By Megan Hansen
CNS Staff Writer
More than 20 business and property owners along Folsom Boulevard met with Rancho Cordova city officials on April 2 to discuss ways to improve this beleaguered stretch of road.
Some property owners say recent changes to the city’s zoning codes, rather than encouraging businesses, have created more vacancies along Folsom Boulevard.
The city approved zoning changes in November 2006, after passing the Folsom Boulevard Specific Plan in July 2006. The zoning changes limit the uses of some properties on Folsom Boulevard in hopes of encouraging less large-scale commercial development and more retail, residential and office space.
City Planning Director Paul Junker said the zoning changes are part of an effort to turn Folsom Boulevard into a thriving urban district. City officials want to create pedestrian-friendly gathering places for the community where there are now deserted parking lots and drive-thru restaurants.
“There is just too much ground and square footage in Rancho for it to all be commercial, so there’s a lot of mixed-use properties,” Junker said. “This plan is setting the vision to make the boulevard a center of activity with vibrant, people-friendly places.”
Property owner Gary Sostchen said the businesses on his property do not meet the new zoning code. The businesses can continue to operate, but if they vacant, Sostchen must fill the space within six months or find tenants that adhere to the new zoning code.
Sostchen said he has a 50 percent vacancy in his buildings, located behind Jiffy Lube on Folsom Boulevard. He said he can’t find tenants to fit the new zoning standards – a problem he didn’t have under the old code.
“I am three to four months away from abandoning the property because I can’t find tenants to fit the code,” Sostchen said. “I can’t get a business loan to refinance and may have to close businesses because lenders see nonconforming properties as an obstacle and won’t loan.”
Business owner Al Gonzalez has owned an auto repair shop at 10655 Coloma Rd. near Folsom Boulevard for 30 years. Gonzalez said he has been trying to expand for two years but encountered problems with the zoning code.
“The city has a vision and wants us to foot the bill,” Gonzalez said. “This is all about developers and investors. The city is setting up these properties to sell it to them and they want to divide us.”
Beth Walter, Folsom Boulevard property owner and past president of the Rancho Cordova Chamber of Commerce, said zoning is an issue, but the city’s vision takes precedence.
“This is a very, very hot-potato issue,” Walter said.
Junker said the Folsom Boulevard Specific Plan will help attract people to Folsom Boulevard over time. The goal is to make Folsom Boulevard more than just a route to get to other places, he said.
“We think Folsom Boulevard should be a lot more successful and we need to create a path to build for the future,” Junker said. “There is a cost, there is pain right now but ultimately there will be an increase in all property values.”
Current law states that if property owners cannot find a tenant within six months, they forfeit their past property use and must abide by the new zoning code. Junker said it might be possible to extend the current six month vacancy period to 12 months.
Curt Haven, Rancho Cordova’s economic development director, said the purpose of the meeting is to look at the issues of Folsom Boulevard and develop a plan to help business and property owners.
The next meeting of the Folsom Boulevard Business Group will take place on May 7 at the Mills Station Building, and will cover the issue of financing for nonconforming use property owners.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Friday, April 10, 2009
Roseville opens accessible parks
By Dan King
CNS Staff Writer
While in many public venues, access for people with disabilities has improved over the last few decades, all too often, access has meant nothing more than meeting the minimum requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
But the City of Roseville is going beyond the legal mandates and welcoming disabled residents to its outdoor facilities. Roseville’s Project Play has committed to building three universally accessible parks in three different regions of the city.
The idea is to make the parks enjoyable for all children, regardless of abilities.
Some of the features include ramps, hard-backed swings and “sensory fun” areas where children can make noise and feel textures. Cushioned rubber surfaces replace the usual sand and bark, allowing wheelchair access to the entire play structure.
The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that of the 2,122 disabled children aged 5-15 in Placer County in 2006, almost 60 percent live in Roseville.
Roseville resident Jackie DeMuth was a driving force in convincing the city to back universal access to playgrounds.
Her granddaughter, Zoie Digne, was born eight years ago with cerebral palsy and only weighed 1 pound 10 ounces.
“We saw her watching other kids doing things that she couldn’t do,” DeMuth said. “It was a process coming to grips with her disability, and the process included doing something for Zoie.”
They considered a swing set in the backyard, but it wouldn’t give Zoie a chance to interact with other children.
DeMuth discovered a non-profit called Shane’s Inspiration, whose mission is to eliminate bias against children with disabilities. They do so by helping to create universally accessible playgrounds and organize programs for children with disabilities to interact with children without special needs.
She brought the idea to create an accessible playground to the Roseville City Council in May 2007. Less than two years later, the first of the three planned playgrounds was opened to the public.
“My husband and I are thrilled to live in a community so willing to help others,” DeMuth said. “They have been so generous and so anxious to help.”
