Attend in person, 2212 Beach Boulevard, 2nd floor. Or, view on local television or try live feed Pacificcoast.TV, (formerly pct26.com). The meeting begins at 7 p.m., or shortly there following. City council updates and archives are available on the City website.
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| Item 8. City budget is short |
Closed Session - None
Open Session, 7:00 p.m.
Consent Calendar
1. Approval of disbursements, fiscal year (FY) 2013-14, 4/16/14 - 4/18/14, and 4/23/14 - 5/14/14.
2. Approval of City Council Minutes, 5/12/14.
3. Continue the Business Improvement District (BID) program and levy annual assessments, FY 2014-15. Pacifica Chamber of Commerce is the managing Agency. There is a $1.00 per room daily assessment. City revenue generation from BID is estimated at $70,000. Resolution, Chamber annual report.
4. Approval for Rotary Club of Pacifica to paint the Pacifica Cultural Arts Center and Spindrift Theater, 1050 Crespi Drive (donated funds and volunteer effort). Report, agreement.
6. Create a Mayor's pride awards program, implemented through the Beautification Advisory Committee for community involvement and volunteerism. Report.
7. Resolution to adopt the 2014-19 Capital Improvement Program (CIP), continued to 6/9/14. Report. The Planning commission certified the CIP is consistent with the city general plan, 5/5/14. PH1A submitted an appeal, 5/11/14. The public hearing of the appeal is 6/9/14.
Special Presentation - Pacifica Chamber of Commerce, Courtney Conlon
Consideration
8. Proposed FY 2014-15 General Fund budget of $27.3 million includes a $1 million shortfall. Report. 1) Budget Summary, 2) Departments, 3) Beach parking fees, 4) NGO'S funding request, 5) In-kind Services.
9. Update and amendment for the Pacifica Intrusion Detection and Robbery Alarm Systems ordinance, (increase fees to offset the cost of false alarms). Ordinance 1463, pages 2-6.
Adjourn.
Note photograph: Wrestlers are by Getty from the Daily Star, UK.
Posted by Kathy Meeh
29 comments:
So why are the taxpayers paying city employees Costco membership? Any chance city hall can renew my membership also.
What a crock!
$385.00 05/08/14 00021 1 COSTCO MEMBERSHIP OUTSTANDING
38.50 01.300345.52300.0000.000 MEMBERSHIP RENWL-VANDEHEY 325650213060 5/14
77.00 01.800840.52300.0000.000 MEMBERSHIP RENWL-LANGE, HAYNES
57.75 01.800911.52300.0000.000 MEMBERSHIP-TIET,LESLIE,USSERY
38.50 01.300320.52300.0000.000 MEMBERSHIP RENWL-LUEBBEN
38.50 01.700723.52300.0000.000 MEMBERSHIP RENWL-DOMINGUEZ
38.50 01.700723.52300.0000.000 MEMBERSHIP RENWL-OCAMPO
38.50 01.800860.52300.0000.000 MEMBERSHIP RENWL-RUSSO
57.75 01.800910.52300.0000.000 MEMBERSHIP-TIET,LESLIE,USSERY
Item 8 Beach Parking...fell short of paying its own way by about $85K this year but looks like they can break even next year if they raise all the fees and fines as proposed. Just break even people. Whatever it takes until the public won't take no more!
Why does this $385 Costco membership expense bother you 243? These designated employees probably buy city supplies from COSTCO, (Agenda Item 1, disbursement expense report 4/23/14 to 5/14/14, page 12). Note on the same expense report, city supplies are purchased from multiple vendors (Target, Office Depot, etc.).
I recognize some of the names on the list as childcare personnel and senior services. Perhaps they are purchasing food and/or supplies much cheaper at Costco.
Most of these are depts that would need a little flexibility in purchasing. PB&R, senior services, childcare all use things that aren't going to be stocked in the city's central supply closet. It happens. Not going to get much outrage out of this little nugget 243.
Just looking at the first five lines of the Beach Parking spreadsheet and you can see what a potential loser this program is.
