HomeMy WebLinkAboutSupplmental - Memos from Council Member Boyd --E SERI BF
MEMORANDUM
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Date: June 2, 1999
To: Mayor and Members of the City Council
From: Shawn Boyd, Council Member
Subject: Proposed Changes to Fiscal Year 1999 /2000 Budget
Following our budget discussion on May 17t, I felt it would be of value to you to understand
where I believe we can reduce expenditures and save tax dollars without reducing service levels.
Staff has suggested savings in various departments and those recommendations are reflected in
the budget as submitted. I have listed below by department, line items I feel either should be
reduced or deleted. The potential savings are represented in parenthesis after the item.
1. City Council 01 Line Item 43300—Delete $1,800 SCAG membership ($1,800)
2. Non-Departmental 19 Line Item 43400— Reduce to $2,500 for ICMA Conferences ($7,500)
3. Non-Departmental 19 Line Item 43900—Delete $10,800 Lease of office space ($10,800)
4. City Manager 01 Line Item 43100—Reduce office supplies to $6,000 ($2,200)
5. Non-Departmental 19 Line Item 43100—Reduce office supplies to $10,000 ($18,000)
6. Non-Departmental 19 Line Item 43700—Reduce Equip/Material/Supplies to $5,000 ($5,000)
7. Non-Departmental 19 Line Item 45100—Reduce MIS Consulting to $45,000 ($9,000)
8. Planning Dept. 30 Line Item 43100 —Reduce office supplies to $6,000 ($3,000)
9. Building/Safety Div. 31 Line Item 43100— Reduce office supplies to $5,000 ($2,500)
10. Building/Safety Div. 31 Line Item 45100— Reduce plan check Consulting services from
$44,000 to $30,000 and consider hiring of in-house contract for plan check($14,000)
11. Public Works Dept. 42 Line Item 45100 -Reduce Plan Check Review $7,500 ($7,500)
12. Landscape Maintenance 49 Line Item 41400—Reduce part-time to $15,000 ($5,000)
13. Building Maintenance 52 Line Item 45100 - Delete "Misc. services" $13,000 ($13,000)
14. Building Maintenance 52 Line Item 43500 Supplies — Reduce to $25,000 ($6,000)
15. Landscape Light Fund 002 Line Item 45100—Attorney/Consultant Delete $9,750 ($9,750)
16. Park Improvement Fund 016 Dept. 70 line item 45100— Delete $30,000 ($30,000)
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17. C.I.P. Public Works 044 item 49804 & 49762 8th Street parking lot resurfacing/Beach
Parking lot improvements—Reduce to $30,000 to be placed in capital reserve only—no work
to be completed FY 99/00 ($35,000)
18. C.I.P. Public Works 052 item 49690 1st Street Restroom Repair—Reduce to $5,000 solicit
additional funds from tenant ($5,000)
19. C.1.P. Public Works 052 item 49690—Delete City Hall office Construction $6,000 ($6,000)
20. C.I.P. Public Works 052 item 49692 —Delete PW yard fuel tank replacement ($150,000)
21. C.I.P. Tidelands Fund 065 item 49720—Delete underground wiring at beach lot ($10,000)
Total projected savings of$356,800
I believe these reductions are in order to facilitate the savings necessary to begin addressing the
deficiency in our city's cash reserves, providing future tax relief, and ensuring our ability to meet
growing service demands. The importance of reserves can not be dismissed. Some cities fund
their entire capital works projects with interest revenue from reserves. If our reserves were fully
funded, as required by law, the net interest revenues to the city would be in excess of$55,000
annually. I find it difficult to argue we are saving too much money when we remain able to
spend over $4 million on capital projects and revenues have increased by more than half a
million dollars in fiscal year 99/00.
Repairing our city's infrastructure is important and many projects are overdue. In many cases
however, project costs are not increasing by delaying repairs. Quite to the contrary, with
construction cost indexes extremely high at present, capital projects are more costly if
constructed today than if we were to wait until such time as less work is available to qualified
contractors. Again, I am not suggesting we halt all capital improvement projects, rather just
prioritize them in order of importance for economic advantage and benefit to the city.
There is great uncertainty about the future of revenues such as the Vehicle License Fee (VLF)
tax. Seal Beach receives more than $1.13 million dollars annually from VLF taxes and should
the voters of our state eliminate the VLF on initiative during the March 2000 election, say good
bye to this revenue every year. I can't stress enough the importance of saving at the present time.
I encourage you to examine the budget and look at my recommendations carefully. I am
confident you will find them consistent with our long-term goals of financial stability and making
Seal Beach a better place to live for everyone. Please contact me with any questions.
PC: City Manager
City Treasurer
City Clerk
City Attorney
/sb
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Date: May 4, 1999
To: Mayor and Members of the City Council' ,
From: Shawn Boyd, Council Member
Subject: Budget Issues Fiscal Year 1999/2000
I have outlined below some of the issues I will be addressing during the budget process.
1. Increase all cash reserves to meet minimum requirements of City Charter, self-insurance,
and compensated absences. ($1,500,000 required)
2. Decrease capital expenditures until additional revenues are secured (current capital
improvement projects total $6.2 million budgeted for FY 98/99, total budget
appropriations for FY 98/99 are $29 million)
3. Appropriate funds for Department 12 (City Clerk) for 1 (one) additional FTE (Deputy
City Clerk)
4. Department 12—appropriate $7,500 for document imaging. Laser disc storage and city
web site updates for all legislative actions by Council for FY 99/00.
5. Discontinue SCAG $1,800 membership
6. Increase to City Council budget (department 10) $10,000 for special events
7. All surplus revenues from FY 98/99 to be allocated to reserves
8. Delete park fund 016 line item 45100 $30,000
9. Sea wall groin and pier base concrete spaulding repair— (Tidelands Fund 065) request
$65,000 for FY 99/00
10. Any CIP carryover projects not completed as budgeted for FY 98/99 to Council for
consideration before re-appropriation for FY 99/00
11. Increase to Recreation Services Fund 015 Line item 43900 Special Events/projects$5,000 for
fireworks show at AFRC.
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Budget Issues FY 99/00
The city manager should be directed to provide to Council the following:
1. A list of all capital projects completed in FY98/99 as compared to approved C.I.P. budget
and plan delivered to Council in May of 1998, include total dollar amount expended vs.
total budget.
2. A city wide organizational chart with employee names and position titles. Include a total
employee count, both full and part-time.
In order to accomplish the items I have addressed above, considerations as to the priority of certain
capital projects will have to be made by the Council. Remember,the decision to expend money on
capital projects is the Council's, not the staff's. The budget is the Council's greatest of
responsibilities and a means by which our fullest weight is exercised. Please contact me with any
questions.
PC: City Manager
Please contact me with any questions.
/sb