Councilman John Allard has served on the universal playground steering committee during the parks’ development. He says the speed with which the committee raised the funds and opened the first structure speaks volumes about the Roseville community.
“I’ve gotten tremendous comments and support from everyone,” he said. “I have not received any negative comments.”
Councilwoman Carol Garcia also serves on the playground steering committee.
“In these tough economic times, it is important for our residents to know the funds did not come out of the general fund,” she said. “The public funds that have gone into these parks came from various public grants, and the rest was raised from private donations.”
Jeff Dubchansky, assistant parks & recreation director, is the project manager for Roseville’s Project Play. He said public funds have contributed $1 million to designing, building and maintaining these parks. The projected cost for all three parks is $2.2 million. So far $790,000 of the needed $1.2 million has been privately raised.
Wesley Lujan, director of public affairs for Union Pacific was responsible for donating $30,000 from the Union Pacific Grant.
“It’s important for all children to get to play like other kids,” he said. “Secondly, our employees live in the area and we wanted to be part of such a strong public and private partnership.”
The three playgrounds are spread across the city, with one in Maidu Park at the southern end, one in Mahany Park in the north end and one in Royer Park in the downtown area. The Maidu playground opened to the public in late March and will have its grand opening celebration on May 2. The first part of Mahany Park’s playground is scheduled to open June 25.
“It’s great the parks are in three different sections of the city, serving not only Roseville but other areas,” DeMuth said. “Maidu also serves children with special needs in Orangevale and Granite Bay. Mahany can serve Antelope, Rocklin and Lincoln.”
CNS Staff Writer
While in many public venues, access for people with disabilities has improved over the last few decades, all too often, access has meant nothing more than meeting the minimum requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
But the City of Roseville is going beyond the legal mandates and welcoming disabled residents to its outdoor facilities. Roseville’s Project Play has committed to building three universally accessible parks in three different regions of the city.
The idea is to make the parks enjoyable for all children, regardless of abilities.
Some of the features include ramps, hard-backed swings and “sensory fun” areas where children can make noise and feel textures. Cushioned rubber surfaces replace the usual sand and bark, allowing wheelchair access to the entire play structure.
The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that of the 2,122 disabled children aged 5-15 in Placer County in 2006, almost 60 percent live in Roseville.
Roseville resident Jackie DeMuth was a driving force in convincing the city to back universal access to playgrounds.
Her granddaughter, Zoie Digne, was born eight years ago with cerebral palsy and only weighed 1 pound 10 ounces.
“We saw her watching other kids doing things that she couldn’t do,” DeMuth said. “It was a process coming to grips with her disability, and the process included doing something for Zoie.”
They considered a swing set in the backyard, but it wouldn’t give Zoie a chance to interact with other children.
DeMuth discovered a non-profit called Shane’s Inspiration, whose mission is to eliminate bias against children with disabilities. They do so by helping to create universally accessible playgrounds and organize programs for children with disabilities to interact with children without special needs.
She brought the idea to create an accessible playground to the Roseville City Council in May 2007. Less than two years later, the first of the three planned playgrounds was opened to the public.
“My husband and I are thrilled to live in a community so willing to help others,” DeMuth said. “They have been so generous and so anxious to help.”
Councilman John Allard has served on the universal playground steering committee during the parks’ development. He says the speed with which the committee raised the funds and opened the first structure speaks volumes about the Roseville community.
“I’ve gotten tremendous comments and support from everyone,” he said. “I have not received any negative comments.”
Councilwoman Carol Garcia also serves on the playground steering committee.
“In these tough economic times, it is important for our residents to know the funds did not come out of the general fund,” she said. “The public funds that have gone into these parks came from various public grants, and the rest was raised from private donations.”
Jeff Dubchansky, assistant parks & recreation director, is the project manager for Roseville’s Project Play. He said public funds have contributed $1 million to designing, building and maintaining these parks. The projected cost for all three parks is $2.2 million. So far $790,000 of the needed $1.2 million has been privately raised.
Wesley Lujan, director of public affairs for Union Pacific was responsible for donating $30,000 from the Union Pacific Grant.
“It’s important for all children to get to play like other kids,” he said. “Secondly, our employees live in the area and we wanted to be part of such a strong public and private partnership.”
The three playgrounds are spread across the city, with one in Maidu Park at the southern end, one in Mahany Park in the north end and one in Royer Park in the downtown area. The Maidu playground opened to the public in late March and will have its grand opening celebration on May 2. The first part of Mahany Park’s playground is scheduled to open June 25.
“It’s great the parks are in three different sections of the city, serving not only Roseville but other areas,” DeMuth said. “Maidu also serves children with special needs in Orangevale and Granite Bay. Mahany can serve Antelope, Rocklin and Lincoln.”
