Community Corner
43 Ways Clayton is Saving You Money
Maximizing the life of street pavement and reducing several full-time positions at the Clayton Police Department and City Hall account for some of the largest annual savings already in place, a budget document prepared by the city states.
The is potentially saving close to $2.7 million annually with belt-tightening strategies such as maximizing the life of street pavement, cutting several full-time staff positions and hiring a second summer intern to do work normally completed by contractors.
That's according to an inventory of efficiency measures published by the city in the run-up to a Sept. 11 vote by the Clayton Board of Aldermen on .
A Patch analysis of the efficiency inventory—which documents strategies employed in the last three years—shows that the pavement initiative accounts for more than 70 percent of the total potential annual savings for the city. That measure alone is expected to save roughly $1.9 million yearly.
Another major component of the savings: Staff restructuring across several departments, including the elimination of some positions, the fusing of job duties and the reduction of some part-time staffing levels. Combined, those changes account for more than $450,000 in savings annually, or nearly 17 percent of the overall savings picture.
The following is a look at 43 annual savings measures outlined in the efficiency inventory, from the largest dollar figure to the smallest. It does not include several additional items listed in the document, such as savings identified only in terms of staff hours. A complete copy of the efficiency inventory may be downloaded by going to claytonmo.gov.
$1,911,250
2. Eliminate three full-time positions with : police officer, data analyst, parking control $151,000 3. Reduce one position of deputy city manager and expand finance director position to director of finance and administration $125,000 4. Reduce staffing levels of part-time personnel in the Clayton Parks and Recreation Department$60,000 5. Hire second summer intern to accomplish work normally contracted out $50,000 6. Use paver crosswalks instead of BrickPrint $45,240 7. Form agreement with , allowing schools to pay 75 percent of school resource officer costs (versus earlier 50 percent agreement) $39,332 8. $38,000 9. Use full-time recreation staff to cover one shift each week instead of managers and/or shift supervisors at recreation facilities $26,200 10. Enact computer server upgrades $25,000 11. Outsource credit-card processing for the Clayton Recreation, Sports and Wellness Commission $25,000 12. Replace senior city planner position with planner position (lower grade) $20,000 13. Use contractual services for programs such as the adult basketball leagues $20,000 14. Use LED lights for pedestrian signals instead of incandescent ones $19,500 15. Reduce one full-time court position and add two part-time positions to improve lunchtime service at customer counter and get savings $15,000 16. shares local training classes and in-house instructors for required professional certifications $15,000 17. Use TripStop to reduce need to replace sidewalks damaged by tree roots $10,700 18. Attract long-term rental customers such as Weight Watchers to $10,000 19. Aggressively market facilities for sports tournaments $8,000 20. Reduce Center of Clayton summer hours $7,000 21. Use wireless applications for field work for inspectors $6,500 22. Aggressively market outdoor fields and volleyball courts $5,000 23. Post job openings online rather than in newspapers $5,000 24. Proposed energy-savings projects for City Hall, Maintenance Building $4,000 25. Upgrade Maryland Avenue street lights $4,000 26. Print fewer brochures, relying more on Internet registration, website $4,000 27. Use school district print shop for large printing jobs $4,000 28. Employ shared network printers $3,500 29. Use seasonal staff for overtime at events, holidays and weekends $3,000 30. Let non-residents rent park shelters $3,000 31. Use e-subscribe to get agendas, applications, correspondence $2,500 32. Reduce all supply accounts for parks and rec by between 2 and 10 percent $2,500 33. Reduce landscaped areas and replace high-maintenance plants with native grasses and more $2,000 34. Use fax/credit cards for permit application submissions $1,550 35. Upgrade Maryland Avenue street lights $1,200 36. Reduce office supplies for parks and rec $1,000 37. Use website/email for permit applications $700 38. Rotate court schedule, allowing part-time staff to work during evening sessions of municipal court $700 39. LED bulb test to identify possible energy savings $400 40. Reduce educational attendance $400 41. Buy bike for planner site visits to cut fuel costs $350 42. Save postage by improving delinquent ticket process $350 43. Replace paper products in parks and rec break room with reusable products $300 TOTAL SAVINGS $2,677,172
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