Crunch Time for Budget Adoptions
As I've noted before, June is typically the month most cities adopt budgets for the coming fiscal year. Typically, these are fairly proforma actions for most cities--but not this year. Not with nearly every city seeing 20 percent plus drops in revenue. Drops of this size mean that cuts have to go far beyond discretionary items--and that labor costs must be addressed. Most of us have revenue numbers that are so low that public safety labor costs are in excess of total general fund revenue. In other words, even if every non-safety position was eliminated, there still wouldn't be enough money to sustain police and fire staffing.
With these drastic drops in revenues, police and even fire are facing cuts that many agencies haven't experienced in the past 30 years, if not longer. Here's a quick trip around the state (and Nevada) to see what is happening this week...
Petaluma has cut their deficit from $4.5 million to $1.1 million but they need at least five percent out of each labor group to close the rest of their budget gap. Read about it here.
Menlo Park, which has some of the highest safety salaries in the State, have agreed to alter their contracts. Read about it here.
Reno officials have made it clear that even if the fire fighters make concessions, it won't guarantee their jobs. Click here for more.
Down south in Norco, the City and their fire fighters continue to battle over the impacts that a reduction in service would create. Here's the story.
In San Francisco, the city's largest labor union has blinked after the reality of 1776 layoffs were imminent. The SEIU made $16 million in labor concessions and were guaranteed no layoffs until November 15. The Mayor has agreed to put a tax measure on the ballot in November--and its passage is necessary to stave off further cuts. Read the Chronicle story here. For a less objective view of the situation, click here for the story written by the Tenderloin Housing Clinic, whose entire city contribution is slated for elimination in this year's budget.
With these drastic drops in revenues, police and even fire are facing cuts that many agencies haven't experienced in the past 30 years, if not longer. Here's a quick trip around the state (and Nevada) to see what is happening this week...
Petaluma has cut their deficit from $4.5 million to $1.1 million but they need at least five percent out of each labor group to close the rest of their budget gap. Read about it here.
Menlo Park, which has some of the highest safety salaries in the State, have agreed to alter their contracts. Read about it here.
Reno officials have made it clear that even if the fire fighters make concessions, it won't guarantee their jobs. Click here for more.
Down south in Norco, the City and their fire fighters continue to battle over the impacts that a reduction in service would create. Here's the story.
In San Francisco, the city's largest labor union has blinked after the reality of 1776 layoffs were imminent. The SEIU made $16 million in labor concessions and were guaranteed no layoffs until November 15. The Mayor has agreed to put a tax measure on the ballot in November--and its passage is necessary to stave off further cuts. Read the Chronicle story here. For a less objective view of the situation, click here for the story written by the Tenderloin Housing Clinic, whose entire city contribution is slated for elimination in this year's budget.
posted by City Manager @ 7:42 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home