Teens and skateboarders may have the added responsibility of looking after themselves at the Robb Field Skate Park in Ocean Beach if Mayor Jerry Sanders’ proposed budget for 2009 passes as is. The plan cuts staffing, leaving city skate parks open but unsupervised.
With the aid of city officials, Sanders answered questions from an audience of mostly Pacific Beach residents during an April 22 budget town hall meeting at the Earl & Birdie Taylor Library.
Though Sanders’ proposed $3.3 billion budget increases the funding for public safety services and sets aside money to pay down pension obligations, it eliminates 127 city positions that will affect services in the park and recreation and other city departments.
Sanders said the proposed plan cuts money for internal operations first, such as funding for new computers, before making any changes to public programs.
The proposed budget does not affect library and public park operation hours but does eliminate positions in those departments.
“You may see some service impacts,” he said.
According to Sanders’ proposal, skate parks would become unsupervised. Overnight camping at Kumeyaay campground in the Mission Trails Regional Park would be eliminated. And 12 of the 13 city pools would see a small reduction in operation hours but remain open little more than eight months out of the year.
He added that the city would closely monitor the effects of cuts in staffing in those departments.
Sanders also seeks to reform the city’s retirement system by seeking a legal settlement over the city’s Deferred Retirement Option Plan, or DROP program, and other retirement programs he wants to eliminate because of costs. He said he wants to introduce a new retirement program that would limit costs and risk to the city.
But Sanders’ proposed budget isn’t all cuts and closures.
A “softening economy” notwithstanding, Sanders wants to increase pay for fire fighters and police and buy a second firefighting helicopter.
The budget adds about six employees to help clear dry brush from around private residences in case of fires, according to chief financial officer Mary Lewis.
The budget also sets aside an annual required contribution (ARC) of $162 million in 2009 to pay off the city’s pension debt, Lewis said. The plan to pay the ARC should dig the city out of the $1.2 billion debt over the coming years, she said.
Lewis added that the city is also making progress toward ending the city’s financial woes and returning to the public bond market.
But as city officials try to fill holes in the budget, many residents had questions about holes in the streets.
Deputy Chief of Public Works David Jarrell answered some of those questions for interested residents.
“[Potholes] are generally taken care of pretty quickly. The bigger problem is just with the overall condition of the streets, as you all know,” Jarrell said.
The city plans to address 28 miles of streets in District 2 in 2009. Next year, Jarrell said, the city plans to spend about $45 million fixing more than 200 miles of streets throughout the city, he said.
Despite quick answers from city officials, one Pacific Beach resident in attendance wasn’t too satisfied with the proposed cuts to library staff and park and recreation resources.
Ann Merril, a 40-year resident of Pacific Beach, said she’s afraid of cuts to programs that help keep young people off the streets.
“If we don’t support our youths we’re going to get trouble,” Merril said. “I mean “¦ they won’t reach their full potential.”
The budget town hall meeting was the fourth of eight scheduled meetings ” one in each council district ” that Sanders has scheduled throughout the city.
After the City Council makes changes and approves the budget, the final version of the city’s budget should be ready by June, Sanders said.