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LET'S GO AHEAD AND CALL THE SPECIAL MEETING TO ORDER.
UH, WE'LL GO AHEAD AND READ THE STUDY SESSION ITEM PLEASE.
ITEM ONE, RECOMMENDATION TO RECEIVE AND FILE A PRESENTATION ON THE CITY'S FISCAL YEAR 25 BUDGET CONTEXT APPROACH.
ALRIGHT, WELL THANK YOU, UM, ALL FOR, FOR BEING HERE.
WE'RE GONNA KICK OFF OUR BUDGET PROCESS, UH, AND THIS IS A PRESENTATION THAT WE DO AT THE BEGINNING OF THE PROCESS WITH THE, WITH THE FULL CONTEXT AND WE LOOK
[1. 24-51761 Recommendation to receive and file a presentation on the City’s FY 25 Budget Context Approach. ]
OUT A FEW YEARS AS WELL.UH, AND SO THAT SAID, WE'LL, WE'LL PASS IT ON TO MR. MOKA TO KICK OFF THE PRESENTATION.
SO, UH, AS YOU MENTIONED, UH, WE HAVE EVEN STARTED THE BUDGET PROCESS EVEN EARLIER THAN NORMAL IN THE LAST COUPLE YEARS TO GAIN EVEN MORE COMMUNITY INPUT.
WE'RE GONNA START GOING OUT INTO THE COMMUNITY TO TALK ABOUT PRIORITIES, BUT BEFORE WE EVER DO THAT, WE COME TO THE COUNCIL TO GIVE YOU KIND OF A, A LOOK OF WHAT WE THINK THE FINANCIAL SITUATION LOOKS LIKE, AND THEN WE REALLY UPDATE THOSE NUMBERS IN MARCH.
AND SO THE NUMBERS YOU SEE TONIGHT MAY CHANGE SOME AS WE GET ADDITIONAL REVENUE PROJECTIONS AND COSTS PROJECTIONS, BUT IT'S IMPORTANT TO START SOMEWHERE TO START HAVING THOSE CONVERSATIONS, UH, ABOUT WHAT OUR FINANCIAL SITUATION LOOKS LIKE, UH, AS WE GO OUT INTO THE COMMUNITY AND WE GET, UH, INITIAL INPUT ON WHAT IS IMPORTANT, UH, TO CONSIDER DURING A BUDGET PROCESS.
AND THEN WE DO A SECOND ROUND OF COMMUNITY INPUT, UH, LATER IN AUGUST WHEN WE HAVE THE ACTUAL PROPOSALS, UH, FOR PEOPLE TO, TO RUMINATE ON.
AND SO TONIGHT I'M GONNA TURN TO OUR BUDGET TEAM TO WALK YOU THROUGH THAT PRESENTATION AND THEN WE CAN ANSWER QUESTIONS.
UH, OUR FINANCE DIRECTOR IS A LITTLE UNDER THE WEATHER TODAY.
UM, SO HE'S LISTENING, BUT HE'S NOT HERE IN PERSON.
UH, BUT THE TEAM BEHIND HIM IS REALLY THE, THE ONES THAT, UH, UH, KNOW ALL THE DETAILS IN AND OUT.
AND SO I'LL TURN FIRST TO OUR ACTING, UH, BUDGET MANAGER, GERALDINE ALEJO.
GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL.
THIS BUDGET STUDY SESSION IS TO PROVIDE YOU WITH A RECAP OF THE GENERAL FUND STATUS AS OF THE FY 24 BUDGET, AND PROVIDE A VERY HIGH LEVEL PRELIMINARY INFORMATION ON GENERAL FUND FISCAL TRENDS THAT WILL IMPACT THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE FY 25 BUDGET FORECAST.
THIS PRESENTATION WILL PROVIDE YOU AN OVERVIEW OF WHAT TO EXPECT WITH THE BUDGET DEVELOPMENT PROCESS, INCLUDING THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT EFFORTS THAT WILL BE STARTING TOMORROW NIGHT.
THE FOCUS TODAY WILL BE ON THE GENERAL FUND, BUT MORE INFORMATION ON OTHER FUNDS WILL BE PROVIDED IN FUTURE STUDY SESSIONS OR REPORTS, INCLUDING THE FY 23 YEAR END PERFORMANCE REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL IN FEBRUARY.