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Rancho Cordova to vote on new tax
By Megan Hansen
CNS Staff Writer
Rancho Cordova residents will pay more for using their cellular phones if a proposed utility tax to fund police services and city improvements is approved in the upcoming special election.
The City Council voted 4-1 on March 5 to place the tax on the May 19 ballot. If approved, the tax will be used for police services, maintenance and improvement of city streets, graffiti removal and code enforcement. The measure requires a two-thirds vote to pass.
The proposed tax expands upon an existing utility users’ tax that goes into the city’s general fund. The tax is a 2.5 percent charge on electricity, natural gas, landline telephones, cable television and sewer service. Adoption of the proposed tax would extend the 2.5 percent charge to newer communication technologies, such as cellular phones.
Councilman Robert McGarvey said the utility users’ tax needs an update as more people eliminate their landlines, resulting in a loss of utility tax revenue.
“We have a utility tax in existence and it needs to be rewritten so it can handle today’s electrical uses on phones, cable and other modern utilities,” McGarvey said. “We’re seeing a loss in landlines and right now we’re looking for some way to upgrade the current language of the tax.”
City Manager Ted Gaebler said the tax would help preserve city operations.
“We’re trying to preserve income and maintain the existing taxes,” Gaebler said. “We have a tax we want citizens to have an opportunity to sustain.”
However, not everyone wants the tax on the ballot. Councilman David Sander expressed opposition to the measure.
“If this passes, I’ll pay tax on my cell phone that I currently don’t,” Sander said. “I’m worried because we haven’t prepared a public campaign or citizen outreach program to explain this tax.”
Councilwoman Linda Budge said the proposed tax is an attempt to keep up with changing technology and would help alleviate current revenue shortages.
“This is a response to changing times and changing technology,” Budge said. “This is a prudent part of an overall budget strategy to try to make sure that the forecast for the two and three years out is not as grim as it certainly seems.”
Donna Silva, city finance director, said extending the utility tax to more users and designating funds for a specific purpose would ease financial strain on the city.
“We are in the throws of a recession,” Silva said. “We have experienced million dollar year after year declines in our sales tax revenues over the past two years and our property tax revenues are declining due to foreclosures.”
If passed, Silva said the new taxes would be implemented after notifying utility companies.
“We would notify companies like Verizon, AT&T, Comcast and DirectTV to update their billing procedures,” Silva said. “They already have the mechanisms in place to tax residents and make sure the money gets back to the city because they already do it with landlines- it would just need to be updated.”
Voters will receive their voting materials in the first or second week of April.
CNS Staff Writer
Rancho Cordova residents will pay more for using their cellular phones if a proposed utility tax to fund police services and city improvements is approved in the upcoming special election.
The City Council voted 4-1 on March 5 to place the tax on the May 19 ballot. If approved, the tax will be used for police services, maintenance and improvement of city streets, graffiti removal and code enforcement. The measure requires a two-thirds vote to pass.
The proposed tax expands upon an existing utility users’ tax that goes into the city’s general fund. The tax is a 2.5 percent charge on electricity, natural gas, landline telephones, cable television and sewer service. Adoption of the proposed tax would extend the 2.5 percent charge to newer communication technologies, such as cellular phones.
Councilman Robert McGarvey said the utility users’ tax needs an update as more people eliminate their landlines, resulting in a loss of utility tax revenue.
“We have a utility tax in existence and it needs to be rewritten so it can handle today’s electrical uses on phones, cable and other modern utilities,” McGarvey said. “We’re seeing a loss in landlines and right now we’re looking for some way to upgrade the current language of the tax.”
City Manager Ted Gaebler said the tax would help preserve city operations.
“We’re trying to preserve income and maintain the existing taxes,” Gaebler said. “We have a tax we want citizens to have an opportunity to sustain.”
However, not everyone wants the tax on the ballot. Councilman David Sander expressed opposition to the measure.
“If this passes, I’ll pay tax on my cell phone that I currently don’t,” Sander said. “I’m worried because we haven’t prepared a public campaign or citizen outreach program to explain this tax.”
Councilwoman Linda Budge said the proposed tax is an attempt to keep up with changing technology and would help alleviate current revenue shortages.
“This is a response to changing times and changing technology,” Budge said. “This is a prudent part of an overall budget strategy to try to make sure that the forecast for the two and three years out is not as grim as it certainly seems.”
Donna Silva, city finance director, said extending the utility tax to more users and designating funds for a specific purpose would ease financial strain on the city.
“We are in the throws of a recession,” Silva said. “We have experienced million dollar year after year declines in our sales tax revenues over the past two years and our property tax revenues are declining due to foreclosures.”
If passed, Silva said the new taxes would be implemented after notifying utility companies.