The combination projected revenue from day fees and annual fees just hits a bit above $322,000.The remaining income is projected as being through traffic citations. The STAFF costs are projected to be $321,000. So if there is a shortfall on either Day fees or citations, the whole plan is back in the red.
I don't spend much time at L.M.Beach, but it sure seem that this could be one enjoyment the city doesn't try to screw its residents.
Scrap this stupid parking revenue plan and at least give something back to the people who live in this town
End the program just because it's a financial dog? Not likely. The birders would come unglued. They'd go back to the CCC and Fish and Game and get broader protections in the absence of rangers. Rangers supposedly paid for by all that glorious parking revenue. Yup, hook, line and sinker. Another dud.
No they are not buying office and or city hall supplies at Costco. Remember Costco has a business delivery service. No checks are going to Costco besides membership renewals.
It bothers me because the city is so broke it has to raid the city sewer enterprise fund in order to survive and they are paying employees Costco memberships.
$85,000 in Parking fees is leaking through the city hands over at Pedro Point Shopping Center. The north part is full of deadbeat surfers not paying the city parking fee daily.
$200 bucks picking up dinner for City Council.
200.00 05/08/14 00900 0 CITY OF HALF MOON BAY OUTSTANDING
50.00 01.100110.52300.0000.000 4/25/14 DINNER-M NIHART 4-22-14
50.00 01.100110.52300.0000.000 4/25/14 DINNER-M O'NEILL
50.00 01.100110.52300.0000.000 4/25/14 DINNER--S DIGRE
50.00 01.100110.52300.0000.000 4/25/14 DINNER--J TASA
654, no, if the named employees order or procure goods through Costco, they would need a membership. And expenses for a city or a business (in the course of doing business) are normal, usual and expected-- as well as in practice reviewed prior to a city or a business writing a check.
Do you have knowledge otherwise? If not, $385 Costco membership for quality discount supplies vs. $2 million WWTP construction fund loan from residents (at a return of 1% over a 7 year duration) is not the same equivalency.
738, now you're questioning a regional government dinner, the importance of which may have been discussed during a follow-up city council meeting. Want a "free" dinner, which you may be required to attend, consider getting elected to city council.
If you're going to hold yourself out as a "forensic accountant or auditor", how about finding-out why these expenses occurred? Then if the expenses are truly deemed to be unusual or irregular, report your findings. Otherwise, reporting selective expenses in the course of doing normal, usual and expected business is artificial, undefined, speculative, and not credible.
Yes, most of us wish city council would aggressively move forward on economic development, but even in a financially weak city there are common expenses related to the city and to the region.
Both the City council and the taxpayers of Pacifica need to take a hard look at the assumption that the Sewer maintenance fund can afford to lend S2.1 million for the payments of the Pension obligation Bonds.
Just because there is money in the account at this point in time doesn't mean it won't be needed for plant maintenance in the near future.
Equipment failure does not happen on a set schedule,nor do fires or earthquakes.
Staff and Council have both failed to address all the prior claims on the Enterprise Fund. $21 million in State loans, $11 million in Bonds and a Court ordered consent decree that will cost $50 million. Even a blind man can see that there is no extra money just laying around.
The fact of the matter is that in the very near future staff and Council will be telling us that they need to raise Sewer rates again.
They need to get their story strait either we have too much money in the Enterprise Fund and can make loans from it,or not enough and must raise rates.
654 Why would the check for the purchases go to Costco? As a Costco member wouldn't the employee still be paying for their discounted items using their credit card, cash, chk? City check to reimburse would then go to employee, not Costco.
You're flailing around and just speculating with this stuff. Bitter you are.
I'd like to know if the sewer fund is even on target to meet the amount needed in 2020 to begin work. And also when was the last "borrowing" from this fund? The fund seems a little light at 5.7 million in 2014.
Was it supposed to be 20 million in 20 years? Anyone know? Other than a miserly interest rate, there's only one way that money gets repaid and that's by council raising the rates. What a deal. They spend it and just reach in our pocket for more. That stuff is habit forming.
