Sonoma's Financial Security

By Ken Brown

During my service on the Sonoma City Council,we have regularly produced balanced city budgets with no tax increases or service cutbacks, while maintaining a healthy business climate

It is notable that the city of Sonoma, in marked contrast to other Sonoma County jurisdictions, is in a remarkably sound financial condition.

I wish to humbly point out that this is due to careful and conservative management and oversight of the City's business and staff by the existing City Council, which I have been privileged to serve on for the last twelve years

• The Cities of Santa Rosa, Rohnert Park, Petaluma, and others are experiencing multi-million dollar shortfalls, with major cutbacks in city programs and massive lay-offs of public employees.

• Santa Rosa and Rohnert Park have increased taxes as well

• To the contrary, in Sonoma we have asked for no tax increases; no employee layoffs or furloughs, and there have been no cutbacks in services or funding for essential City programs.

• Sonoma has continued to fund scheduled street, water, sewer, and infrastructure improvements in our neighborhoods; maintained funding for non-profit agencies providing essential human and cultural services; and set aside healthy reserves for just such emergencies as our on-going Recession presents to all of us.

• This responsible stewardship has proceeded even in the light of State "raids" on Sonoma Redevelopment funds

• We have maintained a positive business climate, which has allowed Sonoma to enjoy a steady and relatively non-fluctuating source of receipts and TOT income.

• The story here is the absence of lurid headlines and drama about fiscal crisis in Sonoma; experienced and competent Council leadership has spared the residents of Sonoma from the problems encountered in most other Cities and Counties in California