Santa Claus, Movies in Park May Fall to Budget Axe

Christmas may not be the same this year.  The Scrooge in this story: the continuing city of Benicia budget crisis.  A notable victim of the new miserliness taking over City Hall: Visits with Santa Claus.  The city department proposing to cut this rite of the season: Parks and Community Services.

Also on the chopping block are movies in the park.  With a single vote next week the City Council could end those summer nights at City Park with families on blankets, kids wrapped in sleeping bags and lines for free popcorn.

The city released its list of proposed budget balancing measures this week, and while the pain would hit every department, it's Parks and Community Services bearing the brunt.

The City Council will discuss the cuts during its regular meeting 7 p.m. Tuesday, September 21 at City Hall. The city must close a $1.2 million deficit and is trying to use a combination of cuts to services and programs coupled with reductions in employee compensation.

The compensation reductions are being nogotiated with each bargaining unit. "We are currently going to the table," said Todd Matthews, president of Benicia Firefighters Association.  "We had a meeting on Monday and another scheduled next week.  We continue to work with the city."

Interim City Manager Jim Erickson had a slightly different take on the on-going negotiations with the bargaining units.  "Negotiations are not going as quickly as we'd like or as we thought they would," said Erickson. "They're productive, but not moving as quickly as we'd like given our financial situation."

The list of 22 cuts to programs and services and five revenue enhancement measures, primarily new or increased fees for city services, shows the budget problems are affecting all city departments.

The cuts represent a savings of $367,000 over the rest of the current fiscal year and $597,500 over the course of the full 2011-2012 fiscal year.  The new revenues for this fiscal year are projected to be $122,500 and $140,ooo for a full fiscal year.

The savings and new revenues of $489,500 proposed for this year is short of the $600,000 staff was trying to achieve.  According to city Finance Director Rob Sousa the difference will be made up by dipping into the reserve this year and replacing the money next year when the savings are projected to be $737,500, over the amount needed.

The revenue increases cover a wide variety of city services:

• All aquatics programs would see a 15 percent increase with the money used to offset costs associated with keeping the city pool open in February and March, saving the high school swim season.
• The city is also planning to institute new fees for sports leagues using city facilities. 
• Some dog owners are likely to help balance the budget too. Dogs caught wandering around town would cost their owners $50 to $90, depending on the number of previous run ins with Animal Control. The city currently doesn't assess a fee when dogs are picked up.

For the Parks and Community Services Department, the recommended cuts would trim $94,000 this fiscal year. Besides the movies in the park and Santa Claus, the reductions include cuts to the city pool and maintenance of two Benicia Unified School District fields.

Economic Development, a division of the city manager's office would be cut by $64,000 and includes a $16,000 in support for the Main Street Program which sponsors the Downtown Farmers Market and the annual Jazz Festival.

The city is proposing another cut that would affect the schools – a reduction of  the number of school resource officers.  That move would save the city $60,000 and would mean only one officer dedicated to working in the schools full time and one officer working half time.