Join the Davis Vanguard and Davis Neighborhood Coalition for a Town Hall meeting on Davis’s impending budget crisis.
The meeting will take place Wednesday, May 20, from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Veteran’s Memorial Center Multipurpose Room, 203 E. 14th Street in Davis.
The meeting features a panel of speakers consisting of City of Davis Finance Director, Paul Navazio; City of Davis Budget and Financing Commission chair, Johannes Troost; and CSUS Professor of Economics and Department Chair, Mark Seigler.
The panel will answer questions submitted by the Coalition and the Vanguard and also take questions from the floor. The discussion will include City budget issues from both short- and long-term perspectives, including issues of employee compensation, retirement pensions, unmet needs, and unfunded liabilities.
We are also taking questions on the internet. Submit questions here that you want considered.
1. If the City’s CBO has the audacity to place inconvenient costs in the “unmet needs” category, then declare a balanced budget one minute – for the benefit of incumbents running for re-election – then declare a budget crisis the next minute, how much credibility can he expect to have with citizens of this city? Why is the City Council allowing this sort of “creative” bookkeeping that is misleading to the public?
2. It seems as if the City is still on the trajectory of implementing both the wastewater treatment plant and surface water project, despite outside consultants’ warning that citizens cannot possibly sustain the costs of both projects. Why is the City Council not giving specific direction to the Davis Dept. of Public Works they can only implement one project at a time, for either one to be in any way economically feasible?
3. Since it seems pretty obvious the City Manager and his staff are not necessarily representing the interests of the City in upcoming labor negotiations with city employees, and there is essentially a built in conflict of interest (City manager is representing city interests which are counter to the interests of his own employees), why isn’t the City Council calling for an independent negotiator?
3.5 How exactly is the City going to make labor negotiations “more transparent” as has been claimed by Paul Navazio? Be specific – I don’t want vague generalities that are nothing but doublespeak.
4. Why does the Mayor think it appropriate to limit public comment, when it is clear public comment is usually not the reason City Council meetings run into the wee hours of the morning? Why does the mayor allow unfettered public comment when the subject is totally irrelevant to city gov’t? Why is she not willing to limit comment from Councilmembers who are merely repeating what another already said, or not asking a question but campaigning from the dais. Why does the mayor feel it appropriate to cut off dissenting opinion from fellow councilmembers – any opinion that disagrees with her own position or that of her cronies (currently the Council majority)? Does the mayor feel her “town hall meetings” were a good substitute for public comment, or just political cover for the fact that she has severely limited public comment and dissenting Councilmember comment?
5. How does the city propose to pay for the bloated city staff salaries/benefits that are now an unfunded liability, in the face of growing federal/state/local budget deficits? Be specific. Exactly how?
6. How close is Davis to declaring bankruptcy?
7. If Davis firefighters are reduced to three man teams, how much would that save the city in firefighter salaries/benefits? Would it compromise public safety to an unacceptable degree, keeping in mind potholes can cause safety hazards too.
9. Should the city be required to conserve water, by cutting back on its parks and open spaces, by allowing them to go back to their natural state rather than waste money on watering green expanses of lawns? This is what the City Council is asking citizens to do. What is good for the goose is good for the gander! Or is the water conservation matter not really the issue in regard to funding the water/sewer project?
9.5 The City Staff at one time installed a solar panel project in Central Park that failed to work, yet did nothing to recoup the City’s monetary losses under the warranty as I understand it. Should we really trust the same City Staff, when they insist we need both the water and sewer project, especially when water consultants standing to gain business from these projects made an appearance at a fundraiser of a City Councilmember – giving the entire discussion of the projects all the appearance of impropriety?
10. Isn’t it time for many City Staff members to be laid off, because the Davis City gov’t itself is bloated with bureaucrats making far too much money relative to the private sector? (My understanding is that some secretaries are making $70K a year.) To what extent are City Staff members willing to take paycuts, unpaid furloughs, cuts in benefits to remain employed, particularly upper management making $100K or more?
I would also comment that the “town hall meeting” this weekend, that has all sorts of politicos in attendance, including some of our own City Council members, appears to me more like a huge campaign than a serious discussion. Too many of the same old fatcats are making an appearance to make it anything but window dressing. I am looking forward to the Vanguard’s town hall meeting – where I hope the tough questions are asked. However, I expect to see a lot of tap dancing and sidestepping by Navazio and company. Nevertheless, I feel they will get a flavor of just how angry citizens are about the City’s malfeasance, apathy, inertia, irresponsibility…you get the drift!
Is this different from the meeting announced at http://www.rexroad.com?
Davis and Yolo County Community Members Join Together to Discuss State Budget and Government Reform
Posted 5/11/2009 @ 8:36 PM :: 0 Comments
Saving California Communities, a group of Davis elected representatives and community members exploring options for state government reform, will host Saving California Communities: Starting Here! on Saturday, May 16 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the University of California, Davis, Walter A. Buehler Alumni and Visitors Center.
Yes, this is at the Vets Hall on Wednesday the 19th at 7 PM and will discuss the city budget with three panelists.
Are you aware of C.H.O.C. housing? Or how the “non-profit” housing of Davis treats the working folk’s who serve them?
How much of the city,county,state $$$s go to these “non-profits”?
I live in one & vote! Is this the place to find out how to stop the $$$s corruption in local housing!?
They say if they can get the property down to 40% disabled by hard times,not just handicap then they can raise the rate to the private properties values or time and 1/2 what we pay now!
I am feeling the squeeze now! Everything we get from management is “now if you don’t comply we can kick you out”!
So is this the place to give a vote on those $$$$s up or down to these non-profits?
Thank you kindly,
Kirk Lewis