Concurrent Budget Townhall and Special City Council Meeting April 10, 2021

0:12:25Welcome to the current community town hall budget

0:12:28meeting of the city council.

0:12:31Can we hear from our city clerk please.

0:12:34You may.

0:12:35Good morning everyone thank you for joining us.

0:12:38The structure I'm meeting today will include opening remarks

0:12:41Simonetta brief comments from council members joining us

0:12:44today from by an overview of the city's financial position

0:12:48from the city manager following this brief presentation.

0:12:51We will open up the dialogue with the public to hear

0:12:53questions comments and feedback There are three

0:12:56ways to participate today.

0:12:58Attendees on the same call may use one hand icon to raise

0:13:02their hand and request to speak attendees

0:13:05on the call can also make questions or feedback

0:13:07using q Cuban a feature.

0:13:09If you see your question has already been asked

0:13:11You can also use the icon to write the post

0:13:14and push it up the list for response.

0:13:17For those who are viewing the livestream

0:13:18on the city's website submissions can be sent via

0:13:21email to city clerk at C I have e l dash so retell that C ay

0:13:28that U S and again as a reminder two days at town hall is not

0:13:33the typical format of a cancelled meeting notice was

0:13:36published for Joint Special Meeting as a quorum of Council

0:13:39members may likely attend to me participate in the discussion

0:13:43mayor without one hand and get back to you to provide

0:13:45your opening remarks.

0:13:46Thank you and good morning everyone

0:13:48at El Serino welcome to the public forum town hall event

0:13:52held by the city of Dallas Trevino and thanks

0:13:54to those who are participating as we all

0:13:57know else those facing serious financial issues

0:14:00created over time which threaten the way we live in this town.

0:14:05The path ahead will be difficult for all of us

0:14:08and issues involving covet 19 only complicate

0:14:11the matter this town hall is the beginning of a process

0:14:15over the next few weeks to encourage

0:14:17public comments questions budget priorities about else

0:14:21read those finances.

0:14:23We appreciate your feedback about how we should move

0:14:25forward to get financially solvent

0:14:28and we have for council members here present to hear from you.

0:14:31We're here to basically listen to get your feedback.

0:14:35We're not here to take public positions at this time

0:14:38as we're restricted by the ground

0:14:39at the recent state audit concluded that El

0:14:43Cerrito is a high risk city.

0:14:46The auditor made several corrective recommends mentions

0:14:49that the city agrees with so in addition

0:14:52to the actions that we've already taken

0:14:55and any difficult options directions that may come

0:14:58from these public events responding to the audit

0:15:02recommendations which were part of what

0:15:03we must do for this city to get back on track.

0:15:08We have much to be thankful for and El Serino and I

0:15:11believe the hurdles we discussed today won't ultimately

0:15:14get in the way of a bright future

0:15:16but we will need all the positive power

0:15:19and patience that we can get from our residents.

0:15:22So thank you again very much.

0:15:24I open this up now to any council member that might want

0:15:27to comment and if they could use the raise your hand function

0:15:31we can hear from them and then get on to our city presentation

0:15:35input from the public.

0:15:36Thank you and council redneck on the.

0:15:42You would like to provide some comments

0:15:43but it does look like she may have lost her feet

0:15:46and dropped off.

0:15:48Paul i'm not see so perhaps we give her a moment to get back

0:15:54on and we and then there she is again hearing council

0:16:08member Rodney yes I'm here.

0:16:11Thank you Mr. Mayor I'm here to listen to the community

0:16:15thank you to all the participant.

0:16:16I will yield any time that i have

0:16:18to do this to do exactly that.

0:16:21Thank you so much.

0:16:23Are there any other council members present

0:16:25that would like to make comments before we begin cITY

0:16:31CLERK Do you see any.

0:16:32I don't have a listing here on my also a council member

0:16:35came to.

0:16:36Thank you very much Mayor pro Tem.

0:16:38Would you like to make some comments please.

0:16:42Thank you Mayor Del.

0:16:44I'd like to say welcome to all of our residents

0:16:47and also read my neighbors up and down san Pablo Avenue

0:16:53and say that i am grateful to our residents who are very

0:16:59active and participating and you play an important role in what

0:17:04we do in the city So again.

0:17:06Welcome to all our residents who are participate.

0:17:09Thank you.

0:17:11Thank you.

0:17:14And at this time doesn't that when the council

0:17:16members I see on the economy.

0:17:17Thank you city clerk.

0:17:21Any further review of our process.

0:17:24Or do we move to Karen our city manager face good again

0:17:28and then I will provide additional details

0:17:30for the public to participate following.

0:17:32Thank you right.

0:17:36Thank you Your honor and good morning everyone.

0:17:39Welcome.

0:17:40I'm Karen yes I'm the city manager

0:17:43and I do have a present nation and with apologies to the mayor

0:17:48it might be a little bit longer than

0:17:50that he had wanted me to do but it

0:17:53is because there are several questions that i've seen

0:17:55and that I've seen over the past couple of days

0:17:57that I wanted to try to at least address perhaps

0:18:00in the presentation or try to provide some information

0:18:04for people who who there's been a lot of people

0:18:07who have paying paid close attention

0:18:09and some people who are new.

0:18:10So I do want to go over a bit of a review

0:18:12so if you'll indulge me.

0:18:14Thank you to just one moment i am having just a bit

0:18:30of a technical issue just one moment Here

0:18:43we are Sorry about that All right

0:18:52well again thank you very much.

0:18:54And I'm glad everyone is here oK.

0:19:02Thank you so much.

0:19:03Again this is a bit of it.

0:19:05Like I said a bit of an overview of where our current budget is

0:19:09for this fiscal year for Fiscal Year

0:19:122020 21 which ends on July 1st.

0:19:16I'm sorry on June 30th began on July 1st of last year.

0:19:21The focus this year and in right.

0:19:23This picture shows are our strategic goals and strategies

0:19:28that was adopted way back in 2013

0:19:30and that we continue to use as our roadmap

0:19:33for strategic goals.

0:19:34So the focus of this year certainly has been this fiscal

0:19:39year has certainly goal be to achieve long term financial

0:19:42sustainability and that includes improving our General Fund

0:19:46Reserve creating a fiscal response plan constant

0:19:49monitoring of our financial position and fiscal discipline

0:19:53which is definitely something that we have made a lot

0:19:57of shift toward being much more conscientious about

0:20:02so it's important to remember as well we have focused a lot

0:20:05on the general fund and the general fund as the name

0:20:08implies is the fund that is can be used for anything with

0:20:12respect to any service or program or cost within

0:20:16the city But we do also have about 14 million

0:20:20dollars in special funds

0:20:21that goes to show that all funds our entire city budget

0:20:26is about fifty two million dollars special funds are

0:20:29restricted to those things that they are

0:20:32were created for For example our Integrated Waste Management

0:20:36Fund which is what we buy collecting

0:20:39are in the garbage fields for recycling services

0:20:42solid Waste Services.

0:20:44Those moneys can only be spent on those services.

0:20:47The ballot measure for streets that was passed in two thousand

0:20:51six two thousand eight I'm getting

0:20:53my timing the first second measure a if you will

0:20:57you've been here that long we have a sales tax that can only

0:21:01be spent on streets and street repairs

0:21:03sidewalk repairs potholes things of that nature and anything

0:21:06to do with that.

0:21:07So that is a lot of what the funding for all of our revenues

0:21:11include.

0:21:12And so you can see that taxes do make ups sorry about taxes

0:21:20do make up the majority of that but we

0:21:23do have a lot of other charges for services for example

0:21:26those are the fees that we charge for programs

0:21:29and services intergovernmental revenues a good portion of that

0:21:33is generated from our contract with the Kensington fire

0:21:37district that pays about a third of our cost

0:21:40of our fire department by type.

0:21:44You can see again all funds personnel by all means.

0:21:48And this is true of the general as well

0:21:50is by far the biggest expense.

0:21:54Many of you have heard me say before services equal

0:21:56people people equal services and so to provide those services

0:22:00we pay the people to do them.

0:22:02And so you can see that that is the bulk of all of our.

0:22:05And this is consistent with what's with all cities.

0:22:08This is the bulk of our expenditure

0:22:10shares professional services property services

0:22:13those are things that we use as far as contra

0:22:16any contracting services we have we contract dispatch contract

0:22:21animal services we contract construction manager

0:22:24services things of that nature and this is by department

0:22:29and once again which is consistent with a full service

0:22:32city the majority of the city wide spending

0:22:36is on public safety services please fire

0:22:39and I will include public works in there

0:22:41as well that's fully three quarters of our budget

0:22:44that is spent on health and safety

0:22:46of the community which in many has been

0:22:50the priority that we have been.

0:22:52Every survey that we've conducted

0:22:53and what we've spoken with residents over time

0:22:57when we developed our strategic plan protecting the health

0:23:00safety of our residents has always

0:23:02and the highest priority going into the general fund and this

0:23:08is this is also somewhat detailed This is also hopefully

0:23:11to answer some questions that some members of the public

0:23:15have had as far as what we have done in order to reduce

0:23:18costs and expanding shares.

0:23:21So in February 20 20 similar to what we did this year

0:23:25with a couple of months ago we presented a five year budget

0:23:28projection to the city council and at that time

0:23:32the projected baseline general fund budget was projected

0:23:36revenues of 40 two point seven million dollars

0:23:40and expenditures of forty two point six million dollars

0:23:43This was the budget that we that we were we're

0:23:47planning to go into fiscal year 2020 21.

0:23:52At that time the city council instruct us to cut expenditures

0:23:57by 2 million dollars and then the pandemic

0:24:01began in March 20 20 and we had to react even further

0:24:05we had to be even more aggressive at that

0:24:07point of programs had to stop.

0:24:10We furloughed all of our part time employees

0:24:13and our full time employees as well.

0:24:16We had frozen froze salaries we from services we froze hiring

0:24:22and we deferred maintenance we actually pretty much

0:24:26almost came to a bit of a grinding halt.

0:24:27We were able to continue to provide the essential services

0:24:31but we had to adjust right away and then going forward again

0:24:36was we were developing this budget for this fiscal year

0:24:40we based on the financial position as well

0:24:44as the continuing pandemic.

0:24:47We ended up presenting the city council with expenditure

0:24:49reductions of 4 million dollars in April 2010 and so then

0:24:54in July for the fiscal year we revised the original baseline

0:24:58estimate and what the City Council adopted was a budget

0:25:02of thirty nine point four million dollars in revenues

0:25:04thirty seven thirty eight point seven million in expenses

0:25:08that's an eight percent reduction in revenues and a 9

0:25:10percent reduction in expenditures over the baseline

0:25:13budget the city council amended the budget further in October

0:25:172020 and we presented them with the prepared line item budget

0:25:21document which is online and we developed and included a fiscal

0:25:26response plan that was developed in August

0:25:282020 and conjunction with city

0:25:30council the fiscal response plan includes

0:25:33structural ongoing reductions and savings

0:25:37and I will go over that in just a moment and then

0:25:41just a couple months ago in February 20 20 1

0:25:44the city council discussed mid-year budget adjustments

0:25:47and further amended the budget in response

0:25:49to those trends and ongoing challenges.

0:25:51So the budget was further reduced to 38 million dollars

0:25:55in revenues and thirty seven point

0:25:57four million dollars in expenses So this is a chart that

0:26:03shows the original adopted budget

0:26:05but this goes to show again as the general fund

0:26:09very similar to the chart that was before where we showed

0:26:13revenues and how they are brought out in how they are

0:26:15broken out within the general fund again the majority

0:26:18being says property taxes sales taxes and the real property

0:26:22transfer tax expenditures.

0:26:26Once again the majority 76 percent of the general fund

0:26:30is spent on personnel and the professional and property

0:26:35services are about 12 percent of the budget and the personnel

0:26:40costs as we've shared in the past.

0:26:42Those those a lot of those costs are somewhat fixed.

0:26:47As far as health benefits retirement benefits and even

0:26:51salaries that are negotiated with our bargaining units

0:26:55and so those costs are those those costs

0:26:59are the ones that we can that we that are that are there that we

0:27:04that we must fulfill and implement because

0:27:09of the contractual obligations as well as all of the benefits

0:27:13that that are our employees expect

0:27:17and B through those contractual obligations.

0:27:20So the rest of the sum of the pie there is really what we

0:27:25have the most discretion over which is not a huge amount

0:27:30and then by department This is the general expenses

0:27:34by department and you one thing to point out as you can see

0:27:37for example public works is only four point three percent

0:27:40of the budget where in the previous slide with all they

0:27:45are they are a much greater percentage orphans budget

0:27:49because they take advantage of a lot special funds to be able

0:27:52to perform work so the next couple of slides again slides

0:28:00that have been presented to the city council

0:28:02before but this is some more detail about

0:28:04the budget reductions that

0:28:05were actually done within the adopted budget

0:28:10so this was the first round of reductions that was presented

0:28:13on April 20 20 that that did not include layoffs or or furloughs

0:28:20or anything like that up to that point this was pre pandemic.

0:28:24This deductions that this by department

0:28:26that each department was able to cut out of their budget

0:28:30for this fiscal year.

