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03/07/03
B A K E R S F I E L D CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE MEMORANDUM March 7, 2003 TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council FROM: Alan Tandy, City Manager /~'~-'/x~/ r-'~.~-, SUBJECT: General Information 1. I will be taking a week's vacation from March 17th through 21st. John Stinson will be in charge and the office will have the number where I can be reached for emergencies. 2. I was asked to check on the status of the aquatic fundraising. They have about $60,000 raised, with many prospects working out there. The group is pleased with the progress so far, and they are working hard. There is a good likelihood of success. 3. We have a video of a hydraulic pool bottom that changes elevations for competitive swim versus play, lessons, etc. Its actual cost is in the area of $500,000, so the fund raisers would have to really get busy. If you would like to see it, please give Amber a call. We will get more definitive written information from the architects about that one and another called a stackable bottom, as well. 4. We are sending out letters to four search firms for proposals on filling the retiring City Attorney's position. 5. The parcel maps related to the proposed WalMarts have been appealed and are scheduled to be heard by the City Council on April 9th. 6. Comments on some of the Phase Two budget cut items follow. Phase Two items have been identified and are on standby, pending legislative trends. Unfortunately, some items involve long lead times, and we have to decide now. Therefore, our best judgment on some of those is as follows: > Rockin' by the River: We will try to reduce costs and increase revenue to make the total out-of-pocket costs less expensive. Increasing revenue means selling beer in a controlled area. I note that we sell alcohol at all Garden and Convention Center concerts. We have to do contracts with the artists now, or it will be too late. We are trying to save this, because of the very large past attendance. Honorable Mayor and City Council March 7, 2003 Page 2 > Travelin' Tunes: On hold until and unless times get better. ;> Summer Competitive Swim Program: It was deleted in Phase One. We will try to reduce costs and increase charges and see if we can come up with a break even, smaller scale program. > Kern High School District joint use facility agreement: The current agreement will be terminated at the end of the current season. ;> Citywide Newsletter: Will be limited to an on-line version on the webpage, with hard copies by request. We will drop the mass printing and mailing until and unless times get better. > Employee Appreciation Breakfast: Postponed until the financial times improve. Decisions for most of the other items in Phase Two can be made with approximately two weeks' notice, so they will remain on hold. 7. The enclosed report from Public Works includes information on some of the major local transportation projects that are funded by State and Federal funds may be affected by the State budget crisis. 8. The SMG staff will be starting some early marketing efforts for the ice rink. Attached is a list of promotional efforts they are working on. 9. A memo is enclosed from EDCD requesting interim use of CDGB program funds to repay the Holiday Inn Select debt four months early. EDCD is proposing this because of a strict expenditure policy from HUD in which jurisdictions could potentially lose funds if they do not meet the required HUD credit limit. The interim use of the funds will be immediately replenished on July 1st. 10. Recent news articles on the State budget situation are enclosed for your information: · Los Angeles Times article published March 7th; · Sacramento Bee articles published March 2nd and 6th; · March 4th update from the League of California Cities; · California Police Chiefs Association e-mail communication summarizing the Republican Budget Plan. There is a guarded indication, at this time, for support of the booking fee subvention and the COPS program funding. 11. The enclosed memo has some bright news - California CEO Magazine has chosen Bakersfield as Number 5 on their list of best cities for business in the state. Honorable Mayor and City Council March 7, 2003 Page 3 12. Responses to Councilmember requests are enclosed: Councilmember Carson · Responses to a series of questions regarding local ambulance service; · List of laid off positions, including those in Police and Fire; · Status of discussing the issue of contracting for pool maintenance with the YMCA; · Update on the feasibility of a crosswalk at 3rd Street and Chester Avenue; Councilmember Maggard · Code enforcement actions related to the Hopper facility and explanation of the process for making property owners responsible and the City's ability to recoup clean-up costs. · Status of the road maintenance on Height Street and contacting citizen regarding related concerns; · Additional information regarding the availability of bilingual employees to serve as translators for citizen inquiries; Councilmember Couch · Interim report regarding citizen concern to Police and Fire response to fire on Wrangler Drive; Councilmember Hanson · Status on providing a report regarding on-call civil engineer consultants; Councilmember Sullivan · Evaluation of need for a u-turn sign at Highway 58 and Real Road; Councilmember Salvaggio · Graffiti removal at H Street and Wilson. AT:rs cc: Department Heads Pam McCarthy, City Clerk Trudy Slater, Administrative Analyst B A K E R S F I E L D Department of Recreation and Parks Date: March 6, 2003 To: Alan Tandy, City Manager From: Stan Ford, Director of Recreation and Parks Subject: Phase II Budget Reductions - Recreation Programs In your February 7, 2003 memo, several recreation programs were identified in Phase II of the budget reductions. With the uncertainty of when the state budget adoption and its anticipated impact on the city will occur, the department is concerned about the time-sensitive nature of two of the programs. These are the Travelin' Tunes concert series and the joint facility use agreement with the Kern High School District (KHSD). For Travelin' Tunes, it is necessary to screen and select performers in advance, as well as enter into a service agreement with each performer. It would be disruptive to the program and potentially to the performer's schedule to cancel the agreement and performance after the series has begun. Therefore, I recommend that we cancel the series now - before any agreements are signed and promotion begun. The agreement with the KHSD calls for the district to have use of the city's swimming pools in exchange for the city using some district facilities. Prior to this agreement, the district paid the city for the direct costs related to their use of the pools. Since the high school competitive season begins in January and we do not know when the state will adopt their budget, I recommend that we terminate the agreement effective at the end of the current season. Doing so now will provide the district sufficient time to plan for future years. If you have any questions, please let me know. 2oo3 B A K E R S F I E L CITY OF BAKERSFIELD MEMORANDUM March 7, 2003 TO: ALAN TANDY, CITY MANAGER FROM: RAUL M. ROJAS, PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR ~...