| Butte County, CA | November 4, 2014 Election |
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City Financial IssuesBy Andrew CoolidgeCandidate for Council Member; City of Chico |
This information is provided by the candidate | |
Causes and proposed solutions to help move us towards financial solvency.The City's financial position is extremely compromised. With close to $20 million in debt facing the city two years ago due to mismanagement by the council, extreme and devastating cuts has only brought us to roughly $8 million in the red. A series of mistakes over the last twelve years led to this position. They include: - Massive cost overrun on projects performed not for necessity, but for beautification. While these projects added value in most cases to our city and our citizen's lives, they were done in a way to cater to special interests in the community. Over runs on a variety of projects were in the millions of dollars and many overdue infrastructure upgrades which were necessary were ignored. - Humboldt Road Burn Dump Lawsuit. Due to mistakes by the council, which were later apologized for, the City was successfully sued by a local developer for over $18 million dollars. While the lawsuit occurred several years ago, the payments for this massive amount continue to strip away at our budget. - Lack of preparation for fiscal downturn and lack of information from city staff. The city did not prepare for sharp cuts needed to maintain a thriving and balanced budget even while other cities and businesses were making changes due to the sharp downturn in the economy. Congruently the City Council was ill informed by their staff of the position of the city financially for several years and the Council did not act to pressure city staff to produce an accurate portrait of city finances. While taxes or more cuts seem to be the only solutions, I believe both the Council and City Staff need to be more proactive when it comes to our financial situation. I am dedicated to finding solutions to our fiscal crisis and have done the following already: This past August, after much consultation from others and research, I asked the City Council to end a 27 year old North Valley Plaza tax sharing agreement with the county gives which was made in 1987, and gives the county 5% of the tax revenue from the plaza. In my conservations with former City Manager Fred Davis he believes the deal can and should be cancelled. According to Chris Constantine the city may gain from $500,000 to $1 million in revenue from the cancellation of the agreement. In March of this year I invited representatives from a large energy producer to Chico to meet with a council member and present a proposal to the city. Yuba City, Sutter County, Yuba County and Butte County have all accepted similar proposals from Chevron or PG&E. The program, which is called the "Chico Green Growth Program" replaces old and outdated infrastructure, utilizes solar energy, and updates water and lighting throughout the city with a guarantee to save revenue. The 30 year program would have a first year savings to the city budget of $60,000 to $150,000 and by year 20 would increase to over $500,000 in annual savings. Additional revenue could be found through the privatization of leaf removal, a franchise agreement with our garbage haulers, or staff increases to expedite the belabored permitting process which spurs immediate economic growth and revenue. Keep in mind I am not on the council and not all solutions to the crisis are available to me. I have taken on this issue hoping to capture additional revenues because I care about my city and want to see it be a safe place for me to raise my children (ages 8 and 12). If you have any additional questions please let me know. If you find my opinions and ideas make sense please consider liking my facebook page (http://www.Facebook.com/CoolidgeChico) or allowing me the opportunity to put a sign in your yard. You can reach me via cell at 530-864-8683. |
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ca/bt Created from information supplied by the candidate: October 22, 2014 23:38
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