BEFORE WE GO INTO THE FY 25 BUDGET CONTEXT AND TRENDS, I WANTED TO TAKE A MOMENT AND ACKNOWLEDGE THE FY 24 BUDGETARY ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF THE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL WITH GUIDANCE FROM THE CITY MANAGER.
THIS INCLUDES SIGNIFICANT ENHANCEMENTS AND EFFICIENCIES DEVELOPED TOWARDS ACHIEVING THE LONG BEACH STRATEGIC VISION 2030, INCLUDING 27 MILLION OF ONE-TIME USES FOR CRITICAL INVESTMENTS.
WITHOUT GROWING THE GENERAL FUND SHORTFALL, WE LAUNCHED A NEW ELEVATE 28 PROGRAM FOR A TOTAL FIVE YEAR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN OF 758 MILLION TO REVITALIZE THE CITY'S INFRASTRUCTURE, PREPARE FOR THE 2028 OLYMPICS AND CONTINUE TO IMPROVE AND ENHANCE CITY PARKS, MAJOR CORRIDORS AND VISITORS SERVING AREAS.
AND FINALLY, IN THE ADOPTED FY 24 BUDGET, THE CITY MAINTAINED GENERAL FUND EMERGENCY AND OPERATING RESERVES.
TO RECAP THE GENERAL FUND PROJECTION JOURNEY, THIS TABLE SHOWS ACTUAL YEAREND RESULTS FROM FY 20 THROUGH 22 WITH FY 23 MID-YEAR ESTIMATES, AND THE FY 24 BUDGET IN FY 20 DUE TO THE PANDEMIC.
THE GENERAL FUND ENDED THE YEAR WITH A $21 MILLION SHORTFALL TO BALANCE THE YEAR THE CITY NEEDED TO DRAW DOWN ON NEARLY ALL OF THE CITY'S OPERATING RESERVE AS WELL AS THE CITY'S EMERGENCY RESERVE.
SINCE THEN, FY 21 THROUGH 23 WERE CHALLENGING YEARS DUE TO THE UNCERTAINTY OF ONGOING PANDEMIC IMPACTS IN FY 21 AND 22.
THE LONG BEACH RECOVERY ACT FUNDING ALLOWED THE CITY TO MAKE UP FOR LOST REVENUE AND COVER BOTH FISCAL YEAR SHORTFALLS ON A ONE-TIME BASIS.
THEN THE ADOPTED FY 23 BUDGET PROJECTED A $20 MILLION STRUCTURAL SHORTFALL WITH THE FUNDING GAPS SLATED TO BE COVERED WITH ONE-TIME LONG BEACH RECOVERY ACT FUNDING AND OTHER RESERVES SET ASIDE FOR THIS PURPOSE.
HOWEVER, THE FY 23 MIDYEAR PERFORMANCE REPORT PROJECTED A SIGNIFICANT REVENUE IMPROVEMENT,
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WHICH IN TURN IMPROVED OUT YEAR ASSUMPTIONS AS WELL AS A HIGH LEVEL OF ONE-TIME VACANCY SAVINGS DUE TO THESE FACTORS.THE FY 23 MID-YEAR PERFORMANCE REPORT INDICATED AN OPERATING SURPLUS OF 21 MILLION WITH A MAJORITY OF THE SURPLUS ALLOCATED FOR CRITICAL ONE-TIME NEEDS AS PART OF THE FY 24 BUDGET.
FINALLY, LARGELY DUE TO THE SIGNIFICANT REVENUE RECALIBRATION BASED ON FY 23 ESTIMATES, WHICH REMOVED THE PANDEMIC IMPACT FROM BUDGETED ASSUMPTIONS, THE FY 24 BUDGET PROJECTED A $9 MILLION SHORTFALL, WHICH WAS COVERED USING ONE-TIME LONG BEACH RECOVERY ACT FUNDING.
IN A FEW WEEKS FOLLOWING FISCAL YEAR 23 CLOSE, WE WILL RETURN WITH THE YEAREND PERFORMANCE REPORT, WHICH WILL PROVIDE UPDATES AND A REVISED ENDING STATUS FOR THE GENERAL FUND.
