The influence of a new director of administrative services is apparent in the budget process in Bellevue, where the borough council is well on its way to adopting a 2011 spending plan that is anything but the same old story.

It’s been several years since Bellevue has been able to adopt a budget by the end of the year, as required by law, let alone by the end of November as DAS Doug Sample plans. The proposed budget -- ostensibly presented by the mayor as required by Bellevue’s home rule charter -- was approved for advertisement by council at its regular meeting on Tuesday. A public hearing is scheduled for Nov. 9, and final adoption at council’s meeting at the end of the month.

The 5.7 million budget proposes cuts in personnel in some areas, and increases in others, with only one non-contract employee getting a raise next year.

Two full-time police clerk positions will be cut, and the remaining full-time clerk will become a “police department manager.” Bellevue recently cut the police clerk staff to eliminate overnight shifts. The proposed cut will effectively eliminate evening and weekend hours as well, in line with staffing at other area departments. According to the budget, this will save the borough just over $30,000 in salaries next year.

The department will see the addition of a part-time position for parking meter maintenance and enforcement, which will be filled 32 hours per week, according to Sample.

There are no plans to hire an assistant code enforcement officer as has been done in the past, Sample said, leaving the department staffed by two people: the new CEO and a secretary. The budget proposes increasing the secretary’s pay by 5 percent due to increased responsibilities.

The only other borough employees who will see salary increases in 2011 are those for whom a raise is mandated by contract. Police officers will get a 4 percent raise per their contract, and the police chief will receive an equal percentage increase as required by law. Public works laborers will get a 3 percent increase, as will the DPW superintendent.

One new position is funded by the proposed budget, however, that of an assistant DAS who will be paid $31,000 per year.

In public works, the job of janitor will be full-time through July of 2011, Sample said, at which time it will go to part-time.

Revenues for 2011 are estimated at very close to their 2010 levels. The borough expects to pick up $1.6 million from property taxes, $1.8 million from other taxes, such as earned income and mercantile, and $574,000 from garbage fees.

Increased parking meter enforcement is expected to help fund $125,000 in revenue from fines, while cable franchise and other license fees should produce $147,500.

On the expenditure side, the police department once again will receive the biggest share of borough revenue, $1.16 million, or aboput $20,000 more than in 2010. The chief will make $82,000, while the patrol officers are paid a total of $560,000 and the sergeants $196,000. Overtime costs are projected to be $55,000, with another $35,000 budgeted for court time.

The cost of administration will decrease slightly from the $322,000 expense of 2010, to $315,000 in 2011.

The fire department will get a bit more money, $240,537, compared to the projected 2010 expenditure of $226,141. The same is true in code enforcement, where the borough expects to spend $78,230 in 2010, and has budgeted $80,490 for next year.

The public works budget includes money for the purchase of a skidsteer and milling head, and funds also are set aside for several capital projects in the parks, including a skate plaza if grant funds are obtained.

The borough expects to spend $171,755 on liability insurance and more than $500,000 on employee health insurance next year.

The budget currently is available for public inspection at the borough hall. Public comment is invited at the hearing on Tuesday, Nov. 9, at 6 p.m. A public hearing on the creation of the new job positions will have to be held at a later date because council’s finance committee has not yet reviewed the job descriptions or proposed amendments to the personnel code.

The motion to advertise the budget resulted in a 6-3 vote with council members Linda Woshner, Jane Braunlich and Susan Viscusi opposed.