Carson Parks and Recreation examines cost-cutting measures

The Parks and Recreation Commission was presented Tuesday with several ways to cut costs, including decreasing the number of public meetings held by its commissioners each year from 20 meetings to 12.

The commission is the only advisory panel that meets more than once a month.

"This is getting to be an onerous burden," said Roger Moellendorf, the city's parks director. "How does this impact our department in real terms? What are we not getting done?"

It takes staff 77 hours to prepare for an average commission meeting. This includes such things as writing, reviewing and assembling reports for the nine-member commission; taking and transcribing meeting minutes; preparing the meeting room; and contacting presenters and interested residents, he said.

Projected decreases in revenues coming to the city during the next 18 months have prompted officials to cut operating costs by 5 percent by 2008. The cuts will be made gradually to avoid unnecessary service reductions, City Manager Linda Ritter said.

"I don't support once-a-month meetings," said Supervisor Pete Livermore, who also sits on the commission.

Livermore would prefer to schedule a twice-monthly agenda, then canceling unnecessary meetings, because it's difficult to get time in the Sierra Room at the Carson City Community Center.

This location also allows the meetings to be televised on cable television, something other venues don't offer, he said.

Meetings such as those held by the planning commission lasting "five or six hours could be onerous," said parks Commissioner Tom Keeton.

"I would hope we wouldn't have five-hour meetings," Moellendorf said.

"A lot of these things we do can be considerably streamlined," said Commissioner Glenn Tierney, who would prefer one meeting a month.

For example, making staff members give oral reports about routine matters can be more easily done using written reports so their presence isn't required, Tierney said.

Presented to commissioners separately from the discussion about reducing the number of meetings was another list of cost-cutting measures that would help the city chip 5 percent from its operations costs.

The other cost-cutting items presented include: Elimination of a parks coordinator through the voluntary separation program for savings of $72,496 and not filling an open parks maintenance position to save another $59,499. Also slated for elimination are a full-time Kinder Room position worth $26,000 and a part-time bus driver for $4,000.

Total savings would be nearly $162,000, Moellendorf said.

"I've asked department heads to look at everything we do," Ritter said. "We have to start gaining efficiencies and reallocating resources. We're not going to have additional staff for some time."

Moellendorf, who has been the director for the past two years, said he only remembers one commission meeting being canceled during the timespan. Another one or two meetings didn't go on because only four of the nine commissioners showed up.

State law requires a majority of members be at a meeting for business to be conducted.

• Contact reporter Terri Harber at tharber @nevadaappeal.com or 882-2111, ext. 215.