City Fails to Address Critical Budget Issues
The city of Davis faces an immediate deficit of $3 million per year which is compounded by…
What Will Be the Impact on Davis of Losing Gottschalks?
In the last week, the news has come forward that the Gottschalks department store chain, which filed for bankruptcy in January will be headed for liquidation.
Last week the Davis Enterprise quoted Sarah Worley, the economic development coordinator with the City of Davis saying:
Vanguard Analysis: Four Person Engine Teams Not the Rule
Many Comparable Cities Have Gone To Three Person Engines –
Last week, it was the Davis Enterprise leading the way on reforming city expenditures on staff. First, the Davis Enterprise in a front page story followed up on the Vanguard’s August 2008 report on the 100K Club of Davis finding the number of employees who received over $100K in salary and overtime increased from 61 to 72 in 2008. Then Rich Rifkin’s column looked at Fire Department expenditures. Finally the Davis Enterprise’s editorial staff recommended on Sunday that the fire department scale back from the current staffing level of four person per engine to three.
Further Examination into Total Compensation for City Employees
On Thursday, the Vanguard followed up on its story from last year on the number of 100K employees in the City of Davis. As the Davis Enterprise reported on Wednesday, the number has risen from 61 to 72 this year. As useful as these data are however, they only tell part of the story. In many ways, in fact, they overstate the magnitude of the problem. We now follow up on Thursday’s story and examine total compensation by department.
Commentary: Council Finally Recognizes That Now Was Not the Time
On Tuesday night, the council by a 4-1 vote decided to push back consideration of the General Plan update until at least July as the city grapples with a serious budget deficit. The lone dissenter was Mayor Pro Tem Saylor.
Saylor spoke as though he were in a different time from the rest of us.
Overtime is Down, but 100K Club Expands in 2008
The Vanguard was pleased to see the Davis Enterprise reporter Claire St. John on Wednesday run a story which highlighted the 100K Club of Davis for 2008, updating the work the Vanguard did on August 5, 2008 with 2007 data.
Davis Enterprise Columnist Rich Rifkin also ran an analysis in his column on the Davis Fire Department.
Vanguard Reports: Should Davis Go To In-House City Attorney Services?
One of the big questions that often arises is whether Davis should continue to outsource their City Attorney Services to the law firm of McDonough, Holland & Allen who employ City Attorney Harriet Steiner.
The Vanguard engaged in extensive analysis through a series of public records requests. In the fiscal year of 2004-05 Davis paid its City Attorney and law firm $514,154.10. In 2005-06 it was $535,664.50. In 2006-07 it was $641,025.70. And in 2007-08 it $464,145.50.
Will Davis Get Rid of Its Ombudsman?
Move Smacks of Political Retribution Rather Than Sound Fiscal Policy
There is little doubt that Davis faces a very serious economic downturn. However, it is also equally apparent to many that observe the process and support the current oversight role of the city’s Ombudsman, Bob Aaronson, that the proposed budget cut of his position is less about the budget and more about getting rid of someone who has been a thorn in the side of the most powerful employee group in the city.
Remember, the firefighters pumped in $30,000 into the last campaign to reelection Councilmembers Don Saylor and Stephen Souza.
Council Looks At Making Deep Cuts to Budget–But is it Enough?
At last night’s council meeting, Finance Director Paul Navazio looked toward an aggressive cost savings plan as the city faces an immediate deficit, a longer-term structural deficit, and an impending problem of unfunded liabilities for health care and pensions.
Despite the rosey picture that City Manager Bill Emlen attempted to play at the outset, these projections may actually represent a best-case scenario as became clear as the conversation and discussion progressed.
Can City Hold Line on New Employee Contract Negotiations?
We have been talking about this for months, but the Enterprise is starting to see the light of day on the issue of city contract talks with six of the employee bargaining units with the city.
One of the big questions that will need to be determined is the extent to which this process will have transparency. Often what has happened in the past is that the first time either the council or the public knows about the contract is after the city’s “negotiators” usually the city manager, HR person, and finance director reach agreement with heads of the employee bargaining units.
City Continues to Withhold Full Fire Report from Council and Public
Redacted Version is Heavily Censored Revealing Little New Information
On January 13, 2009, the Davis City Council listened to investigator Bob Aaronson and City Manager Bill Emlen discuss very different interpretations of the Mr. Aaronson’s investigation into allegations present in the June of 2008 Grand Jury Report.
It was a report that the elected members of the Davis City Council did not get to read in full. The Vanguard subsequently filed a California Public Records Act Request for both the full unredacted report and a redacted report. The city of Davis, as expected has denied the Vanguard access to the full version of the report.
Heystek Joins Vanguard’s Call Against New Taxes without Reform
Back on February 3, the Vanguard made a bit of splash by invoking the spirit of Bush I circa 1988, saying “Read My Lips… No New Taxes.”
In truth, despite how it sounded, it was not a declaration against taxes, or even new taxes. It was suggestion that Davis gets its fiscal house in order.
Vanguard Analysis: Davis Fire Has High Cost Per Service Call
Davis FireOne of the big questions facing the Davis Fire Department is the issue of staffing and the issue of whether or not the fire department needs a fourth fire station. Data presented by the Davis Fire Department has often shown that Davis has a relatively low number of fire fighters per thousand people, a high population per station, and a low cost per capita.
The Vanguard’s analysis largely confirms those findings that would seem to suggest that davis is in need of more fire staffing, an additional fire station, and that it is run relatively cost effective.
Davis Finds Itself in Growing Fiscal Hole
City of DavisThe city of Davis now faces a large and growing budget deficit. Due to the continued decline of the economic conditions in Davis, the current year’s budget deficit is projected to grow from the November estimate of $1.54 million to $2.37 million. Next year the budget deficit will range from between $3 million to $3.6 million depending on the city’s negotiations with the employee bargaining units.
From the city staff report for Tuesday’s City Council meeting:
Read My Lips… No New Taxes?
City Needs To Solve Its Fiscal Problems First Before Going to the Taxpayers for a Renewal of Existing Taxes
At the risk of sounding somewhat well… Republican, there is something to this at least from the standpoint of local government. It is really not that I am opposed to new taxes, it is that there needs to be some incentive for the city to negotiate hard this with the various bargaining units. Let us back up a few steps first here.
City’s Budget Hole Grows–Unmet Needs Will Go Unaddressed
City of DavisA year ago the city basically identified around $13 million in what it called unmet needs. These were needed projects in a variety of departments that the city needed to undertake but lacked the available money to pay for them. As the Vanguard has mentioned previously, some of these are quite basic road repairs and other vital services.
Right now the city is projecting a growing budget deficit for the foreseeable future. It begins at close to $1.5 million for the current fiscal year and doubles to $3 million next year.
City Facing Budget Crisis, Cutback on Youth Programs and Award Honoring Slain Teen
City of DavisIn a letter from Mayor Ruth Asmundson pasted on the city’s page for the Golden Heart Awards this year, it reads:
“As a result of the death of Andrew Mockus in April 1992, the City of Davis Recreation and Park Commission expanded its commitment to the youth of our community. Forums were held throughout the community to discuss the problems of youth and to brainstorm on how the community could do more to meet the needs of youth.
Commentary: City Manager Bill Emlen’s New Contract
For those that like to criticize the Vanguard for picking favorites, something that indeed occurs, here is…
City Needs to Press For Restructuring City Employee Contracts During Economic Crisis
Last night the Davis Enterprise had an interesting article on the status of city countrols for the…
Examination of the Use of the Union Hours Bank by the Davis Fire Department
One item issued forth in the investigation by Bob Aaronson that was not contained in the Grand…