0:28:32A lot of that was things like keeping vacant positions vacant

0:28:36not hiring filling those positions which would create

0:28:39a savings were that for this year

0:28:42we cut back on consulting services we cut back

0:28:45on replacement and vehicle maintenance costs

0:28:50we transferred money to special funds where we could

0:28:53including the newly adopted Measure H

0:28:57and of course travel and training.

0:28:59As we've seen now with the pandemic travel

0:29:02didn't happen any way but we had already reduced expenses

0:29:05in the budget so that was about one point

0:29:07six million dollars each employee group also stepped up

0:29:12to the plate and once again I want

0:29:14to thank all of the bargaining units who have sacrificed.

0:29:18There are various various across the board every single employee

0:29:25let me rephrase it.

0:29:26No employee.

0:29:28This year got a raise and that is again, that was agreed

0:29:33to in all of our contracts.

0:29:35They were they we were obligated to pay them.

0:29:38But the bargaining units agreed to defer them, which again was

0:29:42resulting in a great amount of savings non full time

0:29:46public safety workers both SEIU and managers have

0:29:50also been subject to furloughs.

0:29:52Those are unpaid work days throughout the

0:29:57throughout this fiscal year.

0:29:58Management in confidential group in particular

0:30:01has an unpaid work day.

0:30:04Every single pay period for the full fiscal year.

0:30:08In addition management confidential.

0:30:10We suspended and eliminated the auto allowances

0:30:15and increased contribution to pensions and myself.

0:30:22I took a 3% salary reduction as well.

0:30:25So that was about $2.5 million of the four million savings.

0:30:31And then the adopted budget fiscal response plan.

0:30:33This is what was developed in conjunction

0:30:35with the City Council and our consultant Management Partners.

0:30:40These are ongoing structural savings because the majority

0:30:44of this is made up of eliminating

0:30:46positions and layoffs these all took effect of January 1

0:30:50of this year.

0:30:51In addition we have also had some retired

0:30:54and some resignations currently this fiscal response

0:30:57plan called for layoffs of five full time employees

0:31:02since then, we have also through additional layoffs

0:31:07resignations and retirements We are now I

0:31:10believe up to 15 full time vacancies

0:31:13that the city is now carrying.

0:31:15But in this for this the fiscal response plan was in

0:31:21implemented within the budget This

0:31:23is ongoing structural savings of $5 million

0:31:29so the state auditor report.

0:31:30I know that a lot of community members

0:31:33have had questions and concerns about this in 2019.

0:31:36We were notified by the state auditor

0:31:38that we were being assessed under a sort of a new program

0:31:43local high risk program.

0:31:45I think they have audited a few cities in the past,

0:31:49but now they have developed a program where I believe they're

0:31:51going to more regularly assess and audit

0:31:55cities under this program in February 2020.

0:31:59The Joint Legislative audit committee

0:32:00approved the audit this took place

0:32:02from October to March 20 21.

0:32:05It was conducted virtually for obvious reasons.

0:32:09The city was provided with a draft audit report

0:32:12in early March and we were given five

0:32:14days to respond to the audit.

0:32:17We did respond in the appropriate time frame,

0:32:19the full report was published and released

0:32:21on March 16th following the issuance of the report.

0:32:24We are required to prepare a corrective action plan that

0:32:28addresses the five high risk areas that were identified

0:32:31and then provide proper supports every six months.

0:32:34And so the corrective action plan

0:32:36will be taken to for the city council's review

0:32:40on at their next meeting on April 20

0:32:42and I'll go over the high risk areas.

0:32:46And this is a summary.

0:32:48And we will go definitely into more detail.

0:32:52Certainly with the council and I believe financially

0:32:54the advisory board it also was is slated

0:32:57to talk about this as well.

0:32:58But this is sort of an overview of the areas and in the Actions

0:33:02that we are taking and have taken to address them.

0:33:05And we'll continue to take to address them.

0:33:07So the first high risk area is continual diminishing

0:33:10of financial reserves through overspending Our action is

0:33:15we've already started to implement this We will continue

0:33:17to improve on this is to monitor our revenues reduce

0:33:21our expenditures and prioritize increasing general reserves.

0:33:25That's a huge concern that we had depleted our reserves.

0:33:29And as we are seeing instead of financial emergency

0:33:33we kind of don't have a savings account

0:33:36and so we need to make sure we address that.

0:33:38And we are working to address that.

0:33:41The second high risk area is ineffective budget developed

0:33:44and monitoring practices.

0:33:46Our corrective action which we have actually already begun to

0:33:49do implementing stricter budget policies

0:33:52and increasing the focus on departmental budgets.

0:33:55Currently our financial policies require the city

0:33:58to budget per fund and we assessed spending authority

0:34:03by fund the state or suggest that we need to focus more

0:34:07clearly and more and more more in as more stricter

0:34:11manner on department budgets.

0:34:13And so we are working to improve that

0:34:15and we will be addressing that in this next budget

0:34:19year, their third high risk areas

0:34:22the lack of formal financial recovery plan.

0:34:24And that is something we are keen to develop.

0:34:28We will be working again with management partners

0:34:30to build on the foundation, we built with the fiscal response

0:34:35plan and include budget priorities areas and a roadmap

0:34:39to financial sustainability.

0:34:40So we will be working with them on that.

0:34:42And the Council of course on the fourth risk area

0:34:46is insufficient reductions in ongoing cost our action

0:34:49that we've begun and we'll continue to monitor personnel

0:34:52expenditures work with the employee bargaining unit

0:34:55and to ensure not only appropriate compensation

0:34:58within the resources we have.

0:35:00But to be able to continue to recruit

0:35:03and retain staff to be able to provide services.

0:35:06And then the last risk area is missed opportunities

0:35:09to increase revenue.

0:35:11Corrective action will be to review all opportunity

0:35:13to increase cost recovery.

0:35:15This may this is going to begin but considering

0:35:20that many of our programs and services

0:35:21have been greatly impacted by the pandemic.

0:35:24This might as far as a full cost recovery

0:35:28and being able to analyze what the programs and services are

0:35:32doing will probably take place once the pandemic is subsides

0:35:39the American Rescue Plan Act certainly

0:35:41was good news for all cities in the United States.

0:35:44This was signed by President Biden on March 11

0:35:46this is the first time in history

0:35:47that direct funding from the federal government

0:35:50would go to the city's $130 billion.

0:35:53The current funding calculation for Elsa

0:35:56Rito or point $8 million this is based on population.

0:36:00And it will be distributed over a two year period.

0:36:04So we will receive half this year and half.

0:36:06Next year There are regulations that

0:36:10are being determined right now.

0:36:11And firmed up by the u.S. Treasury.

0:36:13We do know that funds can be used to offset reductions

0:36:16in revenues due to the pandemic So this would be good news

0:36:19for us as we have certainly had decreases in revenues since

0:36:24the pandemic funds cannot be used

0:36:27to offset a tax decrease and cannot be used for pensions.

0:36:31We will have to provide funding reports

0:36:33and certifications to the US Treasury

0:36:36and use the funds by December 31.

0:36:38Funds will be distributed to the states within 60 days

0:36:42and states must then distribute to the cities within 30 days.

0:36:45So we do expect it by the end of this fiscal year.

0:36:50So because we know that this we will be receiving funding

0:36:54over two years when we presented the projections

0:36:58to the city council in March.

0:37:00One of the things that we discussed with the City Council

0:37:03staff is best with the City Council is

0:37:06look seeking to prioritize bringing the general fund

0:37:09reserves to at least the minimum 10% level and certainly

0:37:12beyond in the ensuing years.

0:37:14But in order to certainly put us in a much

0:37:18better financial position to approve our bond rating.

0:37:22And to be able to get to fiscal how we need to at least get

0:37:27to the minimum level and so City Council indeed directed staff

0:37:30to prioritize bringing the general fund reserves

0:37:33to that minimum 10% level.

0:37:34And that minimum level is within our

0:37:36comprehensive financial policy.

0:37:38Our recommended reserves eventually we

0:37:41are seeking to achieve is at least 17%

0:37:44and/or higher in the out years.

0:37:48But this does mean that further reductions will need

0:37:50to be reviewed and considered by the City Council

0:37:52as the mayor referred to earlier.

0:37:54So the City Council will review compensation for management

0:37:58and confidential staff, all of our employees

0:38:00are subject to negotiations but again, the management

0:38:04confidential staff is the only group that is unrepresented

0:38:07and that the city council is able to impose

0:38:09anything to do with compensation that's about 26 people.

0:38:14So reduction that were previously

0:38:16considered by the city council.

0:38:18This was during the fiscal response plan.

0:38:21This was also considered and discussed with the City Council

0:38:26at the mid-year budget update when the city council asked us

0:38:30to bring back the possibility or scenario for a million dollars

0:38:36in reductions.

0:38:36So there have been various options

0:38:38discussed over the past year that have not been implemented.

0:38:43But this is just a list of what we have discussed

0:38:46with the Council in the past, including outsource services

0:38:49in various departments and that could mean i mean, there are

0:38:53actually contracts cities in California,

0:38:55where there's very few actual employees

0:38:57and all of the services are contracted

0:38:59out That's certainly an extreme from where we are now.

0:39:03But that is something that we could

0:39:05consider as contracting pretty much any service

0:39:08that the city provides.

0:39:10Reducing the city subsidy for library hours.

0:39:13This was discussed last year.

0:39:14We have spoken.

0:39:16I have spoken.

0:39:17Actually more than a few times with the county librarian.

0:39:20The good is that Contra Costa County has decided

0:39:24to increase the number of hours that they

0:39:26providing as a baseline.

0:39:28Currently they provide thirty five hours as baseline

0:39:30for beginning July 1.

0:39:32They're going to provide 40, which is great news.

0:39:36The county we currently pay for 40 six.

0:39:40We pay the difference between thirty five hours

0:39:43and 40 six hours.

0:39:45The else libraries currently open.

0:39:47So what that would mean is if we wanted to maintain

0:39:50the same number of hours we would only need to pay for six

0:39:53extra hours as opposed to eleven and that cost would be

0:39:56about fifty eight thousand dollars The city or I'm sorry,

0:40:00the county is standardizing their schedule.

0:40:02And so there are limited options for the city,

0:40:05but this is something that can still be discussed by the City

0:40:09Council and the decision to continue that subsidy will be

0:40:14considered by the city council and other options

0:40:18include reducing and eliminating some

0:40:20of these recreation programs.

0:40:21State auditor brought up.

0:40:23We could go to completing full cost recovery for recreation

0:40:26services for example, or programs

0:40:29on decreasing fire police department

0:40:31Response and Services.

0:40:32This could look a number of ways this state auditor did suggest

0:40:38looking to look into contracting police and fire services

0:40:43or reducing costs reducing not a lot of what they had suggested

0:40:51had would be subject to negotiation

0:40:53as far as compensation.

0:40:55But reducing any public safety services.

0:40:59Whether it's decreasing the amount of employees

0:41:04we have in those departments or contracting out.

0:41:07Riding out a fire station whatever have these

0:41:10are all various options that the council talked about

0:41:13in the past and could consider.

0:41:15And then decreasing maintenance citywide

0:41:17not being able to the parks may not look as pristine.

0:41:22The the buildings may not be able to be

0:41:25kept as is up to May step up to the standard maintenance.

0:41:29We would like we would have to cut back on that.

0:41:31So anyway, these are all of the various reductions

0:41:34and options that have been previously considered.

0:41:37But were not implemented or had been implemented yet.

0:41:40And obviously all impacts all options would have

0:41:43impacts on service delivery.

0:41:45So the next steps i'm almost done.

0:41:49This is just a listing of what we'll be doing coming up.

0:41:52And I will put the slide back up later as well.

0:41:56But city staff is preparing the budget right

0:41:58now we are sharpening our pencils

0:42:00and we are looking at all funds all departments April 13

0:42:05financial advisory board meeting next week

0:42:07April the city council as I indicated before will

0:42:11review the corrective action plan for the state

0:42:13auditor on May 4th.

0:42:15We have a public hearing for our Master of schedule May 8th.

0:42:19This is to discuss the public.

0:42:21I'm sorry public workshop to discuss

0:42:24the fiscal recovery plan, which I had referenced before.

0:42:27So stay tuned for more details on that may 18th.

0:42:31We will begin departmental budget presentations

0:42:34and add meetings as necessary.

0:42:36But this is where the city council will hear directly

0:42:39from the department's and then in June June 1st

0:42:43and 15th are to the city council meetings.

0:42:46But we will use additional meetings

0:42:49as necessary for those budget hearings.

0:42:51The budget needs to be adopted prior June 30.

0:42:54So this presentation as well as all of the previous

0:42:59archives of documents that we provided

0:43:01to the city council information on financial report.

0:43:06The state auditor's report everything is at this Web site

0:43:10LDS 3.0.1k org annual budget process and at this point,

0:43:17I just want I want to conclude just by saying

0:43:21just by kind of wrapping up.

0:43:25I just want to say again, that i know, I agree with the mayor

0:43:31and I understand that dealing with the city's

0:43:34financial condition has been a difficult challenge for all of.

0:43:38And I just want to share that it certainly has been particularly

0:43:41difficult for city staff and as someone who's dedicated my life

0:43:46and career to this city.