-~.~ SUBJECT: FEDERAL AND STATE FUNDED TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS Public Works staff have been closely monitoring the State budget's effects on the area's major transportation projects that are funded with State and Federal funds. The first issue that has come up is that Caltrans has provided notification that the statewide Environmental Enhancement and Mitigation (EEM) program has been eliminated in the Governor's proposed budgets for the remainder of FY 02-03 and for FY 03-04. You may recall, the City had received notification late last year that it was to receive $250,000 under the program for landscaping enhancement of the SR 178/Fairfax Road interchange project. The next issue coming up will be the funding for the sound wall for the White Lane interchange expansion project. An allocation from the California Transportation Commission (CTC) is needed for the City to receive the State funding currently programmed to pay for this wall. This request is on the CTC agenda for their April meeting. Of concern is that the CTC has not allocated any funding for any project statewide since their November meeting due to the uncertainties with both the current (02-03) and proposed (03-04) State budgets. The Govenor's proposed 02-03 mid-year and 03-04 budgets have effectively pulled all funding from the $5.8 billion Transportation Congestion Relief Program (TCRP), but many of the TCRP projects are already underway or have already had funding allocations from the CTC. To date, approximately $1.5 billion has been allocated to TCRP projects, and neady $500 million in invoices have been paid. The CTC is wrestling with how to pay for these TCRP projects already underway without affecting the projects that are in the State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP). The STIP contains the projects for which the City is the lead agency (White Lane sound wall, Fairfax/SR 178, and Westside Parkway). Compounding the problem is that the revenue that funds the STIP has not been at the levels projected when the STIP was formulated. The result is that the State is not receiving adequate cash flow to fund all STIP projects currently programmed in this and the next fiscal years, and this is even before the TCRP funding issue described above. With this funding problem, the CTC is developing new prioritization criteria to determine what STIP projects should receive allocations. As with all current State budget issues, the situation is fluid and continues to change as the Governor and Legislature debate the budget. Based on the latest information, staff is doubtful that the CTC will begin allocations again in APdl. Staff is pursuing other options such as fronting the funds and then being reimbursed at a later date. Staff also recently talked to Caltrans Distdct 6 management regarding their, auxiliary lane project for the White Lane interchange. While they indicate their commitment and support for this project and are continuing with their design efforts, they also warned that funding for this pi'oject is in a precarious position similar to many projects statewide, and they do not know what the final outcome for funding construction of the project will be. We will provide more information as it becomes available. Cc: Jacques R. LaRochelle, Assistant Public Works Director S:\TED~2003 memos\022803at..doc ................................... ~ age 1 ~J ~'Scott Norton - ice rink marketing ul~date From: Scott Norton To: Jim Foss Date: 3/5/03 9:24AM Subject: ice rink marketing update The following items are being completed regarding the Ice Center: 1. Rendering and "Coming fall 2003" posted on centennialgarden.com "flash" section 2. Bakersfieldicecenter.com has been registered and should be up within two weeks 3. Production of :30 tv spot will be completed in time for aidng @ 3/15 condor game 4. Video spot on in-house Garden vision system will be running beginning 2/28 5. Outdoor marquee ad will be running begir~ning 2/28 6. Four color window graphic (main entrance C/G), inclusive of renderings, should be up for 3/15 game 7. Renderings and copy points were forwarded to the Condors on 3/4 for inclusion on their website and in the monthly newsletter 8. Picture boards being created for sponsor,, prospective rental client, and local business functions 9. 4 x 4 concourse panel should be installed by 3/15 game 10. Working with local media and Chamber to post renderings/run stodes BAKERSFIELD Economic and Community Development Department MEMORANDUM March 4, 2003 TO: Alan Tandy, City Manager~[~''~ ~''~)~''~ FROM: Donna L. Kunz, Economic Development Director SUBJECT: CDBG Timeliness and Use of ED Business Loan Funds As you know, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requires entitlement jurisdictions to be timely in the use and spending of CDBG funds or risk having future year entitlements reduced. In a recent review of our CDBG entitlement projects and current status, staff determined that we were rapidly approaching a situation where we were not going to able to meet this timeliness requirement if we did not develop a expedited spending plan before the May 1, 2003 deadline. One of the largest amounts of CDBG funds currently set aside is for ED business loan activities. This money, is also some of the oldest money on our books. Therefore, we are requesting a short-term, interim solution by using $304,000 of the business loan money to pay off the final Section 108 payment due three months from now on July 1, 2003. This money will in turn be replenished July 1, 2003 with brand new entitlement money. This action will remedy our timeliness