| Oh, that's how it works: Money in, money out. |
Pacifica Tribune/Jane Northrop, 3/16/15. "Financial plan shows deficit in five years."
City Council unanimously accepted the news in a long term financial plan presented during its last meeting. The plan concerned the city's general fund, which had a balance of $27.7 million last fiscal year. Assistant City Manager Lorenzo Hines, Jr. focused on a "moderate" scenario... .... The end result in five years is that Pacifica is expected to experience a deficit of about $1 million, or 9 percent, in 2019-20.
"What can we do every time to correct this dynamic?" asked Mayor Karen Ervin. Hines replied it is all driven by Pacifica's core businesses. "We have to keep ourselves competitive. What differentiates us that will allow us to prosper?" he said. Read article.
10 comments:
Read the article. Pension and salary costs are eating us alive. We "stayed afloat" because we borrowed from the sewer fund to cover pension bonds. Not only will the share the city pays towards pensions increase dramatically in the next 5 years but salaries will go up as well. The reality is that there is very little that can be done to prevent that. Everyone says we need to create revenue but no longer is anyone saying we can. That's the good news. The people in charge will do what they have to do to "keep us afloat". I smell another loan from the sewer fund--it will probably become a regular event. That's life in Pacifica today and tomorrow.
We pay 50% of police salary to pensions in 5 years?? Currently we pay 32%. Employees pay only 12%. That's why we are going broke. It's also why I will never vote for a tax increase in this town.
They don't need a tax increase just borrow from the sewer fund and then raise the sewer rates.
615 Exactly! Who knew they were that clever? Talk about hiding your light under a bushel. Must have been something they picked up at a conference and brought home. Any other tricks up the old sleeve? How goes it with the new library and the library-builder, Ms. Tinfow?
Hopefully City Manager Tinfow and team will pull this City out of the structural NIMBY anti-economic mess its created for itself over the past several decades.
City Manager, Assistant City Manager, Economic Manager, a set of City Council Goals, a City Council majority that should by now understand critical City issues, an improved Planning attitude, and potential for an improved highway-- these are synergy efficiencies, if they each and together move forward with productive action plans.
Wishful thinking, Kathy, but I admire your optimism.
854, more than "wishful thinking". The management structure for improvement is getting set into place (by City Manager Tinfow). The balance is "optimism" as you say.
^^^ 842, "Economic Development Manager", rather than "Economic Manager", (second paragraph first line correction).
Kathy; not to rain on your parade but,(there is always a but)after more then a year there is no Economic Development manager.
We are also on our second interim Planning director and the Planning department stonewalled Dave Blackman's public records request for over 240 days and then denied his appeal for not being timely.
We also do not have a permanent Chief of Police.
The missing $4milion is still not accounted for.
The Palmetto streetscape cost have doubled ($2.5M to $5M)
The Cities #1 site choice for the sewer basin is across the street from Linda Mar shopping Center.A real plus for business, NOT.
The Beach blvd. project is still not on the Coastal Commission agenda. (an has little hope of approval in its current form.)
The cities G.F. budget will start running in the red again just when it is suppose to start paying back the money taken from the Sewer maintenance fund.
Kathy this is just my short list of what needs to be fix.
goals are great but after thirty years here I want results.
Tom, 1230, hiring an Economic Development Manager and an auditor are in process, however slow. Beats doing nothing.
Similar to you "I want results"; and for me that means the City goes beyond duh, and aggressively solicits substantial economic development to balance city revenue and city future with current and projected civic need. But, it took "thirty years" for inept NIMBY City Council majority leadership (encouraged by their friends and enabled by their Staff) to dismantle the economic integrity of this City. So we might as well relax: hopefully there will be City progress, rather than City default, in our lifetimes.
The needed WW overflow basin may very well be a loser in that location. Your professional view of this project is appreciated.
35 years here. Laying the foundation for disaster was underway when I got here. In the last 15 years the chickens have come home to roost. The last 6 to 8 has been nothing but chickenshit with more on the horizon. Positive thinking has its time and place, it surely does. A long string of council, staff and public have relied on it. But in Pacifica, today, with all due respect to Kathy Meeh, positive thinking is simply denial.
Post a Comment