655 Oh get over it! This deadbeat Republican, never surfed a day in my life, parks there all the time. So do a lot of my neighbors. 35 years enjoying LMB and we're not about to pay for it just because the official fools got a plover up their arse. And where do you park for the beach?
I don't know what the target amount was or if they had one.
I do know that past City Councils took a great deal of money out of the Enterprise Fund and transferred it to the General Fund. ($750,000 a year for many years) When I asked about this diversion of fund. I was told every other City does it.
That sounds just like the answer I got when I ask about this new borrowing plan.
This practice was stopped by Court order.
As far as I known none of that money was ever returned to the Sewer Fund.
Sounds like what was said about the phone tax Tom. Every other city is doing it. I guess we have to play the parents and say, well if other cities jumped off a bridge...
A little late for that, Hutch. Pacifica jumped off the cliff a long time ago. Bottom coming up fast. And it'll be a an oozy, muddy, this never ends kind of bottom.
Tom, it's true that most CA cities looted/transferred money from their sewer funds to their general fund on a regular basis. And not always because they were broke. Sometimes it was just because they could. That all ended with the Bighorn decision in 2006/07. They weren't loans so they didn't get repaid. Bighorn has several exceptions and Pacifica has managed to find one to slither through to get at those funds. Or so they claim. I'm sure we're not the only city seeking loopholes to slither through. Let's hope this is handled as an actual loan and pretend it will be repaid. Live a rich fantasy life!
Council wants to restructure Pension Obligations Bonds for Police, Fire and Misc Employees. Of those three the police bond is the smallest, about 2.8 million, and is scheduled to be paid off in fiscal 2016-17. This restructuring will move the pay off date to 2020-21. If this council is playing that old familiar shell game again, and you know they are, why not actually improve our situation by paying off the police bond now and outsource asap to save millions going forward? This
council sat on the outsourcing report but it was rumored that the pension bond was a deal breaker-the county wouldn't touch it. Once they start chipping away at that sewer fund reserve it'll go fast. Before it's gone, borrow enough to pay off that one bond and make some actual progress for a change. The cops will get over it with that first paycheck from the county.
If the money that was transferred had been spent on repair and replacement of the sewer system we would not now have to deal with a $50 million judgement with all the extra legal cost that go with it.
$3-4 million vs. $50 million +
An they still think it is a good idea to tape the maintenance fund. ??????
Enjoy your indoor plumbing folks. Pacifica is leading the movement! Back to latrines and outhouses.
Council is short on ideas and common sense but they've got a knack for finding loopholes. Kiss all that sewer reserve money good-bye. Do you think we taxpayers will get a thank you card from this council, current and retired city workers? Seems like we should. Never have so few owed so much to so many (beg your pardon, Winston).
Tom, your common-sense, intelligence and backbone and your unwillingness to sell-out for personal political gain disqualify you from holding elected office in Pacifica. I am truly sorry.
solution to gold plated pension spending. Vote NO on all tax increases until city council solves the problem.
Rock and a hard place. Give them more tax money or deal with their version of a solution if we don't? Who do you think Council's first priority is, the residents of Pacifica or city employees and their status quo?
559 Relax. Council doesn't need your vote! They can use the same loophole repeatedly to make loans from the sewer fund to the GF and we're going to replenish the sewer fund every time we pay our property taxes. And we'll pay at a rate set by council. It's not so much a loophole they found, it's more like a gold mine. How nifty is that?
time for a lawsuit on behalf of taxpayers if they use the sewer fund for anything other than it was intended.
The minimum annual sewer charge on our property tax bills has doubled in 10 years...from $225.48 in 2003 to $567.18 in 2013. Minimum. Among the mountain of debt this city owes is some 17 million on the original 41 million loan to build our state-of-the-art WWTP. And now council says they found a loophole to Bighorn to cover those pension obligation bonds. Like we should celebrate. You ain't seen nuthin' yet!
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