0:43:48It's been a special difficult for me

0:43:50and i understand the concern that's

0:43:53been expressed by the community over the past 18 months.

0:43:56We've done a lot of work, but we still have a lot of work

0:44:00to do to alleviate all of your concerns I

0:44:04this financial crisis on top of the pandemic

0:44:07has created a lot of uncertainty and fear.

0:44:10And I'm really sorry for that.

0:44:12I want to acknowledge that uncertainty.

0:44:14And we need to do better.

0:44:16This is a matter of trust.

0:44:18I know we have to work to build back our credibility It's

0:44:22my hope that today we can provide information

0:44:25to the community to show that we've been working

0:44:27hard for the past 18 months.

0:44:29We want to move the city in the right direction.

0:44:32And we are We've taken aggressive action.

0:44:34And we're ready to continue to do that.

0:44:36All of us the city council's city staff

0:44:38and all of you who live and work here.

0:44:41I think we all agree that we want the city to be

0:44:44fiscally sustainable and healthy and that it's

0:44:47my absolute priority.

0:44:48And I am determined to do just that it's not been easy.

0:44:53And it will still take more time and effort so I appreciate

0:44:56your patience, your understanding and the hope

0:44:59that that we are making progress and moving forward.

0:45:04We're moving in that positive direction.

0:45:06But most importantly the city council, all of us

0:45:10the city staff.

0:45:11We care very deeply about this community

0:45:13We want everything to work.

0:45:15And we are committed to getting our finances

0:45:17to a healthy and stable place because we

0:45:20want to provide the quality of life and the services

0:45:23that all of you expect and with that Your Honor That concludes

0:45:28my presentation thank you.

0:45:34Thank you city manager.

0:45:35Here we have an update on the process moving

0:45:38forward from our city clerk me mayor

0:45:40and since we began the call.

0:45:42Council member Marty has joined this.

0:45:44Would you like to take a brief moment

0:45:46to give it a chance to give some quick it's absolutely.

0:45:49Council remotely AMA thank you for joining

0:45:56and some member my field data.

0:45:58Thank you.

0:45:59Thank you for giving me a moment to make some remarks.

0:46:04I had some technical difficulties

0:46:05getting into the meeting.

0:46:07So I apologize, but I am very glad that we're

0:46:10having this workshop.

0:46:12I really look forward to the questions

0:46:14that the public has and I'm hopeful that we can have

0:46:17a common understanding of our budget

0:46:19so as we move forward to the process,

0:46:21we can best gather the prior bodies of the community

0:46:25and make really good decisions.

0:46:27So thank you for everyone's time.

0:46:30Thank you council member for the Clark in.

0:46:37I apologize having some technical difficulties is

0:46:40my second computer just turned off, which

0:46:42had all of the information so I can get by said so that we can

0:46:48share some information so I will start at least verbally

0:46:50providing that information and we're making it back online.

0:46:53People as we ensure that as well.

0:46:56So just to review the process the public participation today

0:46:59those of you that are on the call was asked,

0:47:02can use the res hand icon to request to speak if you are

0:47:06into them only you can dial star 9

0:47:09or you can use the Q&A feature to submit

0:47:12your questions or comments.

0:47:14As with council meetings to adjust security concerns

0:47:16images and videos remain disabled for 10 days today.

0:47:20And we may has other staff that help respond.

0:47:23If we do we'll pull them up so that they can

0:47:27be heard and participate in the response to comments

0:47:30sasol attempts to address the questions.

0:47:32But we cannot guarantee that time will permit however

0:47:34all the submission information will

0:47:36be provided to city management.

0:47:38The city council and will be posted on the city's Web site

0:47:41with supplemental materials.

0:47:42Next week.

0:47:43We do request that comments and questions be limited to three

0:47:46minutes or less to be respectful everyone's time

0:47:49and allow everyone an opportunity to be heard

0:47:52and staff will try to prioritize those

0:47:54who have not yet had an opportunity to speak with each.

0:47:57Now would be the time to raise your hand

0:47:59if you would like to speak.

0:48:00We do have a few hands and we have

0:48:02several open questions now.

0:48:04Q and A thread.

0:48:06So we will alternate between the two.

0:48:08So we'll start by taking a couple of hands.

0:48:12So our first request to speak today

0:48:14is I read I i read you are unmuted

0:48:17and can begin your dialogue.

0:48:18Now.

0:48:21Greatly pork by the state auditor,

0:48:23I appreciate the work with the two council members tessa

0:48:27Rudnick and Lisa Modiano special thanks

0:48:29to Tessa rudnick for promoting the town

0:48:32hall on her social media pages.

0:48:34It has been eight seventy two days

0:48:36since the independent auditor gave

0:48:39its first going concern report.

0:48:41Since then management has put no meaningful proposals

0:48:44on the table.

0:48:45Claims of large cuts seem to be based on a fantasy proposal

0:48:50and not actual audited expenditures

0:48:53That November 2000 meeting day was also

0:48:55the day that new management.

0:48:57But we did a and was also around the time the property transfer

0:49:01tax passed and brought in millions of dollars per year

0:49:05in New revenues while the new administration claimed the June

0:49:082019 approved in the endpoint audit are rolling

0:49:13and the going concern was going conditions got worse

0:49:15as the council voted raises for senior management at the second

0:49:20June 2009.

0:49:22Even though the city was broke then council member Fidelis

0:49:25effusive in his praise about even though the city was close

0:49:29had close to no reserves the big issue was the pension liability

0:49:33that we need to clear explanation of the debt

0:49:36and potential solutions.

0:49:37On a web page the management has been unable provided.

0:49:41So spreadsheets and did not keep its promise of a debt web page.

0:49:45We also need a detailed explanation

0:49:47the budget overrides which I think is a Kit Kat.

0:49:50It was a guy's catastrophe.

0:49:53How many of these savings that we heard about were

0:49:56shifted to future years.

0:49:58We need better communication from the managers.

0:50:01Although there is a great deal of attempt

0:50:03to shift blame management has not demonstrated

0:50:06the ability to sell problems.

0:50:08So I recommended council form a committee of citizen visors

0:50:12along with the two new council members Lisa and Tessa.

0:50:15I also support significant cuts in compensation

0:50:18to senior managers and that clear performance criteria

0:50:22established for senior management compensation

0:50:25and retention and that to compensate a fire battalion

0:50:28Chiefs and fire captains be reduced to more

0:50:31appropriate market levels.

0:50:33So in summary i support a citizen community a dedicated

0:50:36web page detailed Excel spreadsheets

0:50:39reduce compensation to nearly.

0:50:42And better communication between city leadership who never

0:50:45returns emails and the overburdened taxpayers

0:50:48and an explanation of the budget overrides.

0:50:51The key thing that we're hearing about

0:50:53is the shift from your budget to one year budget

0:50:56that raises few and less.

0:50:59So we need to be concerned about that future raises have

0:51:02been negotiated by current management.

0:51:04That's the big problem.

0:51:06Thank you for your comments Ryan First

0:51:12killing a discussion of a twenty management positions.

0:51:16I note that some position enjoyed

0:51:19major increases over the last three to four years.

0:51:21Why karen you were on mute either.

0:51:34I am here.

0:51:35Sorry about that.

0:51:37So.

0:51:43Okay.

0:51:43Sorry.

0:51:44I'm to actually read the questions as well.

0:51:47So on.

0:51:48So that the management positions on the discretion

0:51:53is because those are unrepresented positions

0:51:56on the previous years.

0:52:01The managers would be subject to cost of living increases just

0:52:07as the same as all of the bargaining units,

0:52:10and managers in particular do have the ability

0:52:14to receive merit increases or they have in the past

0:52:17had the ability to receive merit increases.

0:52:20If their performance warranted it.

0:52:23I over.

0:52:26Let's let's see.

0:52:28Previous to my tenure as city manager all of the Department

0:52:32directors report to the city manager and the previous city

0:52:36manager reviewed the Department directors

0:52:40and issued merit increases as approaches.

0:52:43He felt appropriate since I have become city manager

0:52:48No department directors have received any merit increases,

0:52:52nor have they received a cost of living adjustment at

0:52:55has not happened.

0:52:57During my tenure as city manager.

0:53:00So This is in response to the fact

0:53:03that we are in this financial condition

0:53:06and that we have the ability to impose on this one

0:53:12particular group and particularly the department

0:53:14directors and so they're all their salaries had been frozen

0:53:18and will continue to do so.

0:53:20And in fact, they've also been subject to furloughs

0:53:23as I referenced earlier, which has resulted in a 10% pay

0:53:31cut or all of the management group

0:53:34since the beginning of the fiscal year next.

0:53:43So to speak, is Michael Fisher Michael alkene and unmute

0:53:47yourself provide comments now.

0:53:50Thank you may or members of the Council.

0:53:57As the city designated library Commissioner

0:54:00I'm speaking today for our library.

0:54:03It's my duty to obsess about library issues,

0:54:07including such things as libraries hours.

0:54:10I'm the only person in the city higher Key

0:54:13who is so charged Of course, I'm not speaking

0:54:18for either the city council or city staff

0:54:22I don't envy the council and staff, their task of fixing

0:54:25the budget My charge though, is our library

0:54:30the choice for the library budget

0:54:33is clear except win Win offered that the County Library

0:54:38administration has provided that it is cut the city funded

0:54:42library hours from 11:00 to 6:00 the maximum allowed

0:54:47due to the size of our library this saves almost 50%

0:54:52on this budget item going forward this action is

0:54:57the only equitable choice an issue that

0:55:00must be one of our core values.

0:55:03The council's choice as noted, is either funds

0:55:07six additional hours or not.

0:55:11The city should not turn its back

0:55:13on our most Navy who require the library for such basic means

0:55:18as Internet access We can now find a total of 56

0:55:24combined county and city hours for roughly half

0:55:28the cost in the current budget.

0:55:32Keeping the library open for those additional six hours

0:55:36is not a luxury the library is most needed by the most

0:55:41vulnerable among us We must not fix our financial problems

0:55:47on their backs We know that i'm sure that when people need

0:55:57our library to help free cover from the pandemic

0:56:01and the economic downturn when the city increased library

0:56:06hours by about 43% internet usage on the libraries

0:56:11public access computers increased over a.

0:56:16No one can deny the existence the digital divide

0:56:20here in El Serino.

0:56:23We know how much worse the pandemic and economic downturn

0:56:27has affected our most vulnerable this 60 thousand

0:56:32budget line it could not be better spent

0:56:36thank you you will get to my next request to speak,

0:56:43which is Dan schulman Dan, you can

0:56:46you should be able to meet him provide comments now.

0:56:52OK.

0:56:53Thank you Let's see I had two things.

0:56:57One was the state auditor's report

0:57:00the high risk area number for the reduced the ongoing costs.

0:57:07It had a lot of recommend read them all obviously,

0:57:10it had a lot of recommendation about some of our departments,

0:57:15such as police and fire and I just wanted

0:57:19to speak in support of them.

0:57:21I liked the recommendations because they didn't

0:57:23involve closing a station.

0:57:24So I thought that was great.

0:57:26I did notice that in the city's response

0:57:29it said there was a lot of partial agreement

0:57:31or in some cases, not an agreement.

0:57:33And I guess i'm just urging the council.

0:57:35I don't know if you were part of the partial agreement.

0:57:38But i hope that you'll be able to advocate

0:57:42to take a close look at all these things

0:57:45i read some of them involve bargaining units,

0:57:47and so some of that might have to happen in closed sessions

0:57:49and what not.

0:57:51But I just hope that you push for that because I think it's

0:57:55you know this is from the state auditor

0:57:58seem like good solid recommendations

0:58:00One question I had is about mutual aid

0:58:03and the fire department with mutual aid.

0:58:06So responding to calls in Richmond and Albany

0:58:09and Berkeley first is those cities

0:58:11responding to calls no Serino.

0:58:14Do we have any information are we do we respond

0:58:18to other cities issue calls more than they respond to ours

0:58:21trying to figure out if we Sarita

0:58:23or subsidizing fire protection for neighboring jurisdictions.

0:58:26Do we know that Is there a way to measure that

0:58:30and if we do know that.

0:58:32And we are subsidize fire protection

0:58:33for neighboring cities.

0:58:34Is there anything we can do about Thanks

0:58:38I believe cheap begonias on the call

0:58:43and we came up answer that question only thank you.

0:58:48Chief i say there's just a little bit of a delay

0:58:53but he's coming okay okay.

0:59:14Myelin now I think I'm having some technical difficulties

0:59:18here also.

0:59:19We can hear for A So the question

0:59:23was i guess in a nutshell are we providing help

0:59:27to other departments more than they are providing to us as

0:59:32far as Well I'll back up a little bit there are

0:59:36some public opinions out there that we are responding mainly

0:59:40into Richman a lot more than what they

0:59:43are responding into elsa radio.

0:59:47The reason that if you take just Elsa Reno's data,

0:59:54it will appear that we do go into out.

0:59:58We do go into Richman a little bit more.

1:00:00The main thing to understand is that we are regional

1:00:05as far as our response is concerned the fire

1:00:07department is regional.

1:00:09We don't have borders wheat.