THE FY 23 YEAR END ACTUALS WILL BE USED AS A BASIS FOR FY 25 BUDGET DEVELOPMENT, ALONG WITH NEW DATA AND INFORMATION AVAILABLE PRIOR TO THE MARCH PRESENTATION TO CITY COUNCIL, WHICH WILL GIVE AN UPDATED PROJECTED OUTLOOK FROM THESE PRELIMINARY PROJECTIONS THAT WE WILL COVER TODAY.
BEFORE I PROVIDE THE EARLY PRELIMINARY PRELIMINARY OUTLOOK PROJECTIONS, THIS SLIDE GIVES AN OVERVIEW OF HOW THE CITY SHOULD BEST POSITION ITSELF FOR SHORT TERM, BUT LONGER TERM FUTURE SUCCESS.
AS WE PROCEED TO FISCAL YEAR 25, IT CONTINUES TO BE PRUDENT THAT THE CITY MAINTAIN GOOD FISCAL HABITS AND AVOID EXACERBATING THE UNDERLYING STRUCTURAL SHORTFALL SITUATION.
IN THIS SHORTFALL SITUATION, IF AN ENHANCEMENT IN A CERTAIN AREA OR SERVICE IS MADE, GOOD FISCAL PRACTICE WOULD BE DEFINED AN EQUIVALENT STRUCTURAL OFFSET.
ADDITIONALLY, WE SHOULD NOTE THAT IF ONE TIMES ARE UTILIZED TO COVER THE GENERAL FUND STRUCTURAL SHORTFALL, IT IS NOT SOMETHING THAT SHOULD BE A LONG-TERM FINANCIAL PRACTICE.
PRIOR TO THE PANDEMIC, ONE TIMES WERE USED FOR PRIORITY INVESTMENTS AND CRITICAL PROJECTS.
IN RECENT YEARS AVAILABLE ONE TIMES HAVE BEEN USED TO COVER SHORTFALLS, WHICH WAS THE RECOMMENDED APPROACH IN THESE CHALLENGING TIMES.
AS NOTED ON THE SLIDE, THE CITY HAS A SET OF FINANCIAL POLICIES THAT HAVE BEEN A ADOPTED BY CITY COUNCIL THAT SERVE AS GUIDELINES ON BEST PRACTICES SUCH AS ADOPTING A STRUCTURALLY BALANCED BUDGET.
ONE-TIME REVENUES ARE NOT FOR COVERING ONGOING EXPENSE, MAINTAINING EMERGENCY AND OPERATING RESERVES, AND USING ONE-TIME FUNDS FOR ONE-TIME USES.
WHILE THE CITY MAY DECIDE TO STRATEGICALLY CHOOSE TO TAKE ACTION THAT ISN'T CONSISTENT WITH THESE POLICIES, THEY SERVE AS A GOOD GAUGE AND BAROMETER ON HOW TO BEST POSITION OURSELVES FISCALLY FOR THE FUTURE.
LASTLY, THE CITY MAY ALSO EXPLORE NEW IDEA IDEAS TO EXPAND THE ECONOMY AND GROW ITS STRUCTURAL REVENUE THROUGH ITS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT EFFORTS.
BEFORE TURNING IT OVER TO THE NEXT SLIDE WITH THE VERY PRELIMINARY GENERAL FUND FISCAL OUTLOOK.
PLEASE NOTE THIS IS AN EARLY INDICATION IN ADVANCE OF MARCH, 2024.
THIS TAKES PLACE AFTER THE BASE BUDGET PROCESS IS COMPLETED AND UPDATES TO REVENUE ASSUMPTIONS, WHICH INCLUDES REVIEW WITH OUR PARTNER DEPARTMENTS AND CONSULTANTS.
THIS EARLY INDICATOR IS PROVIDED AS THERE HAVE BEEN SIGNIFICANT CHANGES SINCE THEY ADOPTED FY 24 BUDGET, INCLUDING IMPACTS FROM NEW LABOR AGREEMENTS WITH FISCAL YEAR 25 REF REFLECTING THE STRUCTURAL IMPACT FROM BOTH FY 24 AND FY 25.
