NOW IT IS YOUR TIME TO ACT: 3/13 & 3/22 BUDGET MEETINGS

The when and where for the upcoming City Council meetings can be seen here: click here.  This FAQ is meant to arm you with the background information that you need to interpret what will be presented and to offer constructive public comment that can shape council members' votes.

HOW DID WE GET INTO THIS MESS?

San Carlos is facing what is called a structural deficit. In other words, it isn't going away. It has been amplified by the economic downturn, but it will persist even if the economy picks up. The specific cuts that are eventually implemented should be regarded as permanent. City services like our community centers, library, parks and recreation, etc. were expanded during the prosperous 80s and 90s.  We could afford them at the time.  But then the budgets of cities and counties across California were raided by the state government to fund their own structural deficits (and not one a one time basis, permanently). The dot com boom initially masked this unsustainable situation. Soon enough it became clear that we had a problem.

WHY DON'T WE CUT THE FAT BEFORE WE CUT PARKS?

The city has already cut its staff from 126 to 107.  Employees have been furloughed for one week per year for the past six years.  Programs like public safety (police and fire), tutoring, services for special needs kids, intervention for at risk youth and DARE have been eliminated.  Buildings have been shut.  Especially important to me, the maintenance of our athletic fields have been trimmed way back resulting in downright dangerous conditions for our kids playing soccer and little league.  The fact that we have not cut more already is a function of raiding such items as capital maintenance budgets.  You can't do that for long before infrastructure starts crumbling.

OK, WHY DON'T WE RAISE TAXES?

Last fall, Measure U failed to gain passage.  It would have raised the San Carlos sales taxes 1/2%.  Apparently, it wasn't the first attempt either at a revenue measure.  The City Council used capital maintenance budgets as I described above in the hopes of avoiding a disruption in services.  I don't mean to intimate that it was irresponsible to do so.  It just can't be done anymore.  It is not an option to put another measure on the ballot, continue raiding our infrastructure funds and hoping for the best.  We did that already.  We can try again.  I know that I am going to change to a Yes vote.  But for now, it is time to live with what we have.

SO, HOW BAD ARE THE CUTS GOING TO BE?

The city needs to cut roughly $3.5 million from its roughly $35 million budget.  Public safety (police and fire) are already pretty lean and have been the subject of previous cuts.  Did I mention that crime in San Carlos is up over the past year, substantially.  And we are already abusing our mutual aid agreements with neighboring police departments.  That is, we use mutual aid 65% more than we provide it.

So 10% needs to be cut, and each department has been asked to prepare for 10 and 20% budget cut scenarios.  I have been to a few City Council meetings, and council members were clearly signaling that public safety is THE priority.  Read that as Parks and Recreation is going to be cut 20%.  That is $900,000.  Doug Long, the Director of Parks and Recreation ball parked the savings of closing the Youth Center, Crestview Park and either Laureola or Arguello at $600,000.

DUDE, WHERE IS THE HAPPY ENDING?  GIVE ME SOME HOPE....

There have been many ideas offered up by citizens on Facebook and the impromptu Google Doc I created a while back.  But as I have dug into the actual budget, there are really two areas where we can make a big difference.  First, Park Maintenance consumed $1.6 million of the Parks and Recreation budget. $1.1 million is salaries and benefits.  Doug Long guestimated that 'mow and blow' park maintenance consumes $400,000 and that this cost could be cut in half by outsourcing just 'mow and blow.'  Doug is cautious about outsourcing other park maintenance functions for fear of a loss of staff responsiveness and expertise.  Doug admittedly has not had experience outsourcing such services and his caution is based on anecdotal evidence.  I think this is something we need to pursue more strongly.  One previously laid off park worker saved $91,540.  I hate to be cold hearted, but we can get people doing this kind of work for less.  We need to push hard here.  We need to structure the contracts carefully and pick vendors carefully.  But if the alternative is elementary kids not being able to play sports......

Parks and Rec takes in roughly $1.7 million in user fees each year.  You could increase that $200K with a simple 11-12% across the board hike in fees.  And some of the Parks and Rec sponsored activities are at WAY below market prices.  Youth dances cost $5.  Yoga is $12 per class.   Pilates is $7 per class.  You can raise fees here 25% and not hit a speed bump (in my not so humble opinion).  Under the category of user fees I would also include the idea of enabling corporate sponsorships (e.g. The Reading Bug Laureola Park, the Cowabunga Creamery Arguello Park).

Aggressive outsourcing of field maintenance and common sense user fee increases can get us to the $600K that will save the parks and youth center we care so much about.

OK, WHAT DO I SAY AND DO AT THE COUNCIL MEETINGS?

1) Listen:  I am a quick study, but I am new to this. We can all stand to learn more than just what I have laid out here.

2) Comment:  Fill out a yellow speakers card and note the agenda item that you wish to speak on.  Then be ready to use the 2 minutes you get when your name is called.  Here are the points we need to make:

a) The Youth Center as well as Crestview, Laureola and Arguello Parks must not be closed.
b) We need to outsource park maintenance and we need to do it more aggressively than just mow and blow outsourcing.
c) We needs to raise user fees generated by Parks and Rec.  Its fine that parks and recreation charges less than the market rate, but we need to charge more.
d) If money is saved and revenues raised by these measures, the savings need to be used to preserve Parks and Rec operations and not other areas of the city budget.  20% is enough to ask of Parks and Rec.

WHAT SHOULDN'T I SAY?

It is a free country.  Come, learn and say whatever you want.  But some comments are going to be dismissed by City Council as naive.  Comments have accused the city of targeting the services we care about in order to get our attention.  I was inclined to think it as well.  I don't any more.  Some comments have asked why the kids always get cut first.  They haven't been cut first.  My first reaction was that we need to cut the fat.  And that is what cutting park maintenance is all about.  There may be some fat in employee benefits that were expanded to keep city hiring competitive before the economy went south.  I have only so much time to learn so much so fast.  But what I have been surprised to learn is that council members largely seem like good folks and willing to listen.  Assume that they are on your side.  They really seem to be.  Doug Long too, seems like a good guy.  I think he needs a (big) push to be more entrepreneurial.   But he wants a vibrant Parks and Recreation department.

Well, that is my two cents.  Facebook is the great place to add yours.  I may not have the facts 100% right.  I think I am close.  But this works best when we all get involved.

And getting people out en masse to these meetings is going to be critical to making sure that our parks are saved.  Spread the word.  Print the flyer (click here). And hand it out to your neighbors, at parks, at school.  Get to it San Carlos!