1:00:12I mean, obviously, we are independent department's

1:00:14but the most important thing in a fire service, whether it's

1:00:18Richmond US Kensington or the county

1:00:21is that the closest resources go to an emergency

1:00:26and so our dispatch centers know exactly where apparatus are

1:00:31through basically what is G.P.S. or what's called a vehicle

1:00:37automatic vehicle locators they know

1:00:40exactly where resources are.

1:00:42And so the closest people go as everybody lives in Elsa rito

1:00:45is aware right across the street from our main station

1:00:48is Richmond.

1:00:49So obviously, we do go into there.

1:00:53We go over there for medicals.

1:00:56What is what is missed and in the reports that are put out

1:01:02that we go in to Richmond more than what Richmond comes

1:01:06in to us is the fact that our data are our report

1:01:11our reporting system.

1:01:13They National Fire incident reporting system

1:01:17all that we track and all that we're able to track actually,

1:01:20because that's the data we carry is the responses

1:01:24that Elsa radio actually goes to if Elsa sorry if Richmond comes

1:01:28into a call with us, such as on fires we track

1:01:33their units you have to understand that the northern

1:01:36part sir radio,

1:01:38which is closer to station 66 and richmond station

1:01:4566 goes into rich it comes El Serino a lot

1:01:49because they are closer than the main station or station 70

1:01:53to the other fact that we do not track or are not able to track

1:01:59is that the station right across the freeway on Bayview station

1:02:0360 for comes into el Serino when are when we are on another call

1:02:09or out of service for whatever reason training on it.

1:02:14Well obviously on another call or maybe going to a hospital

1:02:17to pick up people anytime and 64 comes into Elsa

1:02:21radio that is there call.

1:02:24We do not know that does not come into our system.

1:02:27We are not tracking that you know in El Cerrito there.

1:02:32I mean.

1:02:33So those are calls that unless the people that are saying we

1:02:37go into Richmond more than come at us

1:02:40unless they're going to richmond and getting

1:02:43Richmond's information.

1:02:45You know that's basically something that

1:02:48SKUs that no the most important thing in my mind

1:02:52is that the responses that we do is that we are

1:02:58basically providing service as fast as possible

1:03:01when people need it.

1:03:03Our response times are we are under the Nash or not

1:03:09the national average, they require comment

1:03:11or the recommended six minute response times,

1:03:15we are providing that.

1:03:17And then, of course, the other important thing

1:03:20is that when we do have fires whether it be a vegetation fire

1:03:24or a structure fire is that we are three stations strong

1:03:30But we need additional personnel.

1:03:32And so whether that's coming from whether that is coming out

1:03:36of Richmond whether that's coming

1:03:37out of Albany or Berkeley you know they are coming.

1:03:42You know the main thing is they are coming to our course I can

1:03:46tell you without having to look data just being able to listen

1:03:50day in and day out to calls and knowing and also knowing

1:03:54the number of medicals that are out there that if we were

1:03:58to track One for one trade you know

1:04:01how many times do I go see you.

1:04:03How many times do you come back.

1:04:05It's gonna be pretty much an equal number.

1:04:09You know that's you know that it is a difficult thing

1:04:13because the fact that richmond is

1:04:16on a different dispatch system than what Eldorado

1:04:20and most of the county is on.

1:04:22They have their own dispatch it's not I wouldn't say

1:04:26it's hard information to get.

1:04:29But it's entailed to go and pull their data

1:04:32and try to sort through it.

1:04:35But the main thing is that we know you know basically, we

1:04:39don't have buildings burning down

1:04:41and we don't have people dying on the streets

1:04:44because lack of getting help to the people

1:04:48and in the end, that's the most important thing

1:04:51is that when you down 911 for fire or a medical emergency

1:04:56is that we are there for it.

1:05:00And so I know that Richmond has richmond

1:05:04has had negotiations with the county dealing in san Pablo

1:05:08because they felt they were going into Sam

1:05:11and a number of years ago that they were going intense

1:05:14and to Sam Pablo more than what engine 70 which is a county

1:05:19engine was coming into Richmond is they did go to negotiations

1:05:23and they do trade back and forth.

1:05:26You know in the end or when they do a reconciliation

1:05:30you know they pay one or the other.

1:05:33You know depending who went to an agreement more

1:05:35than the other.

1:05:37They have not come to us to say that we think we're

1:05:42going into you way too much.

1:05:44I do not feel that we are going into Richmond more than then

1:05:48where we should be going into Richmond, which is, again, you

1:05:54across if we go across the street to Midas Muffler

1:05:57from from the fire station that Richmond.

1:06:02So bottom line is probably a long story

1:06:07to say that we as two different engine two different agencies.

1:06:12We are we are comfortable that we are not

1:06:16that they are not subsidize us.

1:06:18And we are not subsidizing them.

1:06:21Thank kitschy job nerd Schrage gave us a near begin speaking.

1:06:31OK Thanks so so I've already auditor's report

1:06:36and I really do agree with most of their suggestions.

1:06:42And I do.

1:06:45One of the other speakers mentioned

1:06:47is also the response isn't really clear to me

1:06:51what the city agrees and disagree with I particularly

1:06:57agree with the comments about the need

1:07:02to do compensation studies on wages for management

1:07:06and particularly in public safety departments

1:07:10and I'm wondering if in doing that we might look

1:07:14at whether staffing is actually appropriate

1:07:18considering the types of crime that we have in our city.

1:07:23I know that some folks like to say that we

1:07:28one of the highest crime rates.

1:07:30But you have to actually look at the fact

1:07:34that most of the called non-emergency nature most

1:07:38of the type of crime is not violent crime but property

1:07:42crime and even violent crime can be considered

1:07:46like hearing gunshots.

1:07:47So given that I wonder whether we do

1:07:51have a strong appropriate staffing when a community

1:07:56service officer might make sixty thousand a year

1:08:00in a sworn police officer starting out one twenty

1:08:04thousand a year.

1:08:05We have one CSI one right now thirty five.

1:08:10I don't know how many authorized but actually working

1:08:1335 sworn police officers.

1:08:15I think looking at those sort of efficiencies

1:08:18and wondering whether the stadium manager and the police

1:08:21chief will be looking at these kinds of efficiencies

1:08:24because it was talked about even a few years ago

1:08:28but I don't it looked like that happened.

1:08:32And I notice the auditor didn't consider the plan

1:08:36that the chief had put forward to be

1:08:38an adequate plan for structural changes

1:08:41in the future Thank you.

1:08:52I know that the fee sheet also hearing

1:08:54can speak a little bit further to the restructuring

1:08:57but before that when I can share is a classification

1:09:02and compensation study, which actually was one of the things

1:09:06that I've actually been I would be keen to do and have

1:09:12wanted to do for several years.

1:09:15That is a very different study than doing a survey of salaries

1:09:19and compensation in nearby cities

1:09:22to see if we're in the market a classified and compensation

1:09:25study is a very detailed, very deep

1:09:27dive into all of our positions all of our job description.

1:09:31And all of that.

1:09:33And our compensation structure, which

1:09:35would be performed by a third party consultant and does

1:09:39have a high cost to it, which is why we haven't I wanted

1:09:41to do this for quite some time.

1:09:43And we just haven't been able to get the resources together

1:09:46to do it.

1:09:48And certainly right now with resources so scarce

1:09:50that has not been unfortunately, the we haven't

1:09:54have been able to do that.

1:09:57However, I would.

1:09:58I would indeed love to be able to do a very deep dive.

1:10:03But however what that does not include

1:10:05is, for example, checking different positions

1:10:08against comparison cities to make sure that our salaries are

1:10:13within range.

1:10:14And we actually one of the things

1:10:17that I tried to work with the state auditor on they

1:10:21looked at salary in only a few cities.

1:10:25So that surround us whereas what we do

1:10:27is we will look total compensation

1:10:30in a set of cities that is agreed

1:10:32upon by the bargaining units.

1:10:35And we again total compensation that's

1:10:37important because it's not just about salary

1:10:39it's about benefits.

1:10:39It's about pension it's about special

1:10:42pays it's about everything and everything

1:10:44that an employee will cost the city is what we're

1:10:48trying to compare against.

1:10:49And every city is different.

1:10:51So we try to get to an apples to apples comparison

1:10:54as much as possible.

1:10:55And so we do do that.

1:10:58And we have not done again comprehensive studies

1:11:00but we have done that, in fact, last year,

1:11:03we presented information to the city Council

1:11:05on the management staff.

1:11:07We did a check the management staff.

1:11:10So I am definitely interested in doing a compensation study

1:11:13a full on compensation classification

1:11:16study it's just a matter of resources.

1:11:19And another thing that is setting back.

1:11:22Unfortunately is that our human resources manager position

1:11:25is vacant our human resources manager left a couple months

1:11:27ago so Alex although I guess who is

1:11:30our assistant city manager is now taking on that job as well.

1:11:34And so we are down to a major position human resources.

1:11:38So someone to oversee such a comprehensive study

1:11:41is something that we need to, we'll probably

1:11:45not able to do it right away until we're

1:11:47able to somehow backfill human resources in some way

1:11:50to be able oversee that.

1:11:51So i don't know if Chief Keith is here

1:11:54wanted to talk a bit about the restructuring

1:11:58that he's discussed with the city council.

1:12:04Becoming a and there are several.

1:12:08I have just sort of scrolling through some questions looking

1:12:11at staffing levels and things that were brought

1:12:15up in the state auditor report.

1:12:17So hopefully the chief can that some light on that as well.

1:12:23Good morning Keith.

1:12:24The chief of police announced.

1:12:27So to address the questions plan when we came up with a way

1:12:32to change the structure of the police department,

1:12:35we had three primary goals.

1:12:36The first goal, which is arguably one of the most

1:12:39important particulate conversation

1:12:41today was to save the city money.

1:12:44Our second goal was to preserve operations

1:12:46so that we can allow for the safe patrolling of rito.

1:12:49And for us that keeping officer ranks starve on the ground out

1:12:55in patrol and our third goal was to still stay

1:12:58efficient as an organization.

1:13:00So most of our cuts were really directed

1:13:03at managed supervisory staff to allow our officers

1:13:06remain on the street.

1:13:08So we did achieve the savings that we had planned to achieve

1:13:13and the savings that the city council asked us to achieve.

1:13:16And we will continue to do that on an ongoing basis.

1:13:20Luckily for us.

1:13:21We did have at the same time, some key retirements

1:13:24to allow us to achieve savings without layoffs

1:13:26and I would say that that during the current budget

1:13:30process through the current fiscal year.

1:13:32And in fact ever since October of 2019

1:13:35the police department has been looking at ways that we can

1:13:39create savings for the city.

1:13:41So that the city can work its way out of the fiscal crisis

1:13:45in fact, in 2019 at the police department in October 2018

1:13:49we figured out there was a serious crisis.

1:13:52The city managed to save about a half

1:13:54million dollars just in that year alone

1:13:57by not filling budgeted positions keeping them vacant

1:14:00instead so we'll continue look at staffing and options

1:14:05along with all city departments to determine if we can achieve

1:14:08additional savings because the retirement

1:14:10that we had this last fiscal year,

1:14:13we could achieve our targeted savings without doing

1:14:15layoffs or forced demotion.

1:14:16So all the retirements allowed us to do

1:14:19was to save the money that we wanted

1:14:21to save to achieve the restructuring to achieve

1:14:24without having to layoff staff.

1:14:26So just as an example, in its current fiscal year

1:14:30we're budgeted to have thirty seven positions due to staff

1:14:34leaving due to retirements and also resigning to go work

1:14:36for different police departments We actually

1:14:39have thirty five police officers currently

1:14:41and we're evaluating what our hiring

1:14:44strategy might be to fill spots in the coming year.

1:14:46So a lot of the conversations we have in April and May

1:14:51and June are really going to dictate our hiring strategy

1:14:53may or may not look like in the next fiscal.

1:14:57So when we talk about crime and was Rito and budget

1:15:00and levels and no street.

1:15:02There's I've heard some discussion that a police

1:15:04department budgeted at thirty one

1:15:06point 5% the general fund goes to the police department

1:15:11now in Contra Costa County is actually quite low.

1:15:13And what it means is that the city provides a wide

1:15:15its services to the community in a variety of departments

1:15:21and that it funds the police department proportional along

1:15:24with those other services.

1:15:27And it's we also in the police world can't ignore the fact

1:15:32that property crime although it is not

1:15:34necessarily a violent crime has a significant impact

1:15:37on our community.

1:15:38It impacts them.

1:15:40And in residential burglaries and acts and a car break ins

1:15:43and stolen vehicles and stolen parts vehicles.

1:15:47It impacts them and the cost that they pay for groceries

1:15:50when they go shopping due petty theft to end in the coach cost

1:15:54county enforcing we do is the highest property crime rate

1:15:58as of the last state report in 2019

1:16:02we're also the fourth highest violent crime

1:16:04rate in the county.

1:16:05Behind a couple of neighboring cities Richmond and San Pablo

1:16:09so it's important that we have a deployment that takes

1:16:12into account the level of crime that else

1:16:14sees but also generates savings for the city

1:16:17to help drive the city out of this current financial crisis.

1:16:20So we're going to continue to look for ways that we can cut

1:16:25costs to achieve more savings.