“We would notify companies like Verizon, AT&T, Comcast and DirectTV to update their billing procedures,” Silva said. “They already have the mechanisms in place to tax residents and make sure the money gets back to the city because they already do it with landlines- it would just need to be updated.”
Voters will receive their voting materials in the first or second week of April.
Elk Grove transit fees rise
By Todd Wilson
CNS Staff Writer
In these tough economic times, many Elk Grove residents use the city’s e-tran bus service to commute to work as a cost-saving measure, but starting this month, they are saving a little less.
On Feb. 11, the Elk Grove City Council voted to raise transit fares for the first time since fixed route service began in 2005. The increase went into effect on April 1.
One-way cash fares for adults have increased from $1.50 to $2.25, a 50 percent jump in price. Monthly commuter passes rose from $60 to $100, a nearly 67 percent increase.
City of Elk Grove Transit Manager Tiffany Fink said there are two reasons fare increases could not be put off any longer.
The first is to meet a state mandate requiring transit agencies to recover a certain percentage of their operating costs from fares. The second is an attempt to reach fare parity with Sacramento Regional Transit with which e-trans has transfer agreements.
Fink said in order for e-trans to receive funding from the state’s Transportation Development Act, state law requires the agency to recover 20 percent of its costs from transit box fares. If the agency does not meet this requirement, it will lose both state and federal funding.
Fink said this had not been a problem – until now – because the law allows for exemptions to give new transit agencies a few years to build their services.
“Recovering 20 percent from fare boxes right out of the gate is difficult to do,” Fink said.
Also, RT requested that E-trans renegotiate the transfer agreements between the two agencies to avoid fare disparity, Fink said.
“Being out of parity could create a gap and one agency could end up owing the other money,” Fink said.
One solution is to charge the same fare. Elk Grove decided to match RT’s fare, rather than risk owing money, Fink said.
When e-trans began offering fixed- route bus service, its rates were benchmarked to RT’s. Since then, RT’s fees have increased while e-tran’s have remained the same.
RT Chief Financial Officer Dee Brookshire said RT began talking about renegotiating transfer agreements with other agencies last summer. She said a February 2008 transit fare study showed the transfer agreements from lower fare agencies decreased revenue for RT.
Brookshire said RT offers more routes and services, such as light rail, than its partner agencies, and therefore, has to charge more for services. She said RT decided to renegotiate the transfer agreements in light of $22 million in budget cuts from the state.
Brookshire said fare parity is not required by RT as a part of the transfer agreements, but the lower fare agency would likely end up owing RT the difference.
Brookshire said the transfer agreements do not benefit RT, but the agency is committed to them based on a mutual desire by all regional transportation agencies to make using mass transit easy for customers.
Fink said RT and e-tran are working to finalize their transfer agreements, and a new deal should be coming shortly.
Elk Grove residents who use the e-tran bus service to commute to work say they plan to continue using the service despite the fee increases.
Ellie Hough rides the bus to work in downtown Sacramento five days a week. She said even with the fare increase, using the bus is still the most economical way to get to work.
“The fare increases are the pattern of everything right now,” Hough said. “I can’t think of one of my bills that hasn’t gone up recently.”
State worker John Martinez also uses e-tran to commute to work. He said when he factors in the cost of gas and parking, the mileage on his car and the amount of time he would spend stuck in traffic, mass transit is the best option for him.
Martinez said the biggest problem he has with e-tran is that return service to Elk Grove stops in the early evening. Martinez said if he works late he has to find another way to get home.
“If they could take care of that with this increase that would be nice,” Martinez said.
CNS Staff Writer
In these tough economic times, many Elk Grove residents use the city’s e-tran bus service to commute to work as a cost-saving measure, but starting this month, they are saving a little less.
On Feb. 11, the Elk Grove City Council voted to raise transit fares for the first time since fixed route service began in 2005. The increase went into effect on April 1.
One-way cash fares for adults have increased from $1.50 to $2.25, a 50 percent jump in price. Monthly commuter passes rose from $60 to $100, a nearly 67 percent increase.
City of Elk Grove Transit Manager Tiffany Fink said there are two reasons fare increases could not be put off any longer.
The first is to meet a state mandate requiring transit agencies to recover a certain percentage of their operating costs from fares. The second is an attempt to reach fare parity with Sacramento Regional Transit with which e-trans has transfer agreements.
Fink said in order for e-trans to receive funding from the state’s Transportation Development Act, state law requires the agency to recover 20 percent of its costs from transit box fares. If the agency does not meet this requirement, it will lose both state and federal funding.
Fink said this had not been a problem – until now – because the law allows for exemptions to give new transit agencies a few years to build their services.
“Recovering 20 percent from fare boxes right out of the gate is difficult to do,” Fink said.
Also, RT requested that E-trans renegotiate the transfer agreements between the two agencies to avoid fare disparity, Fink said.
