By Kate Callen
When you hear “city budget crisis,” does your mind make the leap to slashing funds for libraries and parks?
Or do you think about cutting obscure city management positions that pay huge salaries?
The public’s priorities for City spending will be discussed next month at four Citizen Budget Review Town Hall Meetings with Independent Budget Analyst (IBA) Charles Modica.
The title of the series is to the point: “Now that Measure E Has Failed, Where Should City Budget Cuts Be Made?”
Dates and locations are:
- Saturday, February 8, 11:00 am–1:00 pm, Mission Hills Library
- Thursday, February 13, 6:00 pm–8:00 pm, Porter Elementary School in Lincoln Park, SE San Diego
- Saturday, February 15, 11:45 am–1:15 pm, Mission Valley Library
- Thursday, February 20, 6:00 pm–8:00 pm, Mira Mesa Senior Center
If you’ve ever attended a budget forum hosted by a Councilmember, you know the misery of sitting through dreary slideshows. And getting to ask a question in the final minutes. And being thanked for your “great” question but receiving no answer.
These IBA town halls will be completely different – moderated by community leaders, fully interactive, receptive to constituent voices, and focused on what taxpayers want for their tax dollars.
Modica was hired directly by the City Council in the aftermath of the 101 Ash Street fiasco. He may be the only person at City Hall who doesn’t fear retribution for challenging Todd Gloria. He also may be the foremost expert on all the budget pockets where various funds are stashed.
With courage and integrity, Modica has spoken harsh truths about a string of disastrous city deals. Most recently, he raised “significant questions” about Kettner and Vine, Gloria’s stubborn proposal to build a 1,000-bed homeless shelter near an I-5 exit ramp. He has argued that the Mayor should not delay an increase in City parking revenues that could generate $10 million a year.
Gloria is threatening deep cuts to constituent services, including many that are highly valued in neighborhoods and communities. The Town Halls will take a broader view. They will zero in on specific budget areas that could help clarify the mayor’s thinking, including:
- How road repaving is prioritized and locations selected
- Timing for a new trash fee
- How Development Impact Fees (DIFs) and Facilities Benefit Assessment (FAB) Fees are collected and deployed
- How bike lanes are funded and potential reallocation
- How homelessness services are funded and results made accountable
- What core services do residents expect and what fluff can be eliminated
- How the city should address its current salary bloat
The OB Rag will publish updates in the weeks to come.
Ash St had a closed door clowncil meeting or two on apartment conversions I believe recently.
Kate, you’re spot on! Maybe the Mayor should get rid of some of his 26 member staff earning big money. all he’s done is hire people that will go along to get along with him to keep their jobs, and he’s surrounded himself with those people so he always has smiling faces, no opposition, and they ALWAYS agree with his unrealistic, poorly informed decisions.
If memory serves, Gloria created a bunch of these new managerial positions at the start of his first term and they are all making well over six figures. Common sense would dictate cutting those first, but I’m confident they will cut parks and libraries first.
Michael Zucchet, the general manager for the city employee’s union, shared the other revelation. He told councilmembers at the meeting that the city’s hiring freeze has not been implemented as planned. He said that the city has continued hiring across several categories, but especially among managerial positions in the past several months.
City finance officials shared in a mid-year budget report that the city is roughly $20 million behind in revenue and roughly $5 million ahead in spending in its current year’s budget.