Complete Document - City of Auburn

Budget Message (continued) May 28, 2002tenure would comprise a very long list. However, I think the most significant single changein the Auburn City government of 1982 and that of today is the quality of our workforce. Inevery department, we have well-educated and well-trained employees that are highlydedicated to the City of Auburn and its citizens. I believe that you would have a difficulttime finding the level of ability and commitment among any group of employees that wehave with the people that work for Auburn’s City government. It is gratifying to work withthe department heads and other employees because they truly care about this City and thekind of work they do on behalf of Auburn residents. The high regard citizens have for ouremployees is reflected in the positive ratings given them by the annual citizen survey.I believe we have this outstanding workforce as a result of City Councils over theyears understanding that for the City to be successful it is necessary to invest in our mostimportant asset, our employees. It sends a very strong positive message to our employeeswhen you rate pay raises as your number two priority. You have made a commitment thatemployees should be compensated well, should have opportunities through training anddevelopment for personal and professional growth, and should have excellent benefits. Asa result, the City of Auburn is a good place to work. We were pleased recently to be namedas the Employer of the Year by the Employers’ Child Care Alliance because of our familyfriendly programs and policies. The City’s reputation as a quality employer is reflected inthe statistics on longevity. Over forty percent of the City’s regular workforce has been withus for ten years or longer. We are recruiting qualified people and they are staying with theCity in all of our departments.This year’s budget is again pro-employee with substantial money invested in payraises, training and education, and benefits. The proposed budget includes a three percentacross the board increase in pay in both FY 03 and FY 04, as well as money necessary tofund the merit raises granted to employees based on their performance and time in service.By maintaining your commitment to our employees, we are competitive in the job market foremployees, even for highly competitive jobs. Through our training and developmentprograms, we have many young professionals in our departments that have the potential tobe the future department heads and other management and supervisory employees of theCity. This commitment to the future will provide long-term stability for the City government.Park and Recreation Facilities- Twenty years ago, the parks and recreationfacilities and programs were very few and not well supported by the City government. Thefirst City-built facility- the Frank Brown Recreation Center- was constructed in the mid-1970s as the result of a bond referendum. Since the late 1980s, the City Council hascommitted an ever-increasing share of the City’s budget to improving the parks andrecreation facilities and programs to the level that they are now among the finest in theState. It would be easy to list the numerous projects that have been built and the programsadded to allow us to reach the status that we now enjoy. A review of the CapitalImprovement Programs of the past decade will give one a sense of how much has beenaccomplished. I believe the commitment to Parks and Recreation facilities and programs isbased on the belief that they make a difference in the lives of children. We realize that thisinvestment, like the investment in the Schools and the Library, has a significant impact onthe activities that children decide to pursue. Through our programs and facilities, we areproviding worthwhile alternatives for them.In the FY 03 budget, we have included the construction of several major projectsapproved by the voters in the referendum last year. The design of the soccer complex willbe completed in the next couple of months and construction will begin on this important27