Strapped City Hopes Volunteers Fill Service Gap

As it faces a $5.1-million deficit in the general fund budget and the probability of employee layoffs, Norwalk is turning to citizen volunteers in a big way.

A volunteer program, already used for recreational activities and special events, will be expanded to cover all city departments beginning July 1. Anyone 16 years or older may volunteer for a job, such as assisting with recreation programs, helping with public information or performing such clerical duties as filing papers.

The City Council approved the expanded volunteer effort recently after staff said the city has to find economical ways to provide services because of limited funds. Officials said that Norwalk, with about 200 employees, is already understaffed for a city its size and that layoffs would make the situation worse.

The volunteer program, which has been in the planning stage for some time, is designed to enhance and extend services, not replace paid staff. But Deputy City Manager Dan Keen said volunteers could perform some jobs, such as filing, typing and photography, now being done by staffers.

Keen said that in the past, some of this work was done by people sentenced to community service.

“We are facing real budget problems here,” he said, adding that if the council ultimately decides on layoffs, volunteers may fill some critical service needs. “But if we go into major services cuts, we just won’t do them anymore. We’re not creating a volunteer program to replace full-time positions. . . . It will help see us through.”

The council is weighing a variety of options to eliminate the $5.1-million shortfall in the $22.7-million general fund budget for basic city operations. They range from raising new revenue with a utility-users tax and tapping $4.6 million in reserves to laying off employees, reducing street sweeping and cutting recreation programs.

The current annual citizen volunteer force of about 70 could swell to 200 under the new program, according to Gary DiCorpo, supervisor of the community services department, which will administer the program. City departments are in the process of identifying jobs that are suitable for volunteers.

The Norwalk City Employees Assn. supports the volunteer effort as long as it remains supplemental, said William F. Clark, president of the union that represents 150 of the city’s 200 employees.

“We see it as a means of supplementing the work force through tough budget times,” he said. “We have a general assurance from the city that it won’t be used to replace paid workers.”

City Manager Richard R. Powers said volunteers “are not going to get involved in trimming trees or doing basic work.” But he said they could be involved in keeping some youth programs going, such as gang prevention and park activities.

Volunteers will receive special training as required and will be able to choose the type of job they want and the department in which they want to work. They will wear identification badges and will be covered under city workers’ compensation insurance.

“It will be a chance for people to provide their talents, time and effort to the city (and) feel more a part of the city,” DiCorpo said. The city will benefit by getting backlogged clerical work done and providing additional city services in a cost-effective way. “We’ll be able to give a little bit extra we don’t have the time to do,” he said.

Typically, DiCorpo said, volunteers will handle telephone calls for public information and, when called for, distribute information door to door to residents. They also will assist in registering people for recreation classes, handle blood pressure screenings at health fairs and act as teachers’ aides for recreation classes.

The city has prepared a brochure with a return coupon for potential volunteers that will be available at City Hall, libraries and community centers. Information about the volunteer program will also be included in a newsletter being mailed to 27,000 addresses in the city.

“We anticipate that the people we attract will be a wide scope,” DiCorpo said. “We’ll get seniors, and we’re looking at getting professionals with extra time.” He said the city would also like to attract students who need volunteer hours for class credit or want work experience that will help them get their first job.

The Norwalk volunteer effort is modeled after a 10-year-old program in the Northern California city of Sunnyvale. During the current fiscal year, about 450 people there have volunteered about 25,000 hours in various city departments.

Volunteers in Sunnyvale perform such tasks as general office work, computer data entry, photography, library work, recreation assistance, gardening and bilingual interpretation.

Volunteer Services Coordinator Saundra Monroe said retirees make up the bulk of the volunteer force. Other participants include laid-off workers who want to keep up their skills and high school students who get class credit for volunteer hours.

She called the program a “cost and service benefit” to the city, as well as an opportunity for volunteers to get to know how government works. Sometimes, she added, volunteers have better ideas about how things should be done.