Carrboro Considers Program Cutbacks

For most of Tuesday's meeting, he had been speaking with members of the Carrboro Board of Aldermen about the town's budget shortfall, and now he listened as Richard Kinney, the town's recreation and parks director, discussed possible cutbacks at the Century Center.

As he listened, Morgan lowered his head and sighed audibly. Like other municipal administrators across North Carolina, Morgan is struggling with budget holes created by the state's recent decision to recall funds.

For Morgan and every other town official at Tuesday's board meeting, forming a budget for the next fiscal year will not be easy.

"It's important to be open-minded and look at all options," said Mayor Mike Nelson. "We may have to do some things that are difficult for our citizens."

Carrboro had expected about $300,000 in state money to carry it through the rest of the 2001-02 fiscal year, which ends June 30. But Gov. Mike Easley, facing a $900 million state budget shortfall, announced Feb. 5 that he will withhold those funds.

In addition, the sagging economy has put a dent in the town's sales tax and interest earnings revenue, bringing the town's total revenue shortfall to $479,000. The town began the year with a $12.8 million budget.

In response to questions raised at the board's last business meeting, a somber Morgan laid out some options Tuesday night for the aldermen to consider.

Possible town cutbacks include laying off temporary staff in the economic development and police departments; closing town parks for the remainder of the fiscal year, thereby eliminating the recreation programs that use them; downsizing the Carrboro Day and July 4 celebrations; and freezing Century Center rentals.

When Morgan told the aldermen that the town was planning to fill five vacant staff positions, Alderman Joal Broun suggested otherwise. "We may be in a position of not hiring anybody until we get some more money," Broun said.

The aldermen also discussed spending some of the town's $2.3 million in reserve funds to cover the shortfall. The town maintains these funds to cover costs incurred from lawsuits, ice storms, hurricanes and other unforeseen events.

Carrboro resident Shirley Marshall said she was appalled by the state's decision to withhold funds but warned the aldermen against tapping into the unrestricted funds. "The fund balance will provide the only available fire wall to protect town citizens in the event of an emergency," she said.

At the end of the meeting, Nelson took issue with a statement made by Sen. Howard Lee, D-Orange, at Monday's Chapel Hill Town Council meeting. Chapel Hill, like Carrboro, has been hit hard by the lack of state revenue reversions. On Monday, council members wanted to hear what some state legislators had to say about it.

Lee told the council Monday that the legislature was working on the problem. A visibly upset Nelson read Lee's statement from a local paper -- "Y'all can go sleep at night while the rest of us go figure it out."

Nelson repeated it and then lashed out at the senator. "It is patronizing and paternalistic to make a statement (like that)," Nelson said. "We aren't sleeping at night.

"We're staying awake."

The City Editor can be reached at citydesk@unc.edu.