“Being out of parity could create a gap and one agency could end up owing the other money,” Fink said.
One solution is to charge the same fare. Elk Grove decided to match RT’s fare, rather than risk owing money, Fink said.
When e-trans began offering fixed- route bus service, its rates were benchmarked to RT’s. Since then, RT’s fees have increased while e-tran’s have remained the same.
RT Chief Financial Officer Dee Brookshire said RT began talking about renegotiating transfer agreements with other agencies last summer. She said a February 2008 transit fare study showed the transfer agreements from lower fare agencies decreased revenue for RT.
Brookshire said RT offers more routes and services, such as light rail, than its partner agencies, and therefore, has to charge more for services. She said RT decided to renegotiate the transfer agreements in light of $22 million in budget cuts from the state.
Brookshire said fare parity is not required by RT as a part of the transfer agreements, but the lower fare agency would likely end up owing RT the difference.
Brookshire said the transfer agreements do not benefit RT, but the agency is committed to them based on a mutual desire by all regional transportation agencies to make using mass transit easy for customers.
Fink said RT and e-tran are working to finalize their transfer agreements, and a new deal should be coming shortly.
Elk Grove residents who use the e-tran bus service to commute to work say they plan to continue using the service despite the fee increases.
Ellie Hough rides the bus to work in downtown Sacramento five days a week. She said even with the fare increase, using the bus is still the most economical way to get to work.
“The fare increases are the pattern of everything right now,” Hough said. “I can’t think of one of my bills that hasn’t gone up recently.”
State worker John Martinez also uses e-tran to commute to work. He said when he factors in the cost of gas and parking, the mileage on his car and the amount of time he would spend stuck in traffic, mass transit is the best option for him.
Martinez said the biggest problem he has with e-tran is that return service to Elk Grove stops in the early evening. Martinez said if he works late he has to find another way to get home.
“If they could take care of that with this increase that would be nice,” Martinez said.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Folsom reduces workforce
By Steffi Broski
CNS Staff Writer
Faced with declining revenue, Folsom city officials decided at the end of January to eliminate 55 positions within the city. Now, a retirement incentive program is expected to further shrink the city’s workforce.
The city approved the mid-year budget in late January. Four weeks later, the City Council adopted the incentive program, which offers an additional two years towards retirement to all eligible city employees in an effort to reduce the workforce.
“Let’s say somebody is 50 years old and has put in 18 years of service,” said John Spittler, director of Human Resources. “You can retire as if you had 20 years of service.”
Employees who are at least 50 years old and have invested in the California Public Employees’ Retirement System can take advantage of this option. The city of Folsom is one of many agencies contracting with CalPers that have been allowed to offer the incentive because of budget cuts and layoffs.
“We don’t know the exact number of how many employees have accepted so far, but 15 or more have indicated interest,” said Spittler.
Employees interested in the 2-year incentive have to give notice by the end of May.
On March 10, the city sent out its lay-off notices to 39 employees. Out of the 55 eliminated positions, 16 were vacant.
For employees who worked their way up the ladder – from entry to intermediate to senior level – there is an opportunity to “bump,” which means accepting a demotion rather than a layoff.
“It’s a seniority-based system,” said Spittler. “People might keep working in the department, but at a lower level.”
One of the divisions affected by the layoffs is the Folsom Zoo Sanctuary. The zoo lost three part-time zoo keepers and a part-time cashier position in addition to three positions at its education department.
“It’s impossible to pin down what will happen today or tomorrow. There have never been layoffs like that,” said zoo spokeswoman Roberta Ratcliff. “But when there’s no money, there’s no money.”
All departing city employees will leave their positions in mid-April.
Zoo Manager Jocelyn Smeltzer said that despite losing positions in the education department, there will still be opportunities for education at the zoo “just not as many as we have been lucky to have in the past.”
Smeltzer said the docent program, which provides tours for school children, will attempt to fill the void left by the departing educators. Some community members have offered to write grant applications to secure more funding for the zoo, Smeltzer said.
City Council member Ernie Sheldon said each department in the city had to come up with an amount that could be cut. The bottom line is that the budget needs to be balanced- layoffs are part of that attempt, he said.
“We hate to do what we have to do, but times are bad right now,” Sheldon said. “We don’t have any bad people. We have exceptional employees that have been doing a good job.”
Though many city positions have been eliminated, a better economic future might re-create those positions.
“It’s hard to predict the future, but things always ebb and flow,” said Spittler. “If we have very, very different economic times in the future, who knows how the city will deal with that.”
CNS Staff Writer
Faced with declining revenue, Folsom city officials decided at the end of January to eliminate 55 positions within the city. Now, a retirement incentive program is expected to further shrink the city’s workforce.