1:16:27I know that for the current fiscal year

1:16:29because our vacancies and because of the fact rPA for

1:16:32went there raises this year, we will end this year once again,

1:16:36significantly under budget just like we did last year so there

1:16:39will be additional savings derived out of the police

1:16:42department that are going to be below what the city actually

1:16:45budgeted for our miniatures you actually

1:16:52are investing in our questions.

1:16:54And actually, there was one additional window that

1:16:57was asking at about whether PD is looking into programs

1:17:01like cahoots which is being used in Oregon

1:17:04that can help reduce over time So this reminds me on that one.

1:17:08So contrast Costa county is currently

1:17:10looking at an alternate response model

1:17:12that sends mental professionals to nonviolent

1:17:15mental health calls.

1:17:16In fact, the West county Chiefs were in a meeting

1:17:19next week to talk with a representative

1:17:22from the Oakland Police parliament

1:17:23to discuss their macro program, which similar styled program

1:17:27Oakland is running this front out of the fire department

1:17:30where they send counselors and therapists to low to low risk

1:17:36mental health calls.

1:17:37I saw the question in the Q and A

1:17:39that this might be a way to reduce over time realistically

1:17:43things like non-criminal respond is

1:17:48non violent mental health response is

1:17:51rarely generate over time.

1:17:53Those are things I would say on the usually

1:17:55on the easier end of resolving at the police officer level.

1:17:59But there may be some call reduction

1:18:05if we can change who we have responded

1:18:08to some of these calls we're certainly looking into it.

1:18:11There's a big program going on with county

1:18:13mental right now where they're identifying pilot cities,

1:18:15they have to step up to do it but there are

1:18:19quite a few options out there.

1:18:20One thing I would throw out there Oakland's macro program

1:18:23several years in the making This is not something that they just

1:18:27decided to work on this year.

1:18:29Now started.

1:18:30This is a program that they have been working on for years

1:18:32to develop and put together this just happens to be the year,

1:18:35they're deploying So we are going to be working

1:18:38with Oakland to see what kinds things they

1:18:40discovered in the process and for something

1:18:42like that together.

1:18:49We'll go next to just equities Trey Stokes Terry should

1:18:52be able to yourself and begin tell Terry

1:18:59either barry go Yeah Hello.

1:19:03Thank you.

1:19:04We can hear you.

1:19:05Please go ahead.

1:19:06Thanks.

1:19:07I would just like to know I am the first of all,

1:19:11I understand all the need to cut budgets.

1:19:14And so forth, particularly depend on it.

1:19:16And we were going but I'd like to know what kind of I'd

1:19:21like to know who knows about the mess in the building department

1:19:25at City Hall.

1:19:27I'll make a real brief statement about an application

1:19:33that I put in on the twenty third of December

1:19:35or mid February kept checking to see what the status

1:19:39of my application was.

1:19:41And finally, I've heard back from somebody who said

1:19:44that they had lost the plans.

1:19:46And I need to resubmit plans and Spence give some money

1:19:50to them, which I did.

1:19:51And then I've been trying to reach somebody

1:19:54to say what's going on.

1:19:56And finally, I heard that they wanted

1:19:58me to pay an additional fee and the building

1:20:01permit had been approved.

1:20:03I asked How do I get it there.

1:20:05I have to my actually able to go down physically permanent

1:20:08or is it mailed to me.

1:20:10How do I get they keep saying what the site says

1:20:14is communicate with us by phone or by email.

1:20:16I don't forget any responses by email to anything

1:20:19that I ask about this permit I've got a number on it.

1:20:22I've got it.

1:20:23I know that it's got a designation

1:20:25and i've been told it's been approved when I go to Call

1:20:29mailbox is full every time I go to Call I've gone down the city

1:20:33hall and pounded on the door to try to talk to somebody all I

1:20:36can find is a janitor a custodial person I broke

1:20:39my hip on the 1 of the year.

1:20:41And I'm having trouble.

1:20:43This project I'm trying to work on

1:20:45is working on the construction remodeling the front door porch

1:20:48entry, which will help me a great deal is I'm having

1:20:52difficulty negotiating stairs that lead up to our door front

1:20:57door and I can't get any response

1:21:00from anybody I'd say if I understand you cut personnel.

1:21:04And so but nobody's home there, and I'm pretty exasperate now.

1:21:08And I'm I don't know what to do because I haven't received

1:21:12the permit even though I've been told it's been approved can

1:21:14summit, there's anybody not on the city council

1:21:17or any of the managers know what's

1:21:20happening in the building department

1:21:22like you Stokes I just want to first and foremost apologize

1:21:28that this has happened.

1:21:30We have definitely had a lot of difficulties in our building

1:21:34division in particular over this past year

1:21:37i don't want to sound like I'm making excuses because there

1:21:40are none we have really been very far behind

1:21:43in our building division.

1:21:45And we have been working as we've been

1:21:48working to fix a lot of issues.

1:21:51It started with our building official

1:21:53retiring unexpectedly last year, we have had performance issues

1:21:57with some of our staff the pandemic forced to close

1:22:01and there had had the construction

1:22:04at one point was completely halted and then restarted

1:22:07and just a series of issues that have really put us

1:22:12behind in addition to an update of the software that trying

1:22:16to do so that we could do more online services,

1:22:19which we have had a lot of trouble with.

1:22:21So it's almost been a perfect storm.

1:22:23And you are not the only complaint

1:22:25I've heard I've heard many complaints

1:22:27and all I can say is I apologize as our community

1:22:30development director is on the line and has your name.

1:22:35We will research everything.

1:22:36And she will call you and i just want to make sure that you know

1:22:43we understand that there has a serious issue with our building

1:22:47division, we have now secured a building official

1:22:51we are working on increasing the level of service

1:22:55and making sure that things like voicemails emails are answered.

1:22:59We are also looking as we are getting ready to discuss

1:23:03reopening city Hall so that we can try to do

1:23:06some more over the counter.

1:23:07That's that's a lot of what we've heard those permits.

1:23:10So I'm very sorry we are working on that.

1:23:13And I will make sure that the community development director

1:23:16in the building official getting contact with you you will go

1:23:26to a next Q and A. So there is a question about not responding

1:23:32to questions about expenditure isn't it important that we

1:23:35actually monitor and understand why expenditure should not

1:23:38reduce And then the next one is there not

1:23:46a requirement to provide information in Spanish as well.

1:23:49Please take a look at stakeholder

1:23:51taking stakeholders into account and communicating

1:23:53with the public.

1:23:56And then raise the base line a hypothetical budget rather than

1:24:02an actual then the actual expenditure and revenue

1:24:05from the prior year while the expenditures revenue questions

1:24:13we I can sort of put those together what we do what we are

1:24:18looking at budgeting is that we look back on the trends

1:24:22that we have seen and what we are looking what revenues

1:24:25expenditures have happened.

1:24:27We take into account contracts that require for example,

1:24:32for employees any cost of living increases

1:24:34or our outside contracts for things like dispatch or animal

1:24:37services.

1:24:38That is what the baseline we start with is everything

1:24:42kind of fully loaded as far as if everything went forward

1:24:46with all of our contracts and all of the revenues

1:24:49we expect on the trends that's what we start with.

1:24:51And that's what we did last year and from there that is where we

1:24:55decided we needed to reduce from what

1:24:58the budget was supposed to be to what the budget actually is.

1:25:02And we do that by projecting and we work with consultants

1:25:07for particularly with respect to our revenues

1:25:09for all of our sales and property taxes.

1:25:11And we work with the department's to.

1:25:14And we look at all of the and we look at everything

1:25:17to see exactly what the plan and expenditures are going to be.

1:25:21So there's not there's not a lot of wiggle room there.

1:25:24There's not a lot of discretion.

1:25:26So what we had to do is that we have had to reduce

1:25:29expenditures, we have had to go to the bargaining units,

1:25:33we have had to implement furloughs.

1:25:35We have had to do some of those things

1:25:37with respect to the employees as well as some of the contract

1:25:40where that we do this, you know for consulting

1:25:43or for construction whatever that we have had to reduce

1:25:48and so it is not necessarily hypothetic call it other

1:25:52than it's what's projected based on the data for revenues

1:25:56and expenditures and from there, we

1:25:58need to make those reductions.

1:26:00So that is how we did this last year

1:26:02and how we are doing it this year as far as looking at where

1:26:06we're supposed to land and how we can

1:26:08reduce from what that means.

1:26:11And with the pandemic that has been incredibly difficult

1:26:15because for example, you know we have had to continue

1:26:19to provide services.

1:26:20But we've received a lot less revenues for things

1:26:23like recreation programs is one of the examples

1:26:26because we have been restricted into what we're able to offer

1:26:30and how we're able to offer and so not only of the revenues

1:26:34reduced.

1:26:34But also the expenditure is related to this reduced we.

1:26:37That's why we have come back to the council we've continued

1:26:40to present the councils amended the budget twice since it was

1:26:44passed in order to be responsive we've had to be

1:26:48a lot more flexible and nimble when it comes to monitoring

1:26:52revenues and expenditure is this year, more than any other,

1:26:56and we have continued to do that.

1:26:58And we've continued to just obsess over making sure

1:27:02that we're meeting our expenditure goals

1:27:04and reducing expenditures wherever we can.

1:27:10Let's go to the next to speak, which

1:27:13is indeed Rishi seen India should be able to provide

1:27:16your comments now.

1:27:18Hello, everyone.

1:27:19So I think I'm going to preface everything I say with First

1:27:24of all, I come from a family.

1:27:27My my dad was an immigrant that barely spoke English

1:27:29but he was an ardent conservative voted for Reagan

1:27:33as red as you can get even though he was an immigrant

1:27:36but super fiscally responsible that my brother is a CPA MBA.

1:27:40I have a really deep background and that's based on.

1:27:43I'm also really, really interested

1:27:45in how we innovate and create ideas solve problems.

1:27:47In fact, it just Passover.

1:27:49I spent some time in a Jewish brands over Passover in India,

1:27:52we celebrate Holy and there is Jesus, the celebration easter

1:27:56and once again, all these things teaching us this story

1:27:59up like, hey, you know what.

1:28:01Sometimes you rebirth and in the spring,

1:28:03there's times for things a blossom new idea, a new things

1:28:06to come from the muck and we have

1:28:08a saying in Punjabi which is called kala

1:28:11which means eternal optimism.

1:28:13Do things with the eternal optimism.

1:28:14Does it mean that you don't take things seriously

1:28:16or that they're not really important stuff going on.

1:28:19But let's approach it optimistically.

1:28:20So With that being said, I want to advocate for everybody

1:28:23who's on this call.

1:28:25Please register and check out democracy club DTM

1:28:28o democracy see with the S e.

1:28:31What we're doing is we're creating

1:28:33a way to during these meetings.

1:28:35For citizens to connect with each other

1:28:37and also to share research and share ideas.

1:28:39So that we can present these reports to the city staff

1:28:42and city council members because a lot times

1:28:44we can't wait for them to decide on creating

1:28:47a citizen assembly like what we're doing

1:28:49is creating citizen assembly.

1:28:50First you know and showing that it works on.

1:28:52Because if we wait for them to do it.

1:28:54It's kind heart.

1:28:54There's like a cognitive dissonance in a lot of ways,

1:28:56right.

1:28:57You don't have people that want to acknowledge they're wrong

1:28:59or they have to change.

1:29:00And we're naturally conservative.

1:29:01So we don't want to look at new ideas.

1:29:03But that being said, that's all done I hosted something

1:29:06a couple of weeks ago.

1:29:08We actually had a few, but he was there Princess Robin

1:29:11and somebody who is in Richmond she's actually

1:29:13a person of color on was sharing how

1:29:15resilient her community has been by leaning into cooperatives.

1:29:18I'm going to say again, we could call it do operatives we

1:29:21don't have to call it polite.

1:29:23If you have issues, thinking it's socialist it's OK,

1:29:25call it whatever you want to call it.

1:29:26But we have PG&E in our city.

1:29:28OK, we have.

1:29:30We have Internet companies in our city.

1:29:32All of these companies are using city municipality.

1:29:35I mean, there's this cities across the country that have

1:29:37done this in North Carolina.

1:29:39There's there's a city that literally made all the Internet

1:29:41all city owned and all the revenue

1:29:43was coming back to the city instead

1:29:45of going to AT&T or whatever.

1:29:47So I really want to advocate let's have more conversations

1:29:50about what we can do and look at the opportunities

1:29:52because this is also a great opportunity for us

1:29:55to create more local businesses local cooperatives

1:29:57locally owned local resident Cooperative Housing

1:30:01and support.

1:30:02Maybe the people who are there's like three

1:30:044 families in a house.

1:30:06Let's figure out a way really help people

1:30:08right now Foster to bring the money

1:30:10back into the city like this.

1:30:12Create a circular economy within here.

1:30:14And stop giving subsidies of big companies

1:30:16like literally putting us at risk.

1:30:18All right.

1:30:18Thank you guys.

1:30:19Good citizen assembly.

1:30:23Thank you.

1:30:23Next year crystal AND HOLLY I JUST.

1:30:27Holly just can I interrupt you for a minute.

1:30:28There are quite a few people who want to speak.

