Monday, July 2, 2012

Pacifica austerity plan, anything but grow


Waiting for the June 2012 Citizen Financial Task Force Final Report.  Within city prescribed guidelines, these volunteer citizens delivered a 2/28/12 mid-year report, with city budget recommendations 5 years into the future.  Looking back 5 years (2007/08), the city council result was similar.  Both budget solutions embrace austerity.
 
Good news, Beach Boulevard property will be developed
Financial Task Force, mid-year report, 2/28/12  "Five Year Financial Plan Recommendations"

The Financing City Services Task Force has recommended three options to address the City's structural deficit and begin to rebuild the City's reserves.  These options include reductions in expenditures and increases in revenue.

Draft Minutes of the Financing City Services Task Force Meeting of February 28, 2012.

Supporting Documents:
   
Option B - Explore the potential for contracting police services.
   
Option C - Expenditure and revenue changes.
   
Option G - Expenditure and revenue changes and November, 2012 1/2-cent sales tax ballot measure.

Charts:  Reserves as an Amount,  Reserves as a Percentage.
Pacifica, CA : Rockaway Beach
Rockaway unproductive, undeveloped quarry property

Background:   A full report will be forthcoming in June, 2012.

Austerity a new City problem?  No.  Consider the City Council Agenda Summary Report, 1/28/08, item 11, "Mid-year budget review report" after city council did not support or move forward to develop the quarry for improved city growth, 

City council supported austerity. "After a $1.3 million deficit in 2006-2007, the Pacifica City Council adopted the 2007-2008 FY Budget on June 25, 2007.  The budgeting process eliminated several positions, reorganized two departments and reduced services and supplies.  The General Fund budget expenditures were $23,929,290 and the revenues $23,929,290."  Don't you just love how that worked-out?  Where is the city council accountability to the citizens of this city?  

Develop the 88 acre quarry.  The economic solution for this city has been in front of us even prior to the proposed Trammel Crow,  Measure E discussion, 10/24/02. 

Posted by Kathy Meeh

6 comments:

Hutch said...

These dip weeds need to stop trying to cut our services including those to the poor and vulnerable and start recommending much larger cuts to union contract wages and benefits.

What's with these people? We don't need to lay off staff, take funds from the poor or raise any taxes. We need to do what other cities like San Jose, Vallejo, Stockton, Fresno etc. etc. etc. are doing. And that's making big cuts to over inflated union wages, benefits and pensions. That is where all our money is going and that's where you need to cut. Not the poor.

todd bray said...

I agree hutch. It's clear the public sector thinks of us purely as batteries to feed their machine. This will be an interesting election season

Anonymous said...

The poor are always with us and so are the unions. No doubt many cities were drunk on the housing uptick and spent accordingly on many things including salaries, and even worse the gift that keeps on giving, pensions. Time to reel it in to match our reduced circumstances. That's a good enough reason and benefits the entire community. Do we really need to trot out the poor as the poster child to go after the unions?

Anonymous said...

The poor always get it worse and first and longest. It's a growing demographic and an angry one. The elections could really start something in this country. Maybe.

Hutch said...

Anon said "Do we really need to trot out the poor as the poster child to go after the unions?"

Services to the poor, seniors, kids and all of us are being slashed because of public unions strangling cities all over the country. It's the reason Vallejo, and Stockton filed for Bankruptcy and the reason Pacifica is heading that way fast.

Anonymous said...

It's a big part of the reason Pacifica is headed that way. Not to worry though because our crackerjack city team is all over it and the info flow is incredible, isn't it? I won't believe anyone is making less money til I see the State Controller's report for last year and compare position to position. And then of course we have the pension issue. We're doomed.