Pleasanton – pleasanton residents should soon hope to feel the effects of the city Multimillionaire cuts Recently solidified by the City Council in the face of a serious budget deficit.
Council approved last week A list of reductions Which included reducing the library hours and closing the facilities on Sundays, eliminating four maintenance works of municipal parks and other positions, such as the city’s cross guards. In total, the Council approved more than $ 12 million in cuts in the next two years, which does not reach the previous target of the city of $ 10 million the first year and $ 12 million the following year.
The officials expect An annual deficit of $ 13 million But it could be as bad as $ 22 million a year in a recession. The Council decided to reduce $ 6.2 million until next year and $ 6.6 million the following year. But officials avoided closing the beloved Aquatic Center of Dolores Bengston or Fire Station 1 of the city, after the days of residents begged the city not in the budget hearings on Tuesday and Thursday on Thursday.
The Council will end the budget this summer, with possible amendments and additional cuts.
Mayor Jack Balch, in an interview, said he is “optimistic in the future of pleasanton.” Before winning the place of his council in November, he said previously that he wanted to avoid all the cuts proposed completely, stating that the city’s financial prognosis was an image as serious as the officials had painted. As owner of a local business and accountant by trade, since then he has changed his mind.
“If we want to avoid everything, I don’t think it’s possible,” said Balch. “As a business leader, I am more concerned that a recession can happen than it had been at the beginning of the year. And I think it is prudent to be consulting that possibility in our budget process.”
The April 10 meeting was a continuation of a seven -hour marathon budget meeting on April 8 that extended to almost midnight. Councilor Julie Testa described the “tragic” budget discussions after Failure of a Middle Sales Voting measurement measure In November, officials would bet on many of these cuts.
“I would really want us to hide in this situation,” he said. “And that is why I supported the tax measure on the electoral ballot, because it had happened that we would have had the space to breathe at this time so as not to be cutting programs that are really important for our community.”
Councilor Craig Eicher, a former Pleananton interim police chief, protested for cutting two police officers from the city’s financing campus and, on the other hand, asked the city to find a way for the school district to help pay for the Campus Police. Balch, Vicealcalde Jeff Nibert and Councilor Matt Gaidos agreed that the district should help support the costs of the Campus Police.
While Eicher announced the support of the main cuts to the Police Department, Vicealcalde expressed his concerns for the city’s financial health.
“In general, I feel a little dismayed that we are not achieving the reductions we need to achieve for the benefit of the city,” Nibert told Council on Thursday.
Later, Nibert suggested to return to voters for a special choice to ask for additional income. He said it would be “wise” to ask voters to approach a new voting measure or a bonus to pay large tickets, such as the projected multimillionaire renewal of posts.
“I can almost guarantee that without a new significant approval of the income from the voters, what we do now will not be the last of the cuts,” said Nibert. “We trust a little unique money in this current budget we are talking about that it will not be there next time.”
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