problem. dlkS:'~Rhonda\timeliness.doc Democrats Delay Action on Davis' Proposed Cuts Page 1 of 3 Home I Register I Home De~ivery I Site Map [ Archives [ Print Edition Advert/ Hi, rksmiley March 7, 2003 ~! E-mail. story ~. Print a d THE STATE .... - ' Democrats Delay Action on Davis' Proposed Careers ~ ,omes Cuts - Rentals By Carl Ingram and Nancy Vogel, Times Staff Writers o Newspaper Ads · Personals Times Headlines ~ ., ~ ~, SACRAMENTO -- Senate Democrats, accused by Art, Theater, Night Life Republicans of dragging their feet in the face of Gev Fails to Get Vote on Judicial Pick. Movies, Music, TV, mounting budget problems, nevertheless agreed Thursday to delay until at least next month formal Hiding Funds Sparks Dissent votes on the service cuts included in Gev. Gray National Davis' proposed budget for the coming fiscal year. Parks Finds His Press Aide Close to Home State Local Senate leader John L. Burton said that because of Democrats Delay Action on White House Davis' Proposed Cuts City Hall the magnitude of the proposed cuts, Senate budget The Courts Veto of Early Release Bill Columnists writers need more time to examine the Sought Times Poll implications of reductions before they can more > Town Hall L.A. responsibly act on Davis' scaled-down budget for Columns Ronald Brownstein the fiscal year that begins July l. But Republicans ~. Patt Morrison SUB$CRIBE to th · George Skelton attacked the delay as a maneuver to further dodge to, ~n8ele, Timi~ Special Reports the unhappy task of making the reductions, d~k h~, ' Bush Economic Plan especially to education and health programs for the Election 2004 Homeland Security needy. Showdown With Iraq State Budget Crisis Resources Instead, Republican Sen. Richard Ackerman of CALIFORNIA Politics Sites Irvine, vice chairman of the Senate Budget Gov't Sites POLITICS Supreme Court Info. Committee, said COP members believe both Letters to the Editor houses ought to be taking budget votes and BUDGET The World "conducting hearings almost around the clock." °R ente~ Im~°~ (°Pt~°nal) The Nation Resolving the budget crisis "requires action now," California / Local he said. Business Politics lyour e-mail Sports In the Assembly, Republicans also charged that Technology majority Democrats had failed to confront the · u~.~ ~,,u, Travel Editorials, Dp-Ed .budget shortage head on. They noted that not a Sections single substantial bill to reduce the deficit in the Arts & Entertainment Books ' current fiscal year has reached Davis since he called a special session on Chess the budget early in December. Columns Education Environment "We are on the brink of bankruptcy and we are playing violin while the Food Health state government is burning," said Assemblyman Ray Haynes (R- Highway 1 Murrieta). Kids' Reading Room Magazine Obituaries Real Estate Although Davis has frequently appealed to the Legislature to take swift http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-me-budget7mar07,1,2352474.story?coll=la%2Dhead 3/7/2003 Democrats Delay Action on Davis' Proposed Cuts Page 2 of 3 RefUgee. action, waming that the state's fiscal condition further deteriorates with Science & Medicine Sunday Opinion each day that the situation persists, his director of finance, Steve Peace, on Times Poll Week in Focus Thursday welcomed the Senate decision to delay votes on next year's For the Record budget. Editions Print Edition National (PDF) He said the decision was "consistent with our desire to get the earliest Wireless NewsDirect action possible and get it on a prudent basis." Extras College Connection Sweepstakes Normally, budget-writing subcommittees in both houses start hearings and Crossword voting in March. Typically, they fashion a relatively firm budget plan that Horoscope Lottery can be amended in May, if necessary, to reflect updated revenue forecasts. WeatherTraffic This year's process is complicated by the Legislature's grappling with two Multimedia budget problems at once: the cuts contemplated in next year's spending Archives Enter Keyword(s): plan and those that Davis is asking legislators to approve in this year's ii i~ budget. Detailed Search SITE HAP Addressing the progress of next year's budget, Burton said that because of ~'~'~'B;;~:: ~'~'~ the extraordinary money problems, votes in budget subcommittees would Subscription Services (800) 252-9141 Home be postponed until April, when he believes the magnitude of the needs for Delivery Subscriptions higher taxes, deeper spending cuts, or a combination of both would become NewsDirect Gift Subscriptions clearer. College Discount Mail Subscriptions Additional Subscription "We are going to get all of the facts because we are being asked to cut Information & FAQs billions of dollars that affect people's lives," the San Francisco Democrat ~~'~,~ said. "The Republicans don't vote for budgets anyway, so what's their "Careers beeP." ' Homes * Cars o Rentals The Assembly and Senate earlier did approve a bill that called for $3 o Newspaper Ads billion in cuts immediately but linked it to Davis' signature on a separate . Personals o Times Guides bill that would have the effect of increasing vehicle license fees by $4 o Recycler.com billion, all of it for the support of local government programs and services. LA Times Initiatives Times in Education Reading by 9 Davis favored the cuts but opposed the tax measure and promised to veto LA Times Books LA Times Family Fund the package. Although the bills were passed by both houses, the lawmakers Times-Mirror Foundation never sent them to Davis to sign. Community Events Inside the Times Partners Later, the Senate approved the budget cuts bill a second time, but it no ~,~ ~[,~ f~ longer tied the reductions to an increase in the car tax. However, the ~ ~,~,~¢~ Assembly has refused to send the bill to Davis until a resolution is reached ......... ~? in a dispute between Davis and state Controller Steve Westly. They cannot agree over which official has the politically unpopular responsibility for activating an increase in the car tax without further action by the Legislature. If~,~u want other stories on this topic, search the Archives at latimes.com/archives. Click here for article licensing and reprint options http ://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-me-budget7mar07,1,2352474.story?coll=la%2Dhea.. 3/7/2003 The Sacramento Bee -- sacbee.com -- Controll'er raises borrowing estimate Page 1 of 2 This story is taken from c~a at sacbee.com. Controller raises borrowing estimate - (Published