City Manager tells Sacramento, ‘Don’t take our money’

With a number of proposals in play to borrow local government revenues in order to close the State’s $24.3 billion deficit, Sonoma City Manager Linda Kelly visited Sacramento on June 3 to tell lawmakers why these proposals are fiscally irresponsible and would devastate cities. She joined 150 city staffers, mayors and council members from across California in special briefings as part of the League of California Cities’ Budget Action Day.
“One of the most important parts of my job is making sure that our community has the resources it needs to provide for our residents. I went to Sacramento because I know that it is critical to have face-to-face meetings with our legislators so they understand how their decisions impact the people they serve,” said Kelly.
Kelly met with Assemblymember Jared Huffman, who explained the budget difficulties of the State and expressed concern for the position of local governments. Along with a group of North Bay city leaders, Kelly also met with a representative of State Senator Mark Leno’s office.
The fiscal tsunami hitting California has manifested itself at both the state and local levels. As a result, city budgets are strained by declining property and sales taxes. Cities have been forced to enact drastic cuts. For the City of Sonoma, revenue declines in transient occupancy tax, sales tax and building permit revenue so far have meant continued staff vacancies, shifts in workload across departments, and reductions and deferrals in non-essential projects. Continued balancing of the City’s budget will involve more difficult choices, should the State turn locally to solve its systemic financial problems.
The City’s first budget workshop will be held on Wednesday, June 17 at 4:30 p.m. in the Police Department Training Room located at 175 First Street West, Sonoma.