Debunking the Bunk

The City's adopted Economic Development Plan may become a fraud against the public if the policies suggested for inclusion in the General Plan are finally adopted in the General Plan.

The Council appears to be headed to; limiting the amount of land that will be available for future residential, commercial and industrial development; adopting a mired of new development regulations and design standards; designing a street system, purposely, to cause congestion; continuing to increase development impact fees; adopting other regulation and requirements that establish a no growth concept which has always been this and several past Council's desire.

A hidden agenda of the Council to carry-out its no growth programts is by adopting the items listed above and others that will ultimately discourage development and growth within the City.

On the other hand, the City cannot control growth around the City, that is the responsibility of the Board of Supervisors.

The City's has finally published its Annual Budget (Budget). In reviewing all of the documents relating to the Budget, the discussion of "structural deficit" seems to have disappeared; although an examination of the Budget and it 10 year projections clearly demonstrates that the City still has an increasing "structural deficit".

The City's tax income has been reduced by about 6% from the estimate from last years Budget, although tax revenue for that Budget was estimated to increase by about 3%. With expenditures increasing, it is not difficult to understand why the City has a "structural deficit".

With the final Budget, the City Manager has stated that the expenditures in the budget need to be decreased by 3% (approximately $1,500,000). He is working with the departments so that he will have a recommendation at the July Council meeting; at the time the Council adopts the Budget.

The General Fund Reserve has just about disappeared and the Emergency Reserve is substantially less than is recommended.

Major media discussion today relates to Obama's movement towards a national health plan. None have explained how they are going to address the most costly part of our health costs; that 50% of all costs occur in the last 6 months of peoples lives. I've heard some suggestions that medical services should be denied during these last 6 months.

Will the American public buy this suggestion?

Millions of words are spouted-out almost every minute of the day by so called health plan experts, and many commentators (who really don't know much about the subject) have few suggestions of how to solve the costs and services of a national health plan.

It's outrageous for the French and American Presidents to ignore Queen Elizabeth, as indicated in the media, at the upcoming celebration of the June 6, 1944 landing of the American, British and other allies on the French beaches; which eventually lead to the destruction of the Nazi army and freedom for the French, who had been under German control for about 5 years.

Neither the French nor the American Presidents served in the military, while Queen Elizabeth served in the British Army throughout World War II. I believe she served as an ambulance driver during the many years that Britain was being bombed; a very dangerous assignment.

I can't understand this situation, but it should be changed before the celebration. It will certainly be a national embarrassment to the two Presidents.

The community is being fed the status of the City budget, for the 2009/2010 fiscal year, a little at a time, which makes it difficult to gain a full understanding of the City's deficit financial problems.

The report to the City Council several weeks ago indicated that the City's revenue including sales, utility user, property and hotel/motel taxes would be substantially decreased from last years estimates. These revenues pay for the most important city services including Police, Fire, Public Works, Parks etc.

When preparing the budget for the lasts fiscal year, the City used substantial increases in revenues and determined during the year that the revenues would have to be revised downward, requiring reduced expenditures during the budget year.

Let's hope the City will be very careful estimating its revenues and costs so that it doesn't find itself in a serious fiscal position.The City is using practically all of its reserve funds for this year's budget. The State may also be robbing revenues from the City.

It may be possible for Chico residents to review the budget in the very near future.

 The "No Growthers", who have been around for several decades, are now using the General Plan Update (G/P) to enact concepts within the G/P that they believe, along with a very liberal City Council, will fulfill their no growth concept they have been attempting for all many past decades.

Jon Luvass and Jim Owens, very active participants in the G/P and longtime advocates of no growth (there are many, many others), are pushing hard to create traffic congestion on the street system with the idea that serious congestion will force residents to use bicycles, public transit or just walking, with the hope that use of automobiles will be so difficult  to use they will eventually be eliminated.

Jim Owen, when he was on the City Council in the 1990's succeeded in convincing the City Council reducing East First Avenue from a long range plan to increase it from 2 to 4 lanes; and now with congestion he wanted to create is here right-now. Particularly during peak hours, automobiles can wait through as many as 4 signal changes before reaching an intersection. Think about the tremendous amount of air pollution that is being created by this type of congestion.

Now the" No Growthers" want to create similar street congestion on all of our major streets and arterials.

Property owners and residents must take an interest in the G/P before it is adopted or they will feel the consequences in the very near future.

As you travel along the streets and roadways in the Chico community, you can't help but observe the number of wooden fences that are constructed on or near the property lines of the streets and roadways; that don't add to the attractiveness of the community. In most instances there is no landscaping to help cover the unattractiveness of the fences.

Evidently the City Council changed the requirements for a minimum 10 foot side yard. This is the group that continuously adds more and more requirement for development. Allowing the fences is a step backwards; in a community that has spent a lot of time declaring its attractiveness.

With the tremendous increase in development in the northerly portion of the Chico community, it is essential that the Eaton Road Loop, between the extension of Bruce Road and Highway 32, be completed now, since the Loop will relieve much of the congestion on other local roadways.

Because of the high prices of our homes, many individual are selecting Glenn County and other communities for their residences and will use Highway 32 to connect to the Loop when coming to Chico for shopping and other activities.

It is now time to tie together all unimproved sections of Eaton Road and complete the Eaton Road Loop from the Bruce Road extension to Highway 32.

The City and County have participated in many studies relating to the completion of the Eaton Road Loop and there has been a great deal of new housing completed along various portion of the Loop.

Generally, the City has done an excellent job of providing the necessary roadway and other signing assisting Chico Municipal Airport users geting to their destinations; except there is one glaring exception in the WELCOME TO CHICO sign. Air Terminal users see the sign when leaving the airport parking lots to connect to Air Park Boulevard; then to Cohasset Road to reach a destination in the City of Chico.

The 6'x6' blue WELCOME TO CHICO sign is poorly maintained and needs substantial improvement; and would suggest a city that really welcomes visitors.

The proposed Butte County Budget that will be presented to the Board of Supervisors in May will not only decimate the Butte County Library System but from a practical standpoint completely shut-down our libraries during the next and perhaps future fiscal years.

The proposed budget reduces the libraries staff by approximately 2/3rds (from 39 to 13) and cuts the libraries budget by 1½ million (an approximate reduction of 50%).

If the libraries are to stay open, the funds available will only provide two 6 hour days for Chico, Paradise and Oroville and one 6 hour day for the smaller ones.

This is inconceivable and even irresponsible.

Several years ago, the Library Advisory Board and the Friends of the Libraries, recognizing the County’s fiscal difficulties, requested the Board of Supervisors to approve a ballot measure that would provide the County Libraries with a 1/8th of a cent sales tax; that would require a 2/3rd approval by the voters. This request was denied by a 3 to 2 vote of the Board of Supervisors. I hope the Board will again reconsider this request and place a ballot measure on the next available election date.