1:30:30And I know that we have been trying

1:30:32to answer questions as we go.

1:30:33But I want to make sure that all of these people

1:30:36that have requested to speak have the opportunity to speak.

1:30:38So I'm going to I'm gonna try to make some notes if there are

1:30:42indeed questions or if there's a set of questions

1:30:44that we can answer.

1:30:45But I want to make sure that we're able to hear

1:30:47from all of these faults.

1:30:48So we can make sure to go through all the people who've

1:30:51requested to speak first absolutely

1:30:53with the next request clown.

1:30:55So you should be able to I'm you know thank you so much.

1:31:00And I appreciate this meeting and the opportunity to come

1:31:03and Karen's asked to hear from everyone.

1:31:06I appreciate that.

1:31:07Like so many el Rita residents I'm very

1:31:10concerned our budget crisis.

1:31:12And I thought that the audit was a great document

1:31:14and helpful to review and in particular, I

1:31:17wanted to call out a couple of things that were rising

1:31:20for me that I would love for the council and everyone

1:31:23to think about.

1:31:24So the audit says that because nearly Two thirds

1:31:27of our budgeted fiscal year 2010 2020 to 2021 general fund

1:31:31spending for police and fire departments El Sarita

1:31:34will need to pursue decreases in the expenditures

1:31:36of these departments if it is to make significant reductions

1:31:40in spending and then later that audit says that as of November

1:31:442012 the police department had 40 seven employees

1:31:46representing 8% of our staff, including

1:31:49thirty nine sworn officers.

1:31:51I know that that's now thirty five

1:31:54but overall, the audit seems to indicate that we're pretty

1:31:58overs that we could be very overstaffed

1:32:01and that's supported by what they cite from the Contra Costa

1:32:04County's civil grand jury report that we have one point

1:32:08seventy seven officers per thousand

1:32:10residents versus a ratio of 1 point four 8

1:32:13for the state as a whole.

1:32:15And one 0.09 4 overall for costa County and you

1:32:18know as I'm hearing comments.

1:32:20It feels like we're taking very passive action when we're

1:32:24thinking about how to right size our police department relying

1:32:26on things like attrition deferred

1:32:28raises unfilled positions and I appreciate Chief

1:32:31Keef being on the call and outlining what

1:32:33the Department done so far.

1:32:35But I'm hearing that these cuts what was outlined

1:32:38but if that's true, it feels like whatever was outlined

1:32:41isn't working.

1:32:41You know we know that we have to take further action.

1:32:45We've heard that we need to make changes.

1:32:47And I guess as a RESIDENT I'm a little frustrated that we don't

1:32:51seem to be looking at alternative solutions

1:32:54to better fit the needs of our community.

1:32:57I'm wondering why so many CPD staff are sworn officers when

1:33:01such a small percentage of the calls that they respond to

1:33:04are violent crime.

1:33:05You know why can't we look at rebalancing towards yes,

1:33:09those social workers or other alternative solutions

1:33:12to really better fit the types of calls

1:33:14that our police are responding to.

1:33:17And I guess In closing it's just very

1:33:19clear that we're in a budget crisis,

1:33:22you have to do something.

1:33:23We can't continue to do what we're doing.

1:33:26And so it feels like past approaches

1:33:29don't feel like may be enough.

1:33:31And so I just wanted to echo some of what's

1:33:34been said in the comments and just

1:33:35to kind of ask to take the opportunity for this

1:33:38to be an opportunity to make lasting

1:33:42meaningful and systemic change that's

1:33:43not only better for our budget.

1:33:46But also better for our community.

1:33:48And so as we consider maybe this is an opportunity.

1:33:52In addition to a huge, huge challenge so thank you.

1:33:57Thank you for your comments.

1:33:59Next to speak, is Denise stirred.

1:34:02Denise you should be able to unseat now.

1:34:08Thank you very much and thank you

1:34:10to Mayor and city leadership for hosting this meeting.

1:34:15I'm frustrated listening to people talking

1:34:17about public safety Our problem is

1:34:19not public safety in the city.

1:34:21The problem is that the management and our prior city

1:34:25council members have just basically

1:34:26kept their eye off the ball.

1:34:29And not been proactive about aligning

1:34:32our budget with our tax base.

1:34:35This is a purely self-inflicted problem that we've had.

1:34:38It didn't start two years go.

1:34:39It started more than a decade go under Scott handouts

1:34:43deceptive city management leadership,

1:34:45the pandemic may have accelerated problems.

1:34:48But it's not really an accurate picture

1:34:51of what's going on in the city.

1:34:53What we're seeing right now are no big moves

1:34:55that have been made to do other than do anything other

1:34:59than to maintain the status quo of how the city has

1:35:02operated in the past.

1:35:03Without reality the financial situation

1:35:07fundamental problem that we have isn't UN diversified tax base.

1:35:11There are many comparable there are a few comparable cities

1:35:13that have the kind of tax base that we

1:35:15have in the state of California and

1:35:17any comparisons that have been made today have inaccurate.

1:35:21Fading public resources for the pool is one of our neighbors

1:35:24has talked at the library that one of our neighbors

1:35:27talked about cutting cool hours or field servicing.

1:35:30These are just not acceptable.

1:35:32We are the highest tax city one of the highest

1:35:34tax cities in the state, as well as the United States.

1:35:38We should be able to rely on these services.

1:35:40If you've overspill on employee compensation and pensions

1:35:45you've got right sized that and get it under control.

1:35:47But what we offer people we have to be able to pay our city

1:35:51management refuses to listen to residents

1:35:54who pay their salaries and they think they know best.

1:35:58And I find it irresponsible that this situation

1:36:01has been allowed to go on.

1:36:03Clearly, we need new leadership in this city

1:36:06and new financial guidance.

1:36:07I call on the city manager calling the city mayor

1:36:10and the City Council to be aggressive

1:36:13and consider removing the city manager as

1:36:15well as the financial director.

1:36:17This is unacceptable what's going on

1:36:19and the arrogance of the leadership in this city

1:36:21needs to come to an end.

1:36:23Thank you for your comments.

1:36:26Next request to speak, is an Ezra ran as well.

1:36:31You should be able to mute and provide your comments now.

1:36:34Hi there.

1:36:36My name is Raya Ewing.

1:36:38I'm here with my spouse as Roy Miller with

1:36:41been residents of Eldorado for a little over two years now.

1:36:45And there's a lot that we love about the city there's also

1:36:48a lot that I have been fairly shocked by in terms of how

1:36:55the city management has run and also the city's

1:36:57attitude towards services.

1:37:00I've lived in small cities for most of my life.

1:37:04Small small towns in Wisconsin and in western Kentucky these

1:37:09are areas without strong tax base or big budgets

1:37:14or and also with pretty significant problems

1:37:19associated with declining shifting

1:37:22economies and addiction etc.

1:37:28so the idea that now that I'm living here and seeing

1:37:33this fantastic past taxpayers seeing

1:37:37the wonderful residents here.

1:37:39I mean values that this community espouses

1:37:42it's been a bit shocking to see the way these things have

1:37:48played out in terms of how the city is managed

1:37:51what gets communicated or not communicated

1:37:54to the city council.

1:37:56I've been fairly stunned looking at what the information

1:37:59city Council is given and expect to make informed decisions

1:38:03about.

1:38:04I've also been pretty stunned that in terms our

1:38:09elected representation in city government that is primarily

1:38:14the city council and get that the people who

1:38:18are most accountable to taxpayers years

1:38:21are given such insufficient information.

1:38:25It is very distressing i found it

1:38:29very refreshing to read the state auditor's

1:38:31report about the city.

1:38:32I agree with the majority of the recommendation

1:38:36and I would also like to urge the city to think carefully.

1:38:41You mentioned wanting to look out for the health and safety

1:38:45of city residents health and safety

1:38:48for city residents does not mean more police on the ground

1:38:52or keeping the same number of police or like that.

1:38:55It's that such an incomplete picture.

1:38:58You know earlier library services were

1:39:00brought up and how essential.

1:39:03Those are internet is an essential service in order

1:39:06to get a job to apply for help.

1:39:09Without those things.

1:39:10And I know this from my experiences living

1:39:12in a variety of communities you see people desperate

1:39:15and need help.

1:39:16And the fact of the matter is that even the most

1:39:19well-funded police department with one officer on every block

1:39:22wouldn't be able to address problems in the same library.

1:39:27So consider what is most financially efficient

1:39:30and societally response fund a library.

1:39:33Help your citizens get and stay on track

1:39:36and Yes, thank you nice.

1:39:40Well done.

1:39:41You did great thank you.

1:39:42See you comments Our next request to speak,

1:39:45is in couture.

1:39:47Do you come and you should be able to new providers comment.

1:39:51Now.

1:39:52Great.

1:39:52Thank you.

1:39:53Can you hear me.

1:39:55We can.

1:39:56Thank you.

1:39:56Thanks so much.

1:39:57I've raised my family here.

1:39:59No street over the last 15 years,

1:40:01I've been proud to be an el Cerrito resident for this

1:40:05long I live in The Inner Circle neighborhood.

1:40:07I support a balanced financial approach.

1:40:10But at the same time maintaining the well-being

1:40:14of our community and justice for all members of our community.

1:40:22I did I did make the comment that I don't know why Spanish

1:40:25translate is not available either

1:40:27one for the written materials 2 for the Web site

1:40:30or 3 for these meetings.

1:40:33I'm a fluent Spanish speaker myself.

1:40:35And I can completely change into Spanish,

1:40:37but I think it's I'm also project manager

1:40:41and my professional life.

1:40:43So what are the things you do as you take

1:40:46all of your stakeholders account when you're getting

1:40:48ready to deal with a project.

1:40:50And I feel the city is not taking

1:40:53all of the stakeholders that are in our community

1:40:58into considering action.

1:40:59So that's a personal thing for me

1:41:02that i would like to see more available in our community.

1:41:07I would like to know Mayor FDLE what you will personally

1:41:11do to correct this issue that we have

1:41:14right now with the financial situation in our city.

1:41:17We need personal accountability in order

1:41:20to change what has been our financial Scituate I'm

1:41:26seeing shuttered businesses.

1:41:28I'm seeing apartment buildings that have gone like crazy.

1:41:31And they're empty.

1:41:33Those are revenues dreams.

1:41:35Why are we not putting more in those areas.

1:41:39Sure pandemic blah, blah.

1:41:41But we have lots of opportunity to generate more revenue.

1:41:45Planning department has been a major Wall during the pandemic.

1:41:49Thank you Manager pinkos for just addressing

1:41:52what has been the issue there.

1:41:54But I personally through my employer

1:41:56saw huge lack of response over months

1:41:59of trying to get commercial permits and as a subcontractor

1:42:03on the apartment buildings on pump San Pablo Avenue i work

1:42:08in renewable energy.

1:42:09So the fact that Rita talks the talk of where

1:42:13to a healthy climate we want to do what's

1:42:16best for a sustainable future.

1:42:18And then you take six months to get

1:42:20a commercial solar permit on your formal housing building.

1:42:23That's a disgrace.

1:42:26However I do would like to see that our fire

1:42:29budget is maintained because we do have major issues.

1:42:33Now with wildfires although we're not a high threat

1:42:38area here in Rosarito.

1:42:39The fire budget.

1:42:40I think is extremely important to maintain for the residents

1:42:44and for the community and the police budget.

1:42:47I believe be brought further down so please do not cut

1:42:52our services in our community.

1:42:55At the expense of keeping over bloated police department.

1:42:58Thank you for your comments.

1:43:08My next request to speak is Rebecca Stanton Rebecca,

1:43:11you should be able to I you and provided comments.

1:43:15Thanks for the opportunity to comment.

1:43:17I'm Rebecca sudden and my family and I have lived

1:43:20in our Cerritos since 2010.

1:43:23And as a concerned City resident I'm

1:43:25definite challenging the city to reduce the size of its police

1:43:29force think it's unacceptable for police services

1:43:32to account for such a large share of our budget

1:43:35and you guys have all read this that's mentioned in the state's

1:43:39audit report about el Serino having one point seventy seven

1:43:42officers four thousand residents compared to four 8

1:43:45for the state or one point O nine for Contra

1:43:48Costa County as a whole.

1:43:50And while public safety definitely

1:43:52necessary important police services are not the end all,

1:43:56be all for that public safety and we should consider

1:44:00fulfilling some of these public safety goals

1:44:03by utilizing some of the services

1:44:05offered by Contra Costa County to serve the city's needs.

1:44:08I just want to give you an example.

1:44:11I've got a neighbor on my block and she's

1:44:13been the subject of multiple welfare checks over the years

1:44:16and luckily nothing's wrong.

1:44:18It's just that sometimes she's not staying at her house

1:44:20and can be hard to get hold of.

1:44:22But each of these welfare checks has involved two

1:44:25to four police officers, which seems to be excessive use

1:44:29of police resources.

1:44:30Welfare checks like these could potentially

1:44:32be performed by county social worker

1:44:34instead of multiple police.

1:44:36And that would allow if my neighbor

1:44:39were actually a vulnerable person in need of help.

1:44:42Then she could receive the social and welfare services

1:44:44more directly and not necessarily

1:44:47interact with police personnel.