March 6, 2003) The state controller is raising his estimate of how much California will have to borrow this summer as a stalemate over budget cuts and vehicle license fee increases drags on in the Legislature. Controller Steve Westly says the state will have to borrow $4 billion to $11 billion in June to keep its operations running as lawmakers try to erase a budget deficit that could reach $34.6 billion over the next 16 months. Westly said early in February the state would probably have to borrow $2 billion to $8 billion before the end of June to deal with cash flow problems brought on by its budget woes. He said the higher projection was the result of a variety of factors, including weaker-than- expected revenues and the failure of lawmakers to begin to trim the deficit. The Legislature has approved a package of about $8.6 billion in cuts and funding shifts, but those bills are tied to enactment of a measure designed to raise vehicle license fees. Gov. Gray Davis has promised to veto the VLF bill. The Senate has approved an almost identical package of cuts that are not tied to the VLF, but the Assembly hasn't acted on that legislation. Assemblywoman Jenny Oropeza, the Long Beach Democrat who chairs the Assembly Budget Committee, said the Assembly may take up the Senate package next week. "But you can't take that to the bank." She indicated that Assembly Democrats are waiting for some assurance from Westly and the Department of Finance that current law will trigger a VLF increase later this year to help with the state's budget problems. "We still feel very strongly there needs to be a commitment as to when the (VLF) trigger will be pulled," she said. The VLF, an annual fee paid by motorists to register their vehicles, is supposed to go up if the state can't afford to make so-called back-fill payments to local governments to make up for a series of VLF cuts approved in 1998. Administration officials say state attorneys are still studying how that section of the law is supposed to work. In another budget-related development, state school Superintendent lack O'Connell urged lawmakers to quickly adopt an initial package of budget cuts so schools can plan their own http://www.sacbee.com/content/politics/ca/v-print/story/6224579p-7178948c.html 3/6/2003 The Sacramento Bee -- sacbee.com -- Controller raises borrowing estimate Page 2 of 2 budgets. "Unless action is forthcoming soon, schools may find themselves unable to make necessary reductions, to say nothing of their difficulty in taking advantage of any flexibility offered," O'Connell said in a letter to legislative leaders. "Certainty, however painful, is preferable to the limbo many districts find themselves in." He said school districts would risk losing "highly qualified teachers" if they're forced to send more layoff notices than necessary by the March 15 deadline. -- Associated Press Go to: Sacbee / Back to story Contact Us/Eeedback I R.dyacy Policy I ]~er.rn.s.of Use News I Sports I Business I P_oJ_J_!;j_C.s I Opinion I Entertainment I Lifestyle_ I Travel I Women Cars I Classifieds I H_omes I Jobs I Yellow Pages Help I Newsletters I Site Map_ I Subscribe to the Print Edition I Traffic I Weather I Wireless Delivery About Us I Advertise in The Bee I Advertise Online I Contact Circulation Customer Service I Events [ Sacramento Bee Web sites ] Sai:bee.com I .S.a~i.c.ket,.~o.m I Sacram.ep~Q.,~o.m. This article is protected by copyright and should not be printed or distributed for anything except personal use. The Sacramento Bee, 2100 Q St., P.O. Box 15779, Sacramento, CA 95852 Phone: (916) 321-1000 Copyright © The Sacramento Bee / vet. 4 http://www.sacbee.com/content/politics/ca/v-print/story/6224579p-717 8948c.html 3/6/2003 The Sacramento Bee -- sacbee.com -- Dan Walters: Steinberg offers improved plan for finar Page 1 of 2 This story is taken from walters at sacbee.com. Dan .Walters: Steinberg offers improved plan for financing local government By Dan Walters -- Bee Columnist - (Published March 2, 2003) Assemblyman Darrell Steinberg made a big media splash last year with his legislation that would have imposed sales tax sharing among the cities and counties in the Sacramento region. Steinberg, a Sacramento Democrat, said he wanted to encourage regionalism, discourage local governments from competing for sales tax-generating commercial development, encourage housing construction and discourage urban sprawl. It's questionable whether, as written, Steinberg's AB 680 would have accomplished any, much less all, of those worthy goals. It generated more animosity among suburban communities than it did regional cooperation, and in one form would actually have made it easier for the city of Sacramento, a bill sponsor, to lure sales tax-heavy auto dealers away from Sacramento County's jurisdiction. The measure ultimately met a well-deserved death in the Senate Local Government Committee after Steinberg's efforts to reach a negotiated settlement on housing construction among regional governments faltered. That was last year. Steinberg has returned to the mine-strewn field of local government finance, tax-sharing and housing with a new bill this year -- and this time he's much Closer to a rational overhaul of state-local financial relationships that might have a salubrious effect on the shortage of housing for Iow-and moderate-income families. While AB 680 was widely -- and probably accurately -- seen as a money grab by a Democratic legislator for Democratic-voting Sacramento at the expense of Republican-oriented suburbs, Steinberg's new legislation is being co-written by Assemblyman John Campbell, R-Irvine. And their joint bill points the way toward the "structural reform" that Gov. Gray Davis insists should be part of a state budget solution, r .... //~Tl~e Campbell-Steinberg measure, AB 1221, would reduce local governments' share of the state- local sales tax by half (from i cent of each sales dollar to a half-cent), a loss of more than $2 billion a year to the locals, and offset the shortfall by shifting an identical amount of property taxes from schools to the local governments. The state would "backfill" the money to schools from its increased share of the sales tax. Thus, local governments would get a greater share in ~_property tax growth while the state would get a greater share of the sales tax dollar. _~ The two legislators believe that giving local governments a bigger stake in property taxes would reduce their financial bias toward commercial