Debunking the Bunk

It would be stupid for the City Council to be considering any recommendation of the Art Commission to establish mandatory Public Art Fees for new residential and commercial development.

Establishing a mandatory Public Art Fee for new development would abrogate the resolution outlining its policy to assist economic development. Most developers are trying to "stay alive" paying existing heavy fees and the costs because of delays in having their projects approved.

The Council must understand that considering new fees, laws and rules relating to new development will discourage anyone from wanting to develop in our city?

After reviewing a budget update this past Tuesday, from the finance officer, Councilmember Holcombe went out of his way to criticize some of us that have indicated that the City was approaching bankruptcy, with its continuing annual budget structural deficit. He made this statement after the finance officer estimated that the City had an approximate $4,000,000 deficit for the next fiscal year.

After eliminating or leaving unfilled nearly 40 positions, squeezing to the bone maintenance materials and supplies, securing from its unions and administrative staff salary and benefits reductions for 2 years, reducing reserve funds substantially, and now with a need to reduce its next years budget by $4,000,000, Mr. Holcombe should understand that the City is approaching bankruptcy unless there is substantial layoffs or another reduction in salary and benefits.

At its February 16th meeting, the Council ignored (by placing it late on the agenda) the most important item which was a report by the Finance Officer on the status of the City's financial structural deficit.

The Finance Officer's reports estimates that the City's structural deficit for this fiscal year is approximately $3,000,000, continuing the year after year financial plight of the City.

The City has covered its financial structural deficit for years by reducing its personal, making minor reductions in employee pay and benefits, and reducing other general fund items; still a $3,000,000 structural deficit.

The only way to keep the City from bankruptcy is to negotiate additional reductions in employee pay and benefits or to lay-off additional employees. It's no wonder why the Council doesn't like to discuss in public the City Finance Officers 2nd Quarter Financial Update.

Boulder, Colorado, a University City with a population of approximately 100,000, is comparable to Chico and is known as one of the best cities for attempting to become fully Sustainable and Green.

The Wall Street Journal (February 13/14th, 2010) in an article entitled "Even Boulder (Colorado) Finds It Isn't Easy Gong Green" As an example , "the city officials never dreamed they'd have to play nanny when they set out in 2006 to make Boulder a role model in the fight against global warming".

Even to unscrew light bulbs and replace them with energy-efficient models, it had to send contractors around the city to do the replacements at city expense.

After reading the article, our City Council might think twice about trying some of the sustainable things tried in Boulder.

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As I walked recently along Annie Bidwell's new Bike Path, adjacent to Big Chico Creek, it is obvious that there are a number of large downed trees across the Creek. I can't believe that it is the City's policy to allow this situation to remain.

If we get a real heavy rainfall, and the creek rises as it has in many past years, these trees will act as barriers and will create erosion along the banks, washing more trees into the creek.

If there are not enough City employees to do the clearing job, I'm certain a call for volunteers and equipment owners would be on the job immediately to assist the City.

At the so-called State of the City report, Mayor Schwab did her best to paint a rosy picture of the City finances, while she must understand that the City is approaching bankruptcy with its many years of financial structural deficit.

Unless the employee unions continue to accept reductions is salary and benefits, or the City substantially reduces the number of employees, the City may have to file for bankruptcy.

Revenues receipts have continued to show substantial reductions, while its annual expenditures continue to be many millions above its revenues. This annual structural deficit cannot continue without a change in the City's understanding of its disastrous financial programs.

Almost daily I hear or read about complaints about the deplorable condition of our many hundred of miles of city streets.

There seems to be hope that there would be "manna from heaven" (somebody else's money) to make the needed repairs and rebuilding. That just isn't going to happen; locally the city needs to raise funds to make the improvements (that the way it was done in the "olden days).

The City should consider developing a plan to determine the cost of making the improvements and then working out a financing plan to be presented to the voter for their approval.

The City can consider several alternative methods of financing including General Obligation Bond, Assessment Districts and contributions from the City's Redevelopment Fund. Other alternative methods of financing should also be considered.

The City Council will soon be reviewing the plan for the conversion of 1st and 2nd Streets, in downtown Chico, to one-way streets at an estimated cost of approximately 1.3million; perhaps more when actual design of the final plans are completed and bids received for the project.

A better and less expensive project will resolve the congestion on 2nd Street by changing 2nd Street to one-way westbound, from the Camellia Way Bridge to Orange Street. This section of 2nd Street would accommodate 2 lanes of traffic, a bike path, parallel parking on one side of the street and diagonal on the other. 1st Street would remain as it is at present. Portions of 3rd Street may be return to a two-way street.

This suggested project would substantially reduce the cost of the project and could be implemented without waiting around for a grant or getting some money from the University; not easy in this day of financial woes of the State. The project would also eliminate the need for those little so-called expensive traffic circles at each end of the project as suggested by the City staff.

Ignoring the needs of businesses on 1st Street, the project has been supported by the DCBA Board of Directors, which has lost its way when making recommendations concerning Downtown.

The City Council has been properly criticized for spending two or three times the cost of a recently approved low and moderate income housing complex (including a swimming pool and other goodies), while many of the property home owners who pay the property taxes for these units, can barely pay for their mortgages and minimum housing needs.

What the City Council should be doing is to follow the original concept of the Redevelopment Funds for neighborhood conservation, which included helping home owners in the older neighborhoods improve their homes by bringing them updated to meet the housing code requirements and to bring the public facilities up to a reasonable standard.

The City can easily identify the low and moderate income homeowner areas in the older portions of the city since they have spent substantial sums of money and time to identify these areas. A homeowner may be able to finance an additional bedroom, bathroom, or an updated heating and air conditioning systems to meet the minimum needs for the size of the family.

Neighborhood conservation may not appear to the majority of the City Council as glamorous as a shinning new apartment housing complex (which they can name after one of their friends), but it would certainly provide a much needed service for the older areas of the community and serve to establish real neighborhood conservation.

THE FEDS HAVE SOLVED OUR ENERGY PROBLEM???

I don't normally blog about the FEDS, but I couldn't pass-up this information.

The Federal Department of Energy was established in August 1977 to lessen the U.S.A. need for dependence on foreign oil.
Now, 32 year later the budget for the department is approximate 24 Billion a year.
The department has approximately 16,000 Federal and 100,000 contract employees.
And, we have substantially increased the amount of foreign oil imported each year.

Can we really trust the Federal Government to undertake any essential program for its citizens??