The city approved the mid-year budget in late January. Four weeks later, the City Council adopted the incentive program, which offers an additional two years towards retirement to all eligible city employees in an effort to reduce the workforce.
“Let’s say somebody is 50 years old and has put in 18 years of service,” said John Spittler, director of Human Resources. “You can retire as if you had 20 years of service.”
Employees who are at least 50 years old and have invested in the California Public Employees’ Retirement System can take advantage of this option. The city of Folsom is one of many agencies contracting with CalPers that have been allowed to offer the incentive because of budget cuts and layoffs.
“We don’t know the exact number of how many employees have accepted so far, but 15 or more have indicated interest,” said Spittler.
Employees interested in the 2-year incentive have to give notice by the end of May.
On March 10, the city sent out its lay-off notices to 39 employees. Out of the 55 eliminated positions, 16 were vacant.
For employees who worked their way up the ladder – from entry to intermediate to senior level – there is an opportunity to “bump,” which means accepting a demotion rather than a layoff.
“It’s a seniority-based system,” said Spittler. “People might keep working in the department, but at a lower level.”
One of the divisions affected by the layoffs is the Folsom Zoo Sanctuary. The zoo lost three part-time zoo keepers and a part-time cashier position in addition to three positions at its education department.
“It’s impossible to pin down what will happen today or tomorrow. There have never been layoffs like that,” said zoo spokeswoman Roberta Ratcliff. “But when there’s no money, there’s no money.”
All departing city employees will leave their positions in mid-April.
Zoo Manager Jocelyn Smeltzer said that despite losing positions in the education department, there will still be opportunities for education at the zoo “just not as many as we have been lucky to have in the past.”
Smeltzer said the docent program, which provides tours for school children, will attempt to fill the void left by the departing educators. Some community members have offered to write grant applications to secure more funding for the zoo, Smeltzer said.
City Council member Ernie Sheldon said each department in the city had to come up with an amount that could be cut. The bottom line is that the budget needs to be balanced- layoffs are part of that attempt, he said.
“We hate to do what we have to do, but times are bad right now,” Sheldon said. “We don’t have any bad people. We have exceptional employees that have been doing a good job.”
Though many city positions have been eliminated, a better economic future might re-create those positions.
“It’s hard to predict the future, but things always ebb and flow,” said Spittler. “If we have very, very different economic times in the future, who knows how the city will deal with that.”
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Yolo County facing layoffs, spending cuts
By Luke Gianni
CNS Staff Writer
Yolo County officials are scrambling to prepare this year’s budget which will include massive spending cuts, layoffs and significant reductions in services.
Officials said falling property taxes and dwindling state funding have left them with no choice but to direct all department heads to separate the indispensible components of their programs from those that the county could survive without – presumably to slash them.
“We’re at the point where we can’t tighten our belts anymore,” county spokeswoman Beth Gabor said. “Now it’s lopping off whole programs to meet out targets. There will also be a discussion about how many employees we are going to lay off.”
The county is facing a $22.5 million cash shortfall, nearly a third of its total budget.
The layoffs and program cuts are but one part of a multi-pronged solution envisioned by county administrators in their endeavor to tame the monumental deficit.
Officials will be meeting with union representatives to renegotiate pay, benefits and retirement contributions of all employees, from which the county hopes to save around $5 million.
Gabor said the county will also spend nearly half of its general fund reserves – $4.2 million – to narrow the gap.
In addition, officials forecast around $2 million in federal stimulus money coming to the county that will also help shore up the budget.
However, even with a new labor agreement, reserve spending and federal help, the county will still be about $11 million in the hole and that, officials said, will have to come out of somewhere.
“I expect we will see [cuts] all over the map,” said Pat Leary, assistant administrator for the county. “There may be some services lopped off all together. It’s obviously going to be an extremely, dramatic change.”
Leary said the details have yet to be hammered out, adding that there are no solid numbers on how many layoffs will be coming.
She said her department will meet again with the Board of Supervisors on April 21, ahead of the normal June budget deadline, to brief them on their progress in cutting the budget.
By that time, the county’s departments will have submitted their essential-vs.-discretionary budget wish lists. The board will then decide, item by item, which programs to keep funding, which to reduce and which to cut out all together.
“We asked for them to identify what their core services were,” Leary said. “It’s drawing a line between that what you need to provide and what would you like to provide.”
Taking a pay cut may be hard to swallow for county staffers, many of who were already on voluntary furloughs to help mend last year’s budget shortfall.
“As generous as our employees have been it has been tough,” Gabor said. “The reduction of their salaries across the board will be a hardship for many. We imagine some of our employees will be eligible for our services when this is all said and done.”
Leary insisted, however, that the county will eventually recover and avoided calling this recession a permanent paradigm shift into limited service. On the contrary, Leary said, the county will be forced to innovate and become more efficient, making it even more productive when the economy eventually turns around.