development (known in political parlance as "fiscalization of land use") and encourage them to approve more housing. "There are disincentives right now for local governments to build housing," Campbell said. "We want to see those disincentives removed." http://www~sa~bee~c~m/~ntent/p~iti~s/c~umns/wa~ters/v~print/st~ry/62~3986p~7 ~ 58662c~ht~ 3/4/2003 The Sacramento Bee -- sacbee.com -- Dan Walters: Steinberg offers improved plan for tim.. Page 2 of 2 If the measure were to have any impact, it probably would move in the direction Steinberg and Campbell favor, which is fine. Clearly, local governments are biased toward auto malls, big-box retailers and other commercial projects that generate sales taxes -- and often misuse redevelopment subsidies to serve those ends. If enacted, it also would help stabilize the state's own finances by making sales taxes a bigger share of its revenue stream. That said, there are other factors that must be brought into play. First and foremost, it can succeed only if it's part of a larger, long-term reform effort that's divorced, to the ex-tent possible, from the politics of the current budget crisis. Davis' own tax proposals, in fact, would directly con-tradict the Steinberg-Campbell approach by making local governments even more dependent on sales taxes. Secondly, local governments must be full partners in the overhaul. Sacramento has tended for the past quarter-century to impose its will on local officials, who have become hostile and suspicious of anything decreed in the Capitol. Indeed, they became dependent on the sales tax in the first place because state officials arbitrarily shift-ed $3.5 billion a year In property taxes to schools a decade ago to balance the state's budget. If the governor and legislators want to do it, locals have concluded, it must be good for the state and bad for local governments. The new proposal is a positive one, but only a small piece of a much larger and much more complex puzzle. About the Writer The Bee's Dan Walters can be reached'at (916) 321-1195 or dwalters~sacbee.com. Go to: Sacbee / Back to story Cq.ntact Us/E.ee.dback I ?dvacy Pol.i.cy I Terms of Use News I Sports I Business I Politics I Opinion I Entertainmer!t I Lifestyle I Tra~e! I Wome~ Cars I Classifieds I Homes I Jobs I Ye!low Pages Help_ I ~_e_w_sJ.e_tter~s~ I .S_ite_Nap- I Subscribe to the Print Edition I Traffic I Weather I Wireless Delivery About U_s I Advertise in The Bee I _Advertise Online I Contact Circulation Customer Service I Events [ Sacramento Bee Web sites ] Sacbee.;com I Sac!i~;ket.co.m I S.acr~.me. nto.com This article is protected by copyright and should not be printed or distributed for anything except personal use. The Sacramento Bee, 2100 Q St., P.O. Box 15779, Sacramento, CA 95852 Phone: (916) 321-1000 Copyright © The Sacramento Bee / ver. 4 http://www.sacbee.c~m/c~ntent/p~~itics/c~~umns/wa~ters/v~print/st~ry/62~3986p~7~ 58662cJ:... 3/4/2003 '"~~ BUDGET UPDATE March 4, 2003 Chris McKenzie, Executive Director 1400 K Street * Sacramento, CA 95814 * 916/658-8275 * Fax 916/658-8240 * Email: mckenzie@cacities, org Senate Republican Budget Proposal Last WednesdaY, February 26, Senate Minority Leader Jim Brulte called me prior to announcing the Senate Republican budget package. He reviewed the major components of the proposal~, including the proposal for a local government (not just cities)."contribution" to aid in balancing the budget. Senator Brulte said he would call for a constitutional amendment to prevent the state from raiding local government funds ever again. He also said that there would be no "local government contribution" if the VLF were restored. The centerpiece of the Senate Republican proposal, according to their press release, is that the proposal "minimizes financial harm to local governments and contains no tax or fee increase." To accomplish this goal, the proposal "extends the budget planning time frame for one additional year", meaning that part of the deficit is rolled over to the next year. The plan also makes a number of substantial budget cuts, approximately $5 billion more than those proposed by the Governor. Here are the major points: · Local Government "Contribution". Proposes negotiations with local governments (not just cities) for a three-year, unallocated contribution. Also proposes elimination or suspension of $1 billion in state mandates the Governor proposed deferring. · ~ Constitutional Amendment. Proposes a constitutional amendment to "prevent the state from ever again taking local government money to balance the state budget. · No VLF or Redevelopment Cut.~. Protects the VLF backfill and existing RDA funding. · Proposition 42. In contrast to Governor's proposal to "suspend" the Prop. 42 transfer of $1.1 billion in transportation fixnds (including local street and road maintenance), proposes to defer the transfers and pay them back in the future in accordance with a negotiated payback plan. · Preserves Open Space Funds. Protects the Williamson Open Space Subvention Program. · Across the Board Cuts to General Fund, Includes a 7% across-the-board cut to state general fund programs, achieving a $5.1 billion savings. · Multi-Year Budgeting and Spending Freeze. Proposes a two-year budget coupled with a hard freeze in spending, requiring 2004-05 spending to be no more than 2003-04 spending. · No New Fees, Taxes or VLF Restoration. Assumes no increase in fees, no tax increases, and no restoration of the VLF to previous levels. League's Reactions On February 27 we issued a news release2, praising major parts of the plan and expressing a more cautious attitude about the "local government contribution", dependent upon the legislature's seriousness about the constitutional amendment proposal. The plan does not fund the booking fee, street and road maintenance (from Prop. 42) or a number of other programs, so the city share of the "local government contribution" would be on top of these cuts and the loss of mandated cost reimbursements. It does protect major areas of concern to cities, however, and deserves careful study. See http://www.cacities.org/userfiles/godoc/6939.FISCAL_GOP BUDGETP LAN_22603.pdt' See http://www.cacities.