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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC Min 2020-05-28Seal Beach, California May 28, 2020 The City Council met in a Special City Council Budget Workshop at 4:05 p.m. via teleconference. ROLL CALL Present: Mayor Sustarsic Council Members: Kalmick, Massa-Lavitt, Moore, Varipapa Absent: None City Staff: Craig A. Steele, City Attorney Jill R. Ingram, City Manager Patrick Gallegos, Assistant City Manager Chief Phillip Gonshak, Seal Beach Police Department Chief Joe Bailey, Marine Safety Department Steve Myrter, P. E., Director of Public Works Iris Lee, Deputy Public Works Director/City Engineer Les Johnson, Director of Community Development Kelly Telford, Director of Finance/City Treasurer Alayna Hoang, Finance Manager Louis Li, Accountant Ron Roberts, Orange County Fire Authority Tim Kelsey, Recreation Manager Gloria D. Harper, City Clerk Dana Engstrom, Deputy City Clerk PUBLIC COMMENTS Mayor Sustarsic opened public comments. City Clerk Harper announced that two (2) email communications were received, which were distributed to Council via email and uploaded to the City's website. City Clerk Harper read the comments into the record and indicated that there were no members of the public interested in speaking during the meeting. Mayor Sustarsic then closed oral communications. CITY MANAGER REPORT City Manager Ingram offered comments regarding the Council Strategic Plan meeting in March where Council and staff discussed the implementation of several enhancements to the annual budget development process that would provide for greater community participation, as well as additional enhancements to the actual budget document. Four days later at the March 9t" Council meeting, staff presented the Mid -Year budget review for this fiscal year that projected a healthy surplus by year-end of approximately $1.1 million dollars. Ten days later, the COVID-19 pandemic became our new reality and inevitably changed everything, including how we live our lives, our working environment, and the way we as public servants provide critical services to the community every day. She indicated that COVID-19 didn't change our resilience, our determination, and our commitment to the City, our residents, our business community, our families, and each other. Priorities completely shifted in a matter of a few days immediately to emergency preparedness and response, while doing everything possible to protect the community and employees from the spread of COVID-19. This continues to remain a high priority today. The devastating impacts of the Stay at Home orders and economic shutdown required the new Director of Finance/City Treasurer Telford, to analyze multiple revenue projections after our budget development process had already begun in February, resulting in the need to reprioritize goals, objectives, and priorities, and therefore the need for deeper expenditure reductions. City Manager Ingram acknowledged the Executive Team members that were present on the Zoom call which are also noted in the roll call section above. Per the City Manager's directive, the executive team was charged with presenting departmental budgets that preserve and maintain the excellent level of service that the Seal Beach community has become accustomed to, especially over the past few years, and also maintains and preserves staffing levels to provide those services. And not only did staff respond specifically and professionally to that directive, but they went even further. Each department head worked diligently to ensure that their respective departments had sufficient resources to serve the community at the highest level and yet worked selflessly with their colleagues on the executive team to make even deeper expenditure reductions and considerations for the overall health and sustainability of the City in order to present a balanced budget for next year, without the use of reserves, during a worldwide public health crisis. She thanked and commended the executive team and their support staff for working endless hours, collaboratively and cooperatively, during this unprecedented time. All while managing the 24-7 impacts of a worldwide public health crisis. City Manager Ingram thanked the Council for their commitment of time, energy, guidance, leadership, and especially their unwavering support and patience over the past several weeks. On behalf of the executive team, she thanked Council for all they have done throughout this process to support staff during this very challenging time. Additionally, she thanked and commended the Finance Budget Team: Director of Finance/City Treasurer Telford, Finance Manager Hoang, and Accountant Li for their guidance through this unprecedented budget development process. City Manager Ingram then turned the budget presentation over to Director of Finance/City Treasurer Telford. BUDGET WORKSHOP Director of Finance/City Treasurer Telford provided the 2020-2021 Fiscal Year Budget and Capital Improvement Budget PowerPoint presentation. Director of Finance/City Treasurer Telford introduced the item by summarizing the following: Overview & Goals; General Fund Summary FY 2020/2021 Draft Budget, Capital Improvement Draft Budget, budget process, revenue projections, Council goals, financial and budget policies, FY 2020-2021 budget challenges, budget balancing approach, FY 2020-2021 General Fund revenues, FY 2020-2021 General Fund appropriations by category, FY 2020-2021 General Fund balancing measures, Measure BB uses, FY 2020-2021 fund balance General Fund, supplemental items, proposed CIP projects by funding source, proposed CIP projects - General Fund, proposed CIP projects — other funds, 5 -year CIP Program, and final takeaways. Director of Finance/City Treasurer Telford thanked Finance Manager Hoang, Accountant Li, and the Executive Management Team for all their help with compiling the budget. City Manager Ingram thanked staff and expressed how fortunate we are to have presented the Council with a balanced FY 2020-2021 budget without the use of reserves especially during this unprecedented time which has undoubtedly been no small accomplishment. She noted that this budget preserves the level of service that the community has become accustomed and maintains staffing levels to preserve those services to the community. The budget also accounts for the Councils goals, objectives, and priorities in the current Strategic Plan. Council Members asked questions, offered comments, discussed and received clarification about the changes during the presentation, and thanked staff for their hard work in putting the budget together. ADJOURNMENT Mayor Sustarsic adjourned the meeting at 7:55 p.m. to Monday, June 8, 2020 at 5:30 pm to meet in closed session if deemed necessary. Approved: I Schelly Sustarsic, Mayor Attested: r /Gloria—b.' rper, ity Clerk Gloria D.j arper, City Clerk City of Seal Beach