“Every recession is unique,” Leary said. “They are like children. They all have idiosyncrasies to each one. But part of what a recession does is it makes you look at your service and ask: Is this the best way we can provide these services? That is why these crises can be incubators for innovation. To the extent you can, you innovate and get new ideas and that’s your paradigm shift.”
CNS Staff Writer
Yolo County officials are scrambling to prepare this year’s budget which will include massive spending cuts, layoffs and significant reductions in services.
Officials said falling property taxes and dwindling state funding have left them with no choice but to direct all department heads to separate the indispensible components of their programs from those that the county could survive without – presumably to slash them.
“We’re at the point where we can’t tighten our belts anymore,” county spokeswoman Beth Gabor said. “Now it’s lopping off whole programs to meet out targets. There will also be a discussion about how many employees we are going to lay off.”
The county is facing a $22.5 million cash shortfall, nearly a third of its total budget.
The layoffs and program cuts are but one part of a multi-pronged solution envisioned by county administrators in their endeavor to tame the monumental deficit.
Officials will be meeting with union representatives to renegotiate pay, benefits and retirement contributions of all employees, from which the county hopes to save around $5 million.
Gabor said the county will also spend nearly half of its general fund reserves – $4.2 million – to narrow the gap.
In addition, officials forecast around $2 million in federal stimulus money coming to the county that will also help shore up the budget.
However, even with a new labor agreement, reserve spending and federal help, the county will still be about $11 million in the hole and that, officials said, will have to come out of somewhere.
“I expect we will see [cuts] all over the map,” said Pat Leary, assistant administrator for the county. “There may be some services lopped off all together. It’s obviously going to be an extremely, dramatic change.”
Leary said the details have yet to be hammered out, adding that there are no solid numbers on how many layoffs will be coming.
She said her department will meet again with the Board of Supervisors on April 21, ahead of the normal June budget deadline, to brief them on their progress in cutting the budget.
By that time, the county’s departments will have submitted their essential-vs.-discretionary budget wish lists. The board will then decide, item by item, which programs to keep funding, which to reduce and which to cut out all together.
“We asked for them to identify what their core services were,” Leary said. “It’s drawing a line between that what you need to provide and what would you like to provide.”
Taking a pay cut may be hard to swallow for county staffers, many of who were already on voluntary furloughs to help mend last year’s budget shortfall.
“As generous as our employees have been it has been tough,” Gabor said. “The reduction of their salaries across the board will be a hardship for many. We imagine some of our employees will be eligible for our services when this is all said and done.”
Leary insisted, however, that the county will eventually recover and avoided calling this recession a permanent paradigm shift into limited service. On the contrary, Leary said, the county will be forced to innovate and become more efficient, making it even more productive when the economy eventually turns around.
“Every recession is unique,” Leary said. “They are like children. They all have idiosyncrasies to each one. But part of what a recession does is it makes you look at your service and ask: Is this the best way we can provide these services? That is why these crises can be incubators for innovation. To the extent you can, you innovate and get new ideas and that’s your paradigm shift.”
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Blood donations drop in region
By Luke Gianni
CNS staff writer
With all the bad economic news, it may be a comfort to know you can access a basic medical examination that requires no insurance or money – only your blood.
That is one selling point of donating blood, according to the American Red Cross. Their organization conducts stringent – and free – blood screens, in hopes of drawing out more people to donate.
Many regional blood bank operators are apprehensive about how the recession might affect the region’s blood supply.
Their concern stems from what they see happening in regions like Yolo County, which has seen a slight drop in blood donations since the economic downturn. Although supplies there are holding steady, officials said they are have to work harder to find blood donors.
Fortunately, the drop in donations has largely been offset by a corresponding decrease in demand, according to Leslie Botos, spokeswoman for Blood Source, the county’s official blood donor agency.
“I don’t think there isn’t a blood bank in the country that hasn’t been affected by the economy,” Botos said.
The majority of the agency’s blood drives are conducted at businesses, and Blood Source relies heavily on donations from those employees, she said. When businesses close, the agency has to find a new place to hold drives. That results in the loss of some regular donors.
“Any time a business closes, you lose a familiar place to donate blood,” Botos said. “It’s been getting harder and harder each day and we have to get creative.”
Donors are often anxious about taking time off of work to give blood, Botos said. Furthermore, this type of philanthropy has taken a back seat to other priorities for many in Yolo County.
But as the bad economy has caused a decrease in blood donations, it has also served to lessen the demand.
Botos said Yolo County hospitals have reported a recent and significant drop in elective surgeries and that could account for the decreased demand.
Botos said she expects Bloodsource to collect far less this year than average, which is about 85,000 donations.