~rg/usert~les/g~d~c/6943%2ESenate%2~Republican%2~Pr~p~sal%2DFeb27%2Ed~) 2 Legislature's Reactions Assembly Speaker Herb Wesson responded immediately by saying that with this proposal the budget negotiations have f'mally begun. In a phone call I received from a key member of his staff last Thursday there was an indication of both relief (the real budget process can now begin) and concern about the depth of the across-the-board cuts. (Consider that education, corrections and debt service together comprise well over half of the general fund. If they are largely exempt from any cuts, that means 14% cuts in the remaining programs on top of the cuts the Governor already recommended.) Senate President Pro Tem Burton held a press conference yesterday (Monday) to relay his reaction to the Senate Republican proposal. He suggested that there were some good parts to the proposal, but was concerned about the exponential impact of the 7% across the board cut, given that much of the General Fund budget cannot be impacted such as interest on loans, debt on GO bonds, and more. He commended Senator Bmlte for making what is seen as a serious proposal. The Senate has already passed its initial round of budget cuts and the Assembly Budget Committee followed suit yesterday, sending the package to the Assembly floor n a bipartisan vote. There are no changes in the status of key city program from the time they were previously acted upon and connected to AB 4x (that connection no longer exists). The Administration and State Controller appear to be continuing discussions on how the VLF trigger can be pulled, but whether real progress has been made is unclear. The Assembly may delay action on the budget cuts until the VLF trigger dispute is resolved and the VLF is restored. Where We Go From Here Statewide Polling. As the budget discussions continue, . the League, counties (CSAC) and special districts (CSDA) are preparing to conduct our first statewide poll this year, testing a number of fiscal reform ideas, including the constitutional amendment called for in the Senate Republican proposal. The results of this poll will inform proposals we may jointly offer as the session unfolds for reform and balancing the state budget. The League, CSAC and CSDA have a joint Fiscal Reform Task Force that is meeting regularly. Cities Are Net Donors Data. As discussions proceed in the next few weeks on the budget and any possible city government "contribution" to balancing the state budget, I want to draw your attention to the League's recently completed analysis of how cities have helped balance the state budget over the past four years.3 It should not surprise you that these data contradict the assertion by the Governor and his Administration's representatives that "cities have shared in the good times." I urge you to use this liberally in your communications with legislators, the news media and community groups. It tells a powerful story about the imbalance in the state-local fiscal relationship. In the weeks ahead we will work with the leaders of both parties as they move forward in their budget deliberations. We will continue to keep you informed. Thanks for all of your hard work and support. Please let me or any other staff member know if you have any questions. 3 See http://www,cacities.org/use~les/godoc/6934.CitiesAreDonors2.pdf Rl~onda Smiley - RE: Sen§te Republican Budget Plan Pa ~ 1 i Date: 2/27/03 11:28AM Subject: RE: Senate Republican Budget Plan The proposal accepts all of Governor Davis' budget cuts as a given. Therefore, the proposal assumes the loss of the booking fee subvention. The proposal also contemplates a 7% cut in all other general fund spending. In conversation with Brulte's office, I was told that the 7% represents an aggregate goal. In other words, they recognize that some general fund items statutorily cannot be cut. Brulte's office would not say whether or not the GOP proposal included the COPS program, but his staff did remind me that Brulte specifically, and Republicans generally, ' has always been in support of those programs. Similarly, with respect to booking fee subvention, the office indicated that since that entire concept of booking fee subvention had come initially from Senator Brulte, that Republicans would be open to discussing that issue. With ~ respect to local government, the GOP budget proposal would ask local government collectively to contribute $ 500 million in fiscal 02-03, 03-04 and 05-06. Again, there is no detail here, and Brulte°s office envisions this being a negotiation process with local government. Bottom line, this document is an opening salvo in ongoing budget negotiations. Assuming the details referenced above can fall in our direction, there is a lot to like here. The roll-over concept is consistent with the California Police Chiefs' Association 1993 proposal to Governor Wilson of a multi-year budget concept. From: David Lyman To: David Lyman Date: 2/28/03 2:06PM Subject: Bakersfield Named One of California's Best Cities for Business Bakersfield Named One of California's Best Cities for Business California CEO Magazine has picked the best cities for business in California, and Bakersfield ranks Number 5. The rankings appear in the magazine's February issue. There are more than 400 cities in California, but only 25 made the magazine's list of Best Cities for Business. And only four--San Diego, Sacramento, Riverside, and Los Angeles--rated higher than Bakersfield. Here is what California CEO Magazine has to say: "Expansion Management Magazine named Bakersfield t°its top 50 hottest cities in the nation, based on business environment, workforce quality, incentive programs, etc., so it's no wonder that the city rests toward the top of our list. "Bakersfield has an aggressive business retention program known as KEEP (Keeping Existing Employers Profitable). Through this program, city departments work together to quickly resolve issues that are most important to local employers and they go out of their way to learn about what's most important to Bakersfield business. Bakersfield continues to grow and expand, but there is a ton of developable land--approximately 3,000 acres--and about 740 acres of vacant commercial land. And the cost of industrial land is about $3 per square foot less than that of LA's industrial land. A few more Bakersfield advantages: the median sales price of a home in Bakersfield, $105,500, is among the lowest in the state, and 61 percent of residents have a commute time of less than 20 minutes. BAKERSFIELD FIRE DEPARTMENT M E M O R A N D U M ,, 6 2003 '~?r'a~'~'w,7 i,~,r~ i, ~,r , .., TO: ALAN TANDY, CITY MANAGER FROM: RON FRAZE, FIRE CHIEF ~/'V,~ DATE: MARCH 5, 2003 SUBJECT: ISSUES REGARDING AMBULANCE SERVICE Council Referral No. Ref000381 (Ward 1 & 3) Councilmember Carson requested staff respond to the following: 1) Bring back a review of programs with relationships between City fire, ambulance and paramedics 2) If services cease, what options are afforded to the City? 3) If City files certificate of need, does County issue certificate? Can City issue certificate? 