Paul Bass Photo
Jefferson: “Short-staffed.”
The Harp Administration wants to leave vacant a job at the strapped agency that monitors hiring on development projects in order to create a job to oversee the city’s programs for the homeless.
That proposed swap was presented Monday night to the Board of Alders in the form of a budget transfer request.
The swap reflects the tough choices facing strapped municipal governments trying to do more work with less money when just raising taxes isn’t an option, in the view of one official involved.
The transfer would save $49,186 in unspent money in the budget of the Commission on Equal Opportunities (CEO), the bulk of it for a position called “Utilization Monitor II”; and spend that money instead on a new “special projects director” position in City Hall’s Community Services Administration (CSA).
In a letter to the alders, CSA chief Martha Okafor called the new position “critical to perform the City’s health and human services responsibilities that will result in improving the overall well-being of our community.”
“This position will assist the CSA and the Alders’ Human Services sub-committee in identifying needs, effectively implementing interventions, transforming delivery systems, monitoring all the results and managing accountability projects that will improve the collective impacts of all departments under CSA and on our City. Examples of responsibility for this position will include but not be limited to: advancing health equity, effective management of our commitment to end homelessness, significantly reduce lead poisoning for children six years old and under, violence, avoidable injuries, morbidities and mortalities caused by preventable unhealthy behaviors and social determinants,” Okafor wrote.
The request was assigned to the alders’ Finance Committee.
Mayor Toni Harp said Tuesday that the position primarily concerns homeless policy. The city used to have a dedicated homeless policy coordinator, she said; it no longer does — and it needs one. “Now Martha has to do it all” while overseeing all other social service programs for the city. “That means she can’t do others things we need done.”
The Harp Administration transfer request came as a surprise to Nichole Jefferson, who runs the CEO. The CEO is in charge of making sure that developers on federal, state or city government-aided projects abide by hiring requirements for women and for blacks and Latinos. On some projects (such as schools) CEO also makes sure enough New Haveners get hired.
“They didn’t discuss that with me. No one’s really discussed it with me,” Jefferson said. “We need all the people we can get to inspect. We have many projects coming up.
“We’re so short-handed in our office. With all the payrolls at 100 College Street [alone], it’s crazy.”
Jefferson said she needs the utilization monitor position. CEO currently has three inspectors doing the work.
Former city Development Administrator Kelly Murphy got the new fourth position placed in the previous year’s city budget because of of all the large development projects coming on line in New Haven, Jefferson noted. “LiveWorkLearnPlay was coming. Centerplan was coming. Three schools were being constructed. Amistad [High School] on top of that, 100 College Street … ‚” she said.
Murphy’s successor, Matthew Nemerson (pictured), said Monday night that all departments have had to sacrifice needed positions to make the budget work without adding to New Haven’s tax burden. Creating new positions without eliminating vacant ones is not an option, he said.
“When the policy decision was made that we need a homeless coordinator, a search went around for [vacant] positions. All of our departments have had to give up positions in the last three to four years. We’re all part of one team.”
“Cities across the country are spending their money — tens of millions of dollars a year — on pensions and workmen’s compensation and things like that. The hard truth of government [is that] we have to be creative and more productive” without spending more money, he said.