Sara O’Brien, spokeswoman for the Northern California Division of the American Red Cross, said regional supplies are at normal levels – that is to say they are very tenuous.
“It’s not like we have an excess supply,” O’Brien said. “We have just enough for a day-to-day basis. We would rather be operating on a week-to-week basis.”
O’Brien said her agency, which covers operations in the Bay Area and San Jose, has been monitoring the supply level in the wake of the country’s recent economic troubles.
“We haven’t seen a run up on blood, and elective surgeries have decreased,” O’Brien said.
The main obstacle to blood donations is the same as it has always been, she said – extremely tight standards.
“Only 38 percent are eligible to give blood,” O’Brien said. “And out of that 35 percent, only three to five percent actually give blood.”
Low iron levels and any blood-related ailments will disqualify a donor from giving blood, according to the policy of the Food and Drug Administration, the agency in charge of regulating blood donation in the United States.
The FDA also bars homosexuals, drug users and anyone who has traveled for three months or more in the United Kingdom from 1980 through 1996 from giving blood.
On the bright side, O’Brien said the FDA’s air-tight standards might be a selling point to those who have recently lost their health benefits.
“If you don’t have medical insurance, well, we really are doing a mini-medical health examine,” O’Brien said. “If they notice something wrong with [your blood], we will notify you right away.”
O’Brien said they screen blood for the most common sexually transmitted diseases as well as a few other ailments at no cost.
And if the economy has dampened your altruistic means, blood donation is free and always needed, she said.
“If you’re used to giving to charity ad now you can’t, at least you’re able to in a low cost way to make a difference in someone else’s life.”
CNS staff writer
With all the bad economic news, it may be a comfort to know you can access a basic medical examination that requires no insurance or money – only your blood.
That is one selling point of donating blood, according to the American Red Cross. Their organization conducts stringent – and free – blood screens, in hopes of drawing out more people to donate.
Many regional blood bank operators are apprehensive about how the recession might affect the region’s blood supply.
Their concern stems from what they see happening in regions like Yolo County, which has seen a slight drop in blood donations since the economic downturn. Although supplies there are holding steady, officials said they are have to work harder to find blood donors.
Fortunately, the drop in donations has largely been offset by a corresponding decrease in demand, according to Leslie Botos, spokeswoman for Blood Source, the county’s official blood donor agency.
“I don’t think there isn’t a blood bank in the country that hasn’t been affected by the economy,” Botos said.
The majority of the agency’s blood drives are conducted at businesses, and Blood Source relies heavily on donations from those employees, she said. When businesses close, the agency has to find a new place to hold drives. That results in the loss of some regular donors.
“Any time a business closes, you lose a familiar place to donate blood,” Botos said. “It’s been getting harder and harder each day and we have to get creative.”
Donors are often anxious about taking time off of work to give blood, Botos said. Furthermore, this type of philanthropy has taken a back seat to other priorities for many in Yolo County.
But as the bad economy has caused a decrease in blood donations, it has also served to lessen the demand.
Botos said Yolo County hospitals have reported a recent and significant drop in elective surgeries and that could account for the decreased demand.
Botos said she expects Bloodsource to collect far less this year than average, which is about 85,000 donations.
Sara O’Brien, spokeswoman for the Northern California Division of the American Red Cross, said regional supplies are at normal levels – that is to say they are very tenuous.
“It’s not like we have an excess supply,” O’Brien said. “We have just enough for a day-to-day basis. We would rather be operating on a week-to-week basis.”
O’Brien said her agency, which covers operations in the Bay Area and San Jose, has been monitoring the supply level in the wake of the country’s recent economic troubles.
“We haven’t seen a run up on blood, and elective surgeries have decreased,” O’Brien said.
The main obstacle to blood donations is the same as it has always been, she said – extremely tight standards.
“Only 38 percent are eligible to give blood,” O’Brien said. “And out of that 35 percent, only three to five percent actually give blood.”
Low iron levels and any blood-related ailments will disqualify a donor from giving blood, according to the policy of the Food and Drug Administration, the agency in charge of regulating blood donation in the United States.
The FDA also bars homosexuals, drug users and anyone who has traveled for three months or more in the United Kingdom from 1980 through 1996 from giving blood.
On the bright side, O’Brien said the FDA’s air-tight standards might be a selling point to those who have recently lost their health benefits.
“If you don’t have medical insurance, well, we really are doing a mini-medical health examine,” O’Brien said. “If they notice something wrong with [your blood], we will notify you right away.”
O’Brien said they screen blood for the most common sexually transmitted diseases as well as a few other ailments at no cost.
And if the economy has dampened your altruistic means, blood donation is free and always needed, she said.
“If you’re used to giving to charity ad now you can’t, at least you’re able to in a low cost way to make a difference in someone else’s life.”
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