4) Does the ambulance company share the City's dispatch system or is it separate? Councilmember Maggard requested Fire Chief Ron Fraze respond to the following issue: If Hall Ambulance does not offer services the City expects, how should the City proceed to handle this situation? Councilmember Maggard also questioned,, if the ambulance company does meet the standard, but there is a conflict of interest, what process is needed to protect the citizens, and what remedies are available if the City is not satisfied with the outcome? The Bakersfield Fire Department and Hall Ambulance work together, side by side, in the field on a regular basis. Due to possible 1090 conflict with Mayor Hall, it may not be possible to improve efficiencies and streamline operations. These efforts would involve contracts or formal agreements between the City of Bakersfield and Hall Ambulance. Issues Regarding Ambulance Service March 5, 2003 Page 2 In my opinion, if Hall Ambulance were to cease its "Paramedic Service", the City would have two options: · Solicit County EMS to approve another qualified "Paramedic Service" provider and transporter, or · Authorize the Bakersfield Fire Department to institute first responder paramedics, plus partner with a private company for the transport of patients. To abide by City ordinance, a potential new ambulance company must first obtain a permit from the County before the City can consider them. At this time, the Bakersfield Fire Department and Hall Ambulance operate separate dispatch centers. Although I believe combining Hall's dispatch center and the City's fire dispatch center would have advantages, this may not be possible due to a possible 1090 conflict with Mayor Hall. RF/kap cc: John Stinson, Assistant City Manager Bart Thiltgen, City Attorney P:\memos\Fraze\Councilmember Carson & Councilmember Maggard referral 3-05-03 B A K E R S F I E L D CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE HUMAN RESOURCES DIVISION MEMORANDUM March 7, 2003 TO: Alan Tandy, City Manager FROM: Carroll Hayden, Human Resources Manager ~'~.~ f-'~_~. SUBJECT: LIST OF LAID OFF TEMPORARY EMPLOYEES Council Referral No. Ref.000391 Councilmember Carson requested a list of the number of laid off positions in the Police and Fire Departments. All temporary employee positions, including those in Police and Fire, which have been laid off from November 25, 2002 to date are shown on the attached listing. The listing is broken down by department and classification. CH:rs cc: Alan Christensen, Assistant City Manager John W. Stinson, Assistant City Manager Darnell Haynes, Assistant to the City Manager ~.--"~ ~'~- LAID OFF POSITIONS CITY-WIDE CITY MANAGER GIS Technician 1 Information Analyst 1 P.C. Technician 1 Total: 3 CITY ATTORNEY Clerk Typist 1 Total: I DEVELOPMENT SERVICES Clerk Typist 1 Building Inspector 2 Total: 3 FIRE Intern 1 Warehouse Clerk 1 Total: 2 POLICE Cadets 17 Clerk Typist 3 Transportation Officers 6 Clerical Aide 1 Community Relations Specialist 1 Total: 28 PUBLIC WORKS Clerk Typist 5 Facility Worker 4 Building Maintainer 1 Electrical Technician 1 Laborer 21 Service Maintenance Worker 15 Solid Waste Equip. Operator 3 Engineering Aide 1 Student Intern 1 Total: 52 RECREATION & PARKS Instructor 8 Service Maintenance Worker 3 Laborer 37 Life Guard 3 Program Coordinator 2 Program Leader 8 Clerk Typist 1 Youth Official 2 Park Security 5 Total: 69 WATER Trades Assistant 1 Total: I GRAND TOTAL: 158 MAR 2003 DEPARTMENT OF RECREATION AND PARKS DATE: February 28, 2003 TO: Alan Tandy, City Manager FROM: Stan Ford, Director ~~ SUBJECT: YMCA CONTRACT FOR POOL MAINTENANCE Ref000392 (WARD 1) Councilmember Carson referred the issue of contracting with the YMCA for pool maintenance to the Recreation and Parks Department for analysis and response. Previously staff has attempted to contact the YMCA Executive Director and a member of their Board of Directors but have been unsuccessful. We have made phone calls to their offices but these calls were never returned. Staff will attempt to schedule a meeting with the YMCA to discuss the potential of them assuming the operation of one of the city's pools. Staff will report back. S:~Council Referrals\RefO00392. doc March 3, 2003 (7:05AM) I 5 2003 B A K E R S F I E L D .............. CITY OF BAKERSFIELD MEMORANDUM March 3, 2003 TO: ALAN TANDY, CITY MANAGER M. ROJAS, PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR ~ FROM: RAUL SUBJECT: CROSSWALK AT 3RD STREET AND CHESTER AVENUE Council Referral #000390, #000350 and #000322. Councilmember Carson requested a status update on the crosswalk at 3r'~ Street and Chester Avenue. The traffic study for the pedestrian crosswalk at Third Street and Chester Avenue was completed the week of January 20th. As noted in the previous memos, a crosswalk is not recommended for this location. The recommended crossing location is at the traffic signal with full pedestrian crossing protection located at Fourth and Chester, just 200 yards north of the intersection of Third and Chester. Since painted crosswalks are intended to direct pedestrians to the preferred and safest crossing location, and the preferred location for safety is the pedestrian signal at Chester and Fourth Street, a marked crosswalk is not recommended by the Traffic Engineer under current conditions. The location remains an unmarked crosswalk, as defined by the California Vehicle Code, and pedestrians are not prohibited from crossing at the intersection of Third Street and Chester. Third Street is a local Street. Chester Avenue is an Arterial, multi-lane street about 80 feet wide; curb to curb. The volume of traffic on Chester is 16,625 vehicles on a typical twenty-four hour weekday. The daily volume on Third Street is only 498 and the average side street volume is only 36 in the peak hour period. G:\GROUPDAT~ReferralsX2003\CC Mtg 02-26X390 - Traffic.doc B A K E R S F ! E L D MEMORANDUM TO: Alan Tandy, City Manager /~_)/ FROM: Jack Hardisty, Development Services Di DATE: March 4, 2003 SUBJECT: Referral 388 Councilmember Maggard referred to Code Enforcement the blighted conditions at the Hopper facility and requested a response regarding the city's ability to control vandalized and vacant box properties; the ability to make property owners responsible for the upkeep of their property; and the ability to recoup costs. On February 21, 2003, the owner was issued a notice of violation for graffiti, broken windows and openings on the north side of the building. The property was reinspected on February 28, 2003 and was found to be in compliance. If the owner had failed to comply with the first notice, an administrative hearing would have been scheduled. Code enforcement would then obtain bids and award a contract to the lowest bidder. After the city had the property cleaned a lien would then be placed on the property and later placed on the tax assessment rolls for collection by the County Tax Collector to recoup costs. ~,~,AR 5 2O03 B A K E R S F I E L D ' :' CITY OF BAKERSFIELD MEMORANDUM March 3, 2003 TO: ALAN TANDY, CITY MANAGER FROM: RAUL M. ROJAS, PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR ~ SUBJECT: HEIGHT STREET MAINTENANCE ANALYSIS Council Referral #000387 Councilmember Maggard requested Public Works provide the status of the maintenance of Height Street. Contact Mr. Richard Groves regarding his concerns and respond to Council and Mr. Groves. Staff contacted Mr. Richard Groves on Monday, March 3, 2003. Mr. Groves inquired about what improvements were going to be made to Height Street after the apartments are built on the lot at the northwest corner of Height Street and Mount Vernon Avenue. Staff assured Mr. Groves that the developer of that property would be making the required street improvements on Height Street. In the meantime, a street patching crew would be assigned to patch any potholes and the City's Street Division will perform any necessary maintenance on Height Street, until the improvements are made. Mr. Groves was satisfied with staff's reply. G:\GROUPDAT~Referrals~2003\CC Mtg 02-26~387 - Streets.doc B A K E R S F I E L D CITY OF BAKERSFIELD MEMO~NDUM March 6, 2003 TO: ALAN TANDY, CITY MANAGER FROM: RAUL M. ROJAS, PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR~.~....~ SUBJECT: BI-LINGUAL CONCERNS Staff has investigated the concerns regarding assistance to Spanish speaking callers to the Public Works Department. We have identified a few instances where a citizen may have been inconvenienced by waiting while an interpreter was obtained. After some research, it was determined that only 5 of the 48 bi-lingual employees at the City are employed in our Department. Upon further investigation, it has been confirmed that all 48 bi-lingual employees are at our disposal when necessary, and a list of their names and extension numbers are listed on the Cityweb intranet page. By informing our employees of this resource, it is anticipated that assistance will be obtained in a more timely manner and customer service will be maintained. G:\GROUPDAT~Memo~003\bi-lingual concerns.doc BAKERSFIELD FIRE DEPARTMENT - MEMORANDUM i~ TO: ALAN TANDY, CITY MANAGER FROM: RON FRAZE, FIRE CHI DATE: MARCH 6, 2003 SUBJECT: POOR RESPONSE FROM POLICE AND FIRE DEPARTMENTS Council Referral No. Ref000393 (Ward 4) Councilmember Couch referred a complaint from Laura Moon regarding poor response from Police and Fire Departments concerning abon fire on Wrangler Drive to Eric Matlock and Ron Fraze for response. Wrangler Drive is in the City limits; however, due to the Joint Powers Agreement, Station 65 of the Kern County Fire Department responds to this address. I have called Fire Chief Gage of the Kern County Fire Department regarding this issue and will provide you with more information when he contacts me. RF/kap cc: Eric Matlock, Police Chief P:\memos\Fraze\Councilmember Couch referral 3-05-03 CITY OF BAKERSFIELD MEMORANDUM March 3, 2003 TO: ALAN TANDY, CITY MANAGER FROM: RAUL M. ROJAS, PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR SUBJECT: ON-CALL CIVIL ENGINEER CONSULTANTS Council Referral #000379 Councilmember Hanson requested staff report back with anticipated projects, alternatives and consequences and clarify delays as they relate to the Civil Engineering Services Design Consultant Agreement. Staff is in the process of preparing a report regarding the issues raised by Councilmember Hanson and will provide it to Council upon completion. G:\GROUPDAT\Referrals~2003\CC Mtg 02-26\379 - Amold.doc I I~ 7~3 CiTY MANAGEF~ ~, B A K'E R S F I E L D CITY OF BAKERSFIELD PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT MEMORANDUM March 7, 2003 TO: Alan Tandy, City Manager FROM: Raul M. Rojas, Public Works Director~'~._.~ SUBJECT: Report on Public Works Engineering's use of Consultants During the past week, staff has been working on this report to City Council. The data has been collected. However, additional time is needed to finish the analysis of the data so as to provide as accurate of a report as possible. Staff is to have this report finalized and delivered to you for the General Information packet on Friday, March 14, 2003. G:\GROUPDAT~M2003_CityManager~Staf Report_March 14.doc B A K E R S F I E L D ~' .... CiTY OF BAKERSFIELD MEMORANDUM March 3, 2003 TO: ALAN TANDY, CITY MANAGER FROM' RAUL M. ROJAS, PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR~/%~__._~ SUBJECT: U-TURN AT HWY $8 AND REAL ROAD Council Referral #000389 Councilmember Sullivan requested Public Works staff evaluate and respond to the need for a U-Turn sign at 58 and Real Road. The Traffic Engineer contacted Caltrans Traffic Engineers and requested that they investigate the U-turn operation at the intersection of State Route 58 and Real Road. Caltrans was requested to consider U-turn signage. This intersection is operated and maintained by Caltrans. G:\GROUPDAT~ReferralsL2003\CC Mtg 02-26k389 - Traffic.doc B A K E R S F I E L D T!~.~,~2~:'~, CITY OF BAKERSFIELD MEMORANDUM March 3, 2003 TO: ALAN TANDY, CITY MANAGER FROM: RAUL M. ROJAS, PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR~.y..._,._._/ SUBJECT: GRAFFITI - H STREET AND WILSON Council Referral #000382 Councilmember Salvaggio referred the issue of graffiti located on a wooden fence west of H Street, north of Wilson Road, to Brad Underwood for resolution. Also respond to graffiti north of Wilson Road on Fremont at the shopping center. The graffiti on the block wall behind the shopping center was removed by the power wash unit on March 3, 2003. The graffiti on the red fence on the west side of South H Street north of Wilson has been scheduled to be completed by March 7, 2003. G:\GROUPDAT~ReferralsX2003XCC Mtg 02-26X382 - GS.doc