ALSO, THIS OUTLOOK INCLUDES INITIAL REVENUE ASSUMPTIONS SUCH AS INDUSTRY SPECIFIC INITIATIVES LIKE POTENTIAL REVENUE IMPACTS FROM UPDATED OIL REGULATIONS, WHICH MAY LO LOWER OIL PRODUCTION, DECREASING NET OIL PROCEEDS TO GENERAL ENT, TIDELANDS FUNDS, AND OTHER OIL RELATED REVENUE IN ADVANCE OF SSB 1137.
FINALLY, THE OUTLOOK EXCLUDES THE USE OF ONE-TIME FUNDING TO MITIGATE STRUCTURAL SHORTFALLS ON A ONE-TIME BASIS.
THIS INCLUDES LONG BEACH RECOVERY ACT FUNDING, WHICH A CITY HAS BEEN ABLE TO RETAIN FOR ONE-TIME USES LONGER THAN ORIGINALLY PLANNED AND MAY BE AVAILABLE TO COVER THE FY 25 SHORTFALL IF LONG BEACH RECOVERY ACT FUNDING IS USED TO ADDRESS THE FY 25 SHORTFALL.
THIS WILL MARK THE FOURTH FISCAL YEAR VERSUS THE TWO FISCAL YEARS AS ORIGINALLY PLANNED.
THE PRELIMINARY OUTLOOK ON THIS SLIDE WAS DEVELOPED BASED ON INFORMATION AVAILABLE PRIOR TO FY 23 CLOSE.
THIS OUTLOOK WILL CHANGE AND THE REVISED PROJECTIONS WILL BE, WILL BE PRESENTED TO CITY COUNCIL IN MARCH FOR FY 25 BUDGET DEVELOPMENT.
THIS PRELIMINARY SHORTFALL ASSUMES NO RECESSION AND THE RECENTLY EXPERIENCED HIGH VACANCY SAVINGS WILL NOT CONTINUE AND ANNUAL SHORTFALLS ARE SOLVED STRUCTURALLY
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EACH YEAR.AS PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED, THE ADOPTED FY 24 BUDGET IS BALANCED WITH ONE-TIME FUNDS.
THE FY 24 STRUCTURAL SHORTFALL OF 9 MILLION WILL CONTINUE TO EXIST INTO FISCAL YEAR 25, WHICH WILL BE ADDED TO FY 25 SHORTFALL OF 19.6 FOR A COMBINED FISCAL YEAR 25 SHORTFALL PROJECTED AT 28.4 MILLION OR 4% OF THE GENERAL FUND REVENUE.
THE COMBINED STRUCTURAL SHORTFALL FROM FY 25 TO 30 IS PROJECTED AT 71.3 MILLION, WHICH IS 11% OF GENERAL FUND REVENUE.
WITH THE PROJECTED GENERAL FUND SHORTFALL OF THIS MAGNITUDE, LIKELY NOT RESOLVING ITSELF ON ITS OWN.
THE SLIDE REVIEWS THE STANDARD APPROACHES TO ADDRESSING SHORTFALLS.
WHILE STAFF IS CONSTANTLY SEEKING OPPORTUNITIES FOR EFFICIENCIES TO REDUCE OPERATIONAL COST, THIS IS NOT ENOUGH GIVEN THE SIZE OF THE PROJECTED SHORTFALL AMOUNTS.
AND WITH OUR CURRENT STRUCTURAL REVENUE GROWTH INSUFFICIENT TO KEEP PACE WITH EXPENSE INCREASES, EXPANDING REVENUE AND IDENTIFYING NEW SOURCES WILL BE A KEY PRONG TO MITIGATING UPCOMING SHORTFALLS.
FINALLY, THERE ARE OPERATIONAL CUTS AND SERVICE REDUCTIONS THAT MAY BE IMPLEMENTED, BUT THE HOPE IS THAT THESE WILL BE MINIMIZED WITH EFFICIENCY MEASURES AND NEW REVENUE SOURCES TO AVOID HARMFUL REDUCTIONS TO CITY SERVICES IF ONLY REDUCTIONS ARE USED AS AN APPROACH TO MITIGATE STRUCTURAL SHORTFALLS.
THE TWO YEAR COMBINED GENERAL FUND SHORTFALL OF CLOSE TO 36 MILLION FOR FISCAL YEAR 25 AND 26 WILL REQUIRE CUTS TO CRITICAL SERVICE AREAS SUCH AS PARKS, LIBRARIES, PUBLIC WORKS, FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT, FIