Money for supplies, sign language interpreters cut in Columbia budget
Several thousand dollars in cuts to the city’s Community Relations department include office supplies and a reduction in sign language interpreters at city meetings.
City Manager Mike Matthes announced the cuts at his budget address last Friday. Columbia needed to make greater payments toward its police and fire pension funds, Matthes said, and proposed cuts in Community Relations, Information Technology and Building Maintenance.
Among Community Relations’ $184,627 in cuts accepted by Matthes, director Steve Sapp told ABC 17 News that the department would reduce its use of American Sign Language interpreters at meetings. Those interpreters work at both Columbia City Council meetings and Planning and Zoning Commission meetings, which are live streamed on the city’s website.
In exchange for the regular presence of an ASL interpreter, Sapp said the city is testing a new closed captioning system for live streamed meetings. Sapp said the city tested it at last Thursday’s Planning and Zoning Commission meeting with no major issues. Sapp did not have a definite date for its full use, but thought it would occur “before or shortly after” the start of the next fiscal year in October.
Sapp said that cut $15,000 from their budget, but the city kept $5,000 for ASL interpreter use. Federal law requires the city provide an interpreter if requested.
Community Relations oversees the city’s public information specialists and manages services like the Contact Center and City Channel. The department’s cuts avoid layoffs, and largely target expenses for office supplies and training.
Sapp said $26,500 would be cut from electronic replacements at the Contact Center, a customer service line Matthes and city leaders have touted for years. Marketing for the new center will be reduced from $5,000 to $2,000, and its $30,000 fund for miscellaneous needs will be cut.
Also, $11,000 will be taken from training for the Contact Center employees. Sapp said some money will be left to pay for a national conference for call center workers, a conference in which Columbia will host 2021.
The city council is scheduled to vote on the city budget in September, with public hearings on the budget starting on Aug. 21.
