington, MI
/articles/farmington-schools-budget-forecast-13-5-million-shortfall
706531
/locations/6161999
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Declining property values will cost the city more than $1 billion over a 10-year period ending in 2016-17.
Unless revenues rise or expenditures drop drastically, the City of Farmington Hills can expect to see a major hit to its general fund – and, therefore, services – in the coming years. City Finance Director Dave Gadja shared the results of a 5-year financial forecast at a city council study session Monday night. He detailed the effects of a downward trend in revenues that is not expected to change until at least 2015. Gadja recommended officials ask residents for a special millage on the November ballot, .68 mills, to fund public safety. The city aims to keep services at 2011-12 levels, keep the city's fund balance between 10 and 15 percent of total expenditures and restore the public safety millage to 2007-08 levels, Gadja said. These …
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Mary Reynolds shares a year-end report on the Farmington Schools budget with board members Tuesday.
Farmington Public Schools Executive Director of Business Mary Reynolds said the district had one heck of a year, with lots of changes and a little anxiety. She presented the district’s year-end report on the budget at the Board of Education's July 19 meeting. Of the three areas included in the report – the budget, facilities, and health and wellness – the district’s facilities saw the most change and required the most effort, she said. Near the end of last school year, the district announced that four elementary schools would close. This year, the district faced the daunting task of reusing and recycling as much material as it could from those buildings. To meet that end, everything from shelving and closets, to heating and cooling …
42.465783
-83.369608
Farmington Public Schools Lewis Schulman Administrative Center
32500 Shiawassee Rd, Farmington, MI
/articles/farmington-school-year-marked-by-big-changes-smaller-budget
706531
/locations/4895653
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
A large crowd is waiting to protest the proposed sale of an elementary school to the Islamic Cultural Center.
Editor's Note: This story has been edited to correct typographical errors, and enhanced with information from notes about discussion that continued after the reporter's computer battery died. We're underway with tonight's Farmington School Board meeting in the Schulman Administrative Center in Farmington, and a crowd is building outside. Many are apparently here to protest the sale of Eagle Elementary School, which was closed last year, to the Islamic Cultural Center in Franklin. Officials first presented the sale on a public agenda May 24, but the offer was made in January. Those not here for student recognitions at the start of the meeting were asked to wait outside. Check back with us throughout the evening for what promises to be a …
42.465783
-83.369608
Farmington Public Schools Lewis Schulman Administrative Center
32500 Shiawassee Rd, Farmington, MI
/articles/live-blog-farmington-school-board-considers-sale-of-eagle
706531
/locations/4612178
Sue Burstein
10:17 am on Friday, January 18, 2013
Bad morning Dean? Your kiss the butts of the district is showing through again. more ›