Monday Morning Thoughts: The Actual Budget Is an Afterthought
The Davis City Council is expected to adopt the budget this week and, unlike in past years…
Commentary: Finally a Fully Transparent Budget
In 2008 during the Davis City Council elections, incumbent Councilmembers Don Saylor and Stephen Souza ran on…
No Rosy Budget Projections in the Current Model
After several years of rosy budget projections, the city, utilizing more robust modeling forecast projections, comes forward…
Analysis: Taking a Closer Look at the Roads, Parks, and Liabilities Assumptions in the Fiscal Model
The presentation by Bob Leland on Tuesday night revealed some sobering news on the state of the…
Consultant Lays Out Budget Model and Challenges Davis Faces
The city has retained local budget consultant Bob Leland, who, building on the work of citizen groups…
Commentary: Have We Really Come Full Circle on Fiscal Matters?
It is interesting to me to see the pushback from a few on the city’s fiscal crisis. …
Monday Morning Thoughts: Why an All-Cuts Approach Won’t Work for Davis
The fiscal news for the city continues to remain tenuous at best. This past week, some have…
Sunday Commentary: Containing Costs Figures to Be a Huge Challenge
A week ago Mayor Robb Davis presented his cost containment plan. This is one I fully support….
Commentary: Laying the Groundwork for Fiscal Reform
On Wednesday, I attended a brown bag lunch sponsored by the Davis Downtown, in which they invited…
Mayor Lays Out City Challenges in State of the City Address
While it was a new format and there were some differences of opinion, Mayor Robb Davis laid…
More Analysis on the Coming Pension Hit
Back in November, with respect to the hotel discussion, Dan Carson, a member of the Finance and…
Mayor Calls City’s Unfunded Liabilities Situation – Urgent
Mayor Robb Davis has reacted to an updated analysis by a city-contracted actuarial as “urgent.” Despite cost-containment…
Analysis: Can We Cut Our Way to Prosperity?
In 2008, the Vanguard was ahead of the curve, warning of unsustainable spending practices by the city,…
Commentary: Why is Davis’ Sales Tax Per Capita So Low?
It comes as little surprise to the informed observer that Davis’ sales tax per capita is much…
My View II: When Should Employee Compensation Increase?
Yesterday’s article on potential revenue from new hotels triggered another side discussion on employee compensation. The problem…
My View: Is this a Budget to Celebrate?
This week, the Davis City Council approved the city’s 2015-16 budget. Let us be clear about one…
Commentary: Council Needs Reminder That Taxes Were Supposed to Be Temporary
On May 18 of 2014, Councilmembers Lucas Frerichs and Brett Lee joined Elaine Roberts Musser, Dan Carson…
City Manager Restructures City Hall and Presents New Budget
The following is the City Manager Dirk Brazil’s transmittal letter on the new budget which lays out…
Analysis: Which Way Does the Council Go with Compensation, Budget Issues?
One of the more interesting questions for 2015 is what direction we should go on employee compensation…
Monday Morning Thoughts: Excitement Over Emerging Startup Culture; Dose of Reality on the Budget
The Rise of the Startup Culture – We have focused a lot of our time and energy…
