Next week promises plenty of budget cutting by the City Council, but the free Internet service two council members receive is likely to stay off the cutting board.

All council members are eligible for the free perk, but only two take advantage of it: Jon Camp and Ken Svoboda.

When former council chairman Dan Marvin was preparing the budget earlier this year, he proposed to cut the free Internet service from the council’s budget, saving the city about $1,000.

But during a meeting last week, Camp and Svoboda indicated they’d like to keep the perk. To do so, they’ll have to vote to restore the money in coming budget meetings.

Camp wants to examine injury leave program

During a recent fire department budget briefing, Councilman Camp said he’d like to examine the city’s “fairly expensive” work injury benefits.

The city paid out $2 million in worker injury benefits during 2006-2007. Of the 267 claims that year, 41 were fire-related injuries.

Camp said he saw a “lot of weight-lifting injuries” on the list.

“There were some expensive claims,” Camp said.

He wanted to know whether the benefits could be changed only through union negotiations, or whether they could be changed by ordinance.

Under the injury leave program, injured workers are paid full salaries for six months to a year.

Camp asked whether the city could pay 80 percent of injured workers’ salaries, for example. The city personnel director, Don Taute, said that would have to be negotiated in labor contracts.

But Taute said it’s important to remember the vast majority of cases are minor injuries that don’t take workers out for more than six months.

Camp questioned whether instead of paying benefits from the minute the employee is injured, they could instead use sick leave.

Taute said sick leave is for sick employees.

But Camp said if the city were to adjust its benefits, employees would probably take sick leave instead.

“We might save a million dollars,” he said.

Risk management employees said it would be difficult to change the benefits, which have been negotiated.

School resource officers

It’s possible the council will take a look at how school resource officers are funded.

The city is now compensated by the school district for having 10 school resource officers in middle and high schools. The schools pay for about half the cost, Police Chief Tom Casady said.

He argues the officers cost about $70,000 (total compensation) each, because they can’t just take off the summer when school’s out.

They do help cover summer vacations, though.

Councilman Camp asked Casady what he’d think of asking the school district to cover more of the cost, to which Casady replied, “And the hammer I’m gonna use to back that up?“

“Maybe we are the hammer,” Svoboda said.

Reach Deena Winter at 473-2642 or dwinter@journalstar.com.