1:44:51Alfredo must really examine current city

1:44:53services could be performed by or in conjunction

1:44:56with the county.

1:44:58We support the county with our taxes.

1:45:01And we could potentially operate more efficiently

1:45:05and reduce our city budget allocated to law enforcement.

1:45:09And I do want to directly address police Chief Keith

1:45:14comment about avoid layoffs.

1:45:17Layoffs are really tough.

1:45:19I want to just note that I work at a nonprofit Science

1:45:22Institute and last spring, we did have to go through layoffs

1:45:26because of the Pan.

1:45:27And it was really difficult action,

1:45:30but it was essential to maintain our financial health

1:45:33and to keep our institute functioning.

1:45:36And so on.

1:45:37Fortunately our city because of this financial crisis

1:45:40must now take a similar tough action

1:45:43and reduce the size of the police force

1:45:45to per capita levels that are more in line with the rest

1:45:48our county.

1:45:49Thank you Thank you for your comments.

1:45:53And next request to speak, is RJ I j.

1:45:57Can meet and begin your comments now.

1:46:03I gave you their ideas not responding Rasmussen will try

1:46:11and come circle back to them.

1:46:13We'll go to our next person, which is Ruby McDonnell Ruby.

1:46:16You should be able to I knew and provide comments now.

1:46:21Thank you.

1:46:24I'm going to introduce the B word that is bankruptcy.

1:46:29I know most people will think that this is really extreme

1:46:32to consider bankruptcy Dorado but maybe

1:46:36it's time to inject a little more transparency reality.

1:46:45You know whatever takes to make what most

1:46:50people are saying is needed.

1:46:52That is signify changes in the way our finances are handled

1:46:58and I really appreciate all the work

1:47:01that our city manager has done.

1:47:04Our city council has done.

1:47:06But clearly, we're falling short here.

1:47:10And so although bankruptcy I've looked it up on the web yes

1:47:16it's really undesirable in terms adding another layer of costs

1:47:21to implement new nevertheless.

1:47:25You know it is our situation such that we should really

1:47:32contemplate the possibility that even

1:47:36this awful alternative is preferable to what

1:47:40we are doing now.

1:47:43Cause money is not elastic.

1:47:47We have hard choices to make for the residents

1:47:51and future residents.

1:47:55So I would really like to know the answer to that.

1:47:59If city manager Pincus or Mayor FDLE

1:48:03were, like you say either This is ridiculous to consider

1:48:07bankruptcy or we could be going in that direction, at least

1:48:12we need to be an honest and front.

1:48:17So Thanks very much for allowing me to speak

1:48:20for all of your efforts, which I know are considering Thank you.

1:48:31Next request to speak, is Miguel Gonzalez.

1:48:34Miguel you should be able to even begin your time now.

1:48:39Hi.

1:48:39Can you hear me.

1:48:41Yes, we can.

1:48:42OK.

1:48:43So thank you very much for your time.

1:48:46So there are some clear needs that are being presented

1:48:49by the citizens call, such as increasing funding for services

1:48:52in our community decreasing management salaries

1:48:54and cutting the police budget.

1:48:56To for this.

1:48:57I'm calling on the city council as soon as possible to form

1:49:02a citizen oversight work to work in conjunction with the council

1:49:06and the city management to number one,

1:49:09assess the services provided by the police department

1:49:11to identify opportunities to reduce staffing levels.

1:49:15Negotiate with its police union to increase overtime threshold

1:49:18from sworn officers to eighty six hours over 14 days

1:49:22from 80 hours over 14 days and use the savings

1:49:26in positions identified for being able to be replaced

1:49:31with other services to fund mental health services

1:49:34and therapy and social work.

1:49:36Number two to come up with a fair way to cut

1:49:38inflated manage your salaries and fund

1:49:40a public housing cooperative, which was mentioned earlier.

1:49:43And rent controlled apartments as well.

1:49:45And lastly, to generate more revenue

1:49:47with higher property taxes on corporations conducting

1:49:49business in our city.

1:49:51So as to incentivize local businesses

1:49:53to replace corporate chains as well

1:49:55as fund more public services.

1:49:57As envisioned by members of our communities.

1:50:00Thank you very much for the time in giving comments.

1:50:04Next because the speakers an eagerness Ogonowski and new,

1:50:08you should be able to provide comments now.

1:50:12All right.

1:50:13Thank you very much.

1:50:16I am making a plea for it not being penny wise and pound

1:50:21foolish and this piggybacks onto the call

1:50:24about the building department.

1:50:27I have left you Sanford in reno for 22 years rent or same day.

1:50:33And in that time have had to a partner

1:50:36in inspections in 20 two years.

1:50:40They were billed as having take to take place every other year.

1:50:44I know that property owners are charged fee for this.

1:50:48So I would think it would pretty much the program

1:50:50would pay for itself.

1:50:52So to me it sounds like there's a revenue stream first.

1:51:00There's money to provide a service that is

1:51:03not being taken advantage of.

1:51:05And I think there are other instances of that.

1:51:08You know the faith and properties

1:51:09who is going after the owners to clean them up.

1:51:13They become hotbeds for dumping trash and litter.

1:51:19Nothing is done about that.

1:51:21And I to reiterate other points.

1:51:26Health and safety is more than just police services

1:51:33and services like the library and just the general for lack

1:51:38a better word, the general atmosphere of the community.

1:51:42I think is become a little depressing because of lack

1:51:49of maintenance so those would be my only comments

1:51:53and mainly take advantage of what can be done for services.

1:51:58You're supposed to be provided and that

1:52:00would pay for themselves.

1:52:02Thank you.

1:52:04Thank you for your feedback.

1:52:07I'm going to try again.

1:52:08I say I have unmediated you Colombian then

1:52:13you may have noticed yes we can hear you.

1:52:15Please feel free to proceed.

1:52:17So on.

1:52:18I want to speak on two different things.

1:52:21And one of those is the fact it's my man.

1:52:26To be honest, it's always has been increasing rapidly,

1:52:30and they were increasing Dirienzo Well reserves rose

1:52:33their funds were already negative

1:52:35and they kept increasing and there wasn't there

1:52:37was a whole time there and that concerns

1:52:39me that our city continue to grow more and more in debt.

1:52:43All of them go pebble Avenue and its side streets

1:52:46are businesses that are shuttering

1:52:48or have been vacant for years.

1:52:50Simultaneously we are seeing our unhealthy populations and folks

1:52:53living their cars increasing the salaries,

1:52:55the city management police and fire increased exponentially

1:52:59while our debt increases our bond rating continue to fall

1:53:02to nearly junk bond levels and we continue to have a negative

1:53:06with our funds for emergency.

1:53:07We have nothing for emergencies.

1:53:09So if our city is going to go into debt.

1:53:12Why not for something Why why should we.

1:53:15Why should we have to keep going into debt

1:53:17to pay for inflated salaries.

1:53:20Which can help people lets their businesses.

1:53:23I mean surviving a real I've never

1:53:26seen so many simply shuttered buildings

1:53:28in a small city in this taxpayer gets absolutely absurd.

1:53:31The other thing I want to talk about something I also

1:53:34recently posted on Nextdoor and it

1:53:36is my experience with policing and also in an album

1:53:38I listen to all else.

1:53:40We all be in Richmond and it's what

1:53:43I have more than 20 interact with me

1:53:45and my less than 7 years of living here and more than 20.

1:53:49And it is because I'm constantly being stopped by.

1:53:52You talk about health and safety.

1:53:54I just I lately just enjoy loss in our city.

1:53:58And I cannot enjoy my city without being cost stopped

1:54:02by Coots and I am not the only one who was I've talked

1:54:06to several of the people multiple interviews with lots

1:54:08of other people who have more people specifically

1:54:11who have these interactions.

1:54:12And that's unhealthy.

1:54:14Can you imagine someone just wanting to take a walk

1:54:18and being stopped by two different police cars.

1:54:20Do you not understand that that is not good for my health.

1:54:24My stress level has brought up both.

1:54:27I get lots of anxiety as I flee from areas that

1:54:29are too because I'm worried.

1:54:30I was going to call the cops.

1:54:32And on top of that, I think really needs

1:54:34to be spoken about a 72 the calls that are made

1:54:37are false alarms.

1:54:39Police are responding to 70% of the time false alarms Now what

1:54:44we talk about poverty that the police are not

1:54:46going to solve the problem of property theft

1:54:48is not going to happen.

1:54:50So that's.

1:54:51So we need to just how do we address those that people have.

1:54:54Is there a lack we don't have a food bank.

1:54:56And I think customer walking to pizza or other stores

1:54:59and just steal things because we don't even have a basic food

1:55:01pantry in our city.

1:55:02And you can compare and you can link that with the library.

1:55:05Anyway I would like to say that I think the restaurant

1:55:08and the city manager both need to resign

1:55:12and I mean This is just this is just

1:55:16insane thank you for your comments and an extra cost

1:55:22to speakers.

1:55:23And s and you should be able to I'm

1:55:25you now provide your comment.

1:55:29Hello.

1:55:31I want to thank everybody who has been involved in this.

1:55:37It's it's wonderful to have an opportunity to just start

1:55:44getting community feedback.

1:55:47It seems to me as some speakers like, well an IRA

1:55:52and I know I mentioned this in the last city council meeting

1:55:58have suggested some level citizen to committee

1:56:03or award or some special.

1:56:06We call it what we.

1:56:09Well I could see this being considered

1:56:11along the lines of what happened after Watergate or 9/11.

1:56:17Who comes together and takes a look and says Hey

1:56:22and what really has happened here.

1:56:26And in the words of Albert Einstein

1:56:29no problem is solved from the same level of consciousness

1:56:34that created it.

1:56:37We have been talking about.

1:56:40Imagine a better future.

1:56:43Lesson time on defending the past

1:56:47or analyzing budget cuts from budget

1:56:52expect to Haitians instead of actual expenditures.

1:56:57There's been so many great points built it seems to me

1:57:02that if we are intending to follow up.

1:57:07We need a new structure to hold this process as a start

1:57:14that if we seen as a town Hall it

1:57:19will go again in the same directions

1:57:22that everything else is gone.

1:57:24And we need to set up new structures

1:57:28make sure that the people who are making this decisions.

1:57:32And I applaud less passive city management city council

1:57:37rather I applaud consideration of terms

1:57:42like fiduciary very duty standards of care

1:57:46that are we meeting them.

1:57:50They include competence with respect

1:57:54to some of these financial management

1:57:57issues that have come there's way too

1:58:00much for thirty two seconds.

1:58:02I will leave you with a couple more quotes We cannot solve

1:58:07our problem with the same thinking

1:58:09we used when we created them.

1:58:11Albert success comes from curious city

1:58:14concentration perseverance and self criticism.

1:58:19You can not use an old map to explore new world.

1:58:25Why don't we all think about what is going on next.

1:58:29And I would encourage the city attorney out or what is

1:58:35an authorized delegate and I find

1:58:38it remarkable that there is this cannot have been an authorized.

1:58:43We we have to operate within our budget

1:58:46and authorized delegations.

1:58:48So and I think we need to take account all of these assets

1:58:54citizens with great used these hard working city

1:59:01staff and everybody and get to a better place.

1:59:05Thank you makes your case because Bernie Sanders really

1:59:10should be able to New now value with this cake

1:59:21and I'm getting a response.

1:59:23Go back to the pending question Karen there was a couple

1:59:27variations of questions.

1:59:28But I mean, the amount of personnel, which is actually

1:59:32retirement costs and if there is a breakdown

1:59:35in what that amount is i believe Mark is on the call.

1:59:45So I will ask if you can bring into the panel.

1:59:51We gave a presentation to the city council actually.

1:59:57We had our financial advisors come and present to the city

2:00:01council in was that from March all

2:00:05the dates are running together.

2:00:07And I was actually looking to see if I could maybe

2:00:10take a look at finding a chart or a graph that

2:00:15shows the trends.

2:00:16But if is on the panel of maybe markets address how we have

2:00:22been addressing pension costs of what

2:00:25we're looking toward for the future are you there there you

2:00:29Yes I do.

2:00:31Good morning, or sign off FINANCE REPORTER So the answer

2:00:34to that question first, which is the proportion of retirement

2:00:38costs as a proportion of total personnel costs and

2:00:45the short answer is it's 25%.

2:00:48Well let me give you the long answer as well.

2:00:51It's a total a total personnel costs approximately $30 million

2:00:5530 to 32 million somebody.

2:00:58And retirement costs pensions, the unfunded liability.

2:01:02The required contribute and they add up to about $8 million.

2:01:07So that's about 25% of the total personnel costs.

2:01:12Keep in mind that personnel costs includes benefits

2:01:15such as medical expenses part time salaries workers comp

2:01:19over time, the that's packaged into that.

2:01:22And just as a point of reference at the last city council

2:01:26meeting city staff presented the five year forecast to council

2:01:30and broke out the personnel costs

2:01:33into all its major components and I think I pointed out

2:01:38that for the general fund alone person health costs are

2:01:4175% of total expenditures and we broke those out into salaries

2:01:45and benefits part time salaries over time

2:01:50public safety pension costs miscellaneous pension costs

2:01:55medical benefits fire Oh yes and so I

2:01:58hope that answers the question is it another part of it.

2:02:07Sorry I was trying to see if I could

2:02:09find the presentation to be able to put it on the screen.

2:02:14But I'm.

2:02:14You were speaking before I can you also,

2:02:16while you're here Mark, I think there were

2:02:18a couple of questions about expenditures

2:02:21and someone had asked why about solvency and bankruptcy and why

2:02:30that what we have and haven't considered within that realm

2:02:33as well.

2:02:36So just to go back to 2020 Mr Rose as recent as last June you

2:02:44were looking at the we were looking for a tax revenue

2:02:48anticipation not as we've always done for the past twelve years.

2:02:53And as you know, our cash flows are supported

2:02:56by borrowing money in the marketplace to buy

2:03:01and all the fluctuations in our revenue

2:03:03and expenditure profiles or cash flow profile and backing 2020.

2:03:08We did look at it.

2:03:10And we figure that based on the revenue stream

2:03:13that we had and have had since there was no chance that we

2:03:18would have to end up in bankruptcy

2:03:19or run out of money and i know for a fact

2:03:23that a handful of folks predicted that quite rigorously

2:03:26and that did not happen.

2:03:28And I don't see that happening either at this point in time,

2:03:32there is sufficient cash flow for us to continue

2:03:34to operate as a viable city.

2:03:36And so bankruptcy from that point of view

2:03:38is not something that's tenable at this stage.

2:03:41And further, we have we actually spoke with the state auditor

2:03:46about that and we spoke with our internal auditors

2:03:49about that and our financial advisors and all of them

2:03:54have agreed that what bankruptcy actually would do

2:03:57would be to do things like if we had a high amount of debt

2:04:01we would have to restructure.

2:04:03But as pointed out we don't have a high amount of debt for us,

2:04:07especially for a city our size.

2:04:08And so we are able we have been able to make

2:04:11all of our obligations we have not missed a payroll.

2:04:13We have not we don't not pay our bills.

2:04:16And so that would be something for a city like that

2:04:19if they were in danger of not being able to pay bills

2:04:22and so that is not the case here.

2:04:25Holly it looks like we have a couple of other speakers still.

2:04:29So I want to make sure that we hear from everyone as well.

2:04:33And just just as a point of order.

2:04:35We are.

2:04:36This is being recorded and we are

2:04:38actually we're able to download the Q and A.

2:04:41And we are working.

2:04:42I know that Alex has been working to answer

2:04:44as many questions as possible.

2:04:45And we will be able to post that.

2:04:48And if there are any additional unanswered questions

2:04:50that we are able to answer that, we will do that as well.

2:04:54So Holly Can we see if there's others that want to speak

2:04:58in the Sunday Sanders am meeting again to see

2:05:02if we can get some thank you.

2:05:05Think about that.

2:05:07So I wanted to just talk about a little bit

2:05:10beyond the current budget.

2:05:11You've talked about the current budget a lot.

2:05:14And there's obviously a very long term problem that we have.

2:05:20The things like furloughs things like delayed colas

2:05:23are they're going to rear their ugly head again,

2:05:28if they expire.

2:05:29And I heard some reference at a prior meeting

2:05:33that the city agreed to or the unions agreed to defer raises

2:05:38in exchange for no layoffs and I think

2:05:40that's a deal with the devil so I

2:05:42wanted to urge you to rethink any kind of further cuts

2:05:47like that.

2:05:48It also seems to me that the city has cut back

2:05:51on administrative staff in order to preserve public safety

2:05:54at its own expense.

2:05:55And now we have a management that can't manage

2:05:58because they're understaffed.

2:05:59So that was also another deal the double knot

2:06:03that our public safety is the devil

2:06:05is just at its budgetary devil let's put it that way.

2:06:10In the long term pension costs are

2:06:12going to rise exponentially bankruptcy

2:06:14isn't going to fix that delayed colas isn't going to fix that.

2:06:19Cutting the budget in incremental pennies

2:06:22isn't going to fix that.

2:06:23And certainly any federal amount of money

2:06:25isn't going to fix that.

2:06:27The only thing that's going to fix

2:06:29that is real concessions from public safety and that

2:06:32has to be without conditions.

2:06:34So a much higher contribution to health and pensions

2:06:38that other cities have done and that is one way to fix.

2:06:43We had a presentation from our financial advisor

2:06:46on things that we could do about the pension

2:06:49none of which are actually doable because we

2:06:52don't have any reserves.

2:06:54So the only way is to go to our public safety members

2:06:59and get concessions on pensions because this

2:07:03is a problem that's going to keep us from building reserves

2:07:05over the next 10 years.

2:07:07So while I appreciate that you're making cuts.

2:07:10I would say that these are not necessarily what's been to.

2:07:14So far sustain bull and the need for long term

2:07:18cuts and rethinking services.

2:07:20Some things that I've seen other cities do

2:07:23is sell their swimming pools that's a lot.

2:07:26That's a liability waiting to happen as it

2:07:28needs repairs down the line.

2:07:30There's one city that sold a swimming pool to the YMCA.

2:07:33So I think we can consider something like.

2:07:36Well I love the library.

2:07:38I don't see how five hours less a week

2:07:40is really going to impact people's lives.

2:07:43Exponentially I know none of this is a luxury.

2:07:46But there are ways to especially with modern technology

2:07:48work around that.

2:07:49So anyway, I see my three minutes run out.

2:07:53I have a lot more to say, but I'll stop here.

2:07:57Thank you.

2:07:58Q Can when speaking about giving us a five minute warning

2:08:02to the end of our town hall today because I know you wanted

2:08:05to have a few minutes to review next steps again

2:08:08so we can quickly take the last speaker and.

2:08:13Okay so I'll Miller you an immediate

2:08:16and can provide feedback.

2:08:19Now.

2:08:20Thank you.

2:08:22Mayor fidelity city council i would like to quickly expand

2:08:29on the written comments that then to you

2:08:32have already submitted to you first.

2:08:36As president and the Austrian Library Foundation

2:08:39I want you to know that the foundation strongly supports

2:08:42the comments that the library Commissioner Michael

2:08:45Fisher made to your earlier and I would like to revisit the

2:08:52where is it is in the proclamation you made

2:09:05celebrating National Library week libraries of all types

2:09:12the heart of their cities libraries are accessible,

2:09:16inclusive places that foster a sense of belonging

2:09:19and community for people lacking broadband at home libraries

2:09:25provide access to computers and Wi-Fi

2:09:28even checking out Internet hotspots

2:09:31and Raspberry Pi kits in times of crisis libraries

2:09:36librarians library workers play an invaluable role in

2:09:40supporting their communities,

2:09:42both in person and virtually libraries our cornerstone

2:09:47of democracy promoting free exchange of information

2:09:50and ideas for all libraries of long served as trusted

2:09:55and treasured institutions for all members of the community

2:09:59regardless of race ethnicity creed ability

2:10:03sexual orientation, gender identity,

2:10:07or social economic status.

2:10:12It's also strikes me as how closely the characteristics

2:10:19that you approved in this proclamation

2:10:24represent the city's strategic plan goals for the services

2:10:31and things you want to provide to the citizens

2:10:37So I think that the opportunity for reduced library funding

2:10:45just to procure six additional hours

2:10:49is a bargain that we should not pass

2:10:54and that I ask that you continue to fund at least

2:10:58the six hours to maintain the 46 current dollars that we.

2:11:04And also I ask that in your normal day to business

2:11:09is and communicate actions with the county board

2:11:13to supervise risers that you.

2:11:15Thank them first stepping up and taking on five extra hours

2:11:20or as thank you keeping a comments carrying

2:11:25across the board to you.

2:11:28We review next steps Shaw I want to first of all,

2:11:33I know we're coming to the end of our time.

2:11:36And this has been I think a little bit more and more

2:11:39difficult as far as trying to answer

2:11:41some of the very detailed questions that a lot of people

2:11:44have.

2:11:44With balancing that out with making sure

2:11:46that everyone had an opportunity to speak.

2:11:49So I do appreciate everyone.

2:11:51Like I said, what we'll do is we will post to the question

2:11:56and answer on the budget process website Again,

2:12:00it's Elle dash Sarita annual budget process.

2:12:03We will where all where we housing

2:12:06all of the future past and future presentations

2:12:10on the budget.

2:12:10On that page and trying to answer some detailed questions.

2:12:16I do want to remind everyone that we will also

2:12:20have a public workshop on May 8th

2:12:22and I think that one of the things that I'm certainly

2:12:28glad to hear today is that there is

2:12:30a lot of different appear opinions

2:12:33in that there is a lot of different ways

2:12:36that the community is bringing to all of us

2:12:39as staff and certainly to the city council who's

2:12:41been listening as far as various ways

2:12:45to restructure our budget to look at our budget.

2:12:49I want.

2:12:50I do want to sort of I want to point out.

2:12:57I suppose that a lot the pandemic

2:12:59did not get us into this condition,

2:13:02which is absolutely true.

2:13:04But there is still a lot of uncertainty

2:13:07because of the pandemic.

2:13:08And one of things.

2:13:10For example that impacted is development

2:13:12along San Pablo Avenue.

2:13:13We I've heard of I heard a few comments

2:13:16about some empty storefronts and things of that nature.

2:13:18And I agree.

2:13:20But what I think is less well known

2:13:22is most of those properties are actually sold and have

2:13:26been to the planning Commission to build housing on the Avenue.

2:13:30And right now are either waiting for financing

2:13:34or there's a gap in financing and the pandemic

2:13:36has impacted that.

2:13:37So you know there's actually a lot of development that

2:13:41is slow to happen on San Pablo Avenue that will be happening

2:13:45within the next few years, particularly especially when

2:13:48the pandemic is over And so there are bright spots that are

2:13:53going to happen on the Avenue just unfortunately,

2:13:55it hasn't happened as of yet.

2:13:57So that is one example of things that are on the horizon

2:14:01that the pandemic has impacted as well.

2:14:04So but what again, I want to reiterate

2:14:07that I hear all of you.

2:14:09And again, I wish that this were something

2:14:12a quick fix that staff could recommend to the council

2:14:16in order to do this.

2:14:18And that's it took us many years to get here as some of you

2:14:22have acknowledged.

2:14:23And it is not going to be instant genius for us to be

2:14:26able to turn everything around and I'm

2:14:28sorry that that is the truth.

2:14:31I wish that I could fix things much more quickly.

2:14:35But we are intending you to listen

2:14:37to hear and to incorporate this feedback within our recommended

2:14:42sessions for the budget to the city Council

2:14:45and the City Council is certainly further going to have

2:14:47this conversation as well.

2:14:49So I just want to say thank you to everyone.

2:14:52And and just reiterate that this is not by any means

2:14:56the end of this conversation is actually the beginning

2:14:59of this conversation.

2:15:01And I'm very grateful that we have such an engaged community

2:15:05that is willing to take even a couple of hours out

2:15:08of their Saturday to be able to share their thoughts with us

2:15:11and continue to share their thoughts with us.

2:15:13So I appreciate everyone who took the time.

2:15:16And with that mere fidelity I want to say

2:15:19thank you on behalf of all.

2:15:22Thank you.

2:15:23Karen i just want to thank the staff.

2:15:25And I want to thank the city council members that showed us

2:15:29nor our public and all the participants

2:15:31in El Cerrito you know during this time.

2:15:34It's just great to talk to people.

2:15:36Let's talk.

2:15:37It's great to talk about our city.

2:15:39What can be done and what needs to be done.

2:15:43We have a long road ahead of us.

2:15:45You know as a senior citizen.

2:15:47I was thinking back and being a young boy growing up here

2:15:51in El Serino down at the bottom of Berit

2:15:53and I used to listen to one of those big picture book records

2:15:57where if you turn the page, it would beep

2:16:00and it would go on to the next page and change the record

2:16:04and lesson one of my favorite ones

2:16:06was the Disney, the grasshopper and the ants some of you

2:16:10remember that where the grasshopper played music

2:16:12all day, but the ants were working for a rainy day

2:16:16putting things away for a rainy day.

2:16:19I never envisioned that at this late stage in my life

2:16:22my twilight years mayor that I would be dealing

2:16:25with the moral of that story.

2:16:28But we are dealing with that.

2:16:30And Reno we need to do exactly what the ants were doing.

2:16:34And it's a tough road ahead as I said.

2:16:37But me and the other city council members

2:16:40have signed up for tough work.

2:16:42That's what we've signed up for is what we ran for.

2:16:45It's what we're here to do.

2:16:47And we will get this job done.

2:16:49We have a smart diverse population in our city,

2:16:52but we have to be even smarter.

2:16:55We've got to be smarter.

2:16:57So that we can begin transforming and restructuring

2:17:00our over the next four years.

2:17:02So we can protect the important services

2:17:05that were described today.

2:17:06So important that we do that.

2:17:08And then we also put money away for a rainy day like the ants.

2:17:13So thank you very much.

2:17:15As Karen said, this is the beginning of the process We

2:17:19want to hear from all of you.

2:17:20It's not going to be easy.

2:17:22We're not going to make a lot of friends,

2:17:24but we're going to have a better city over time.

2:17:27And thank you for your help and your patience.

2:17:29Thank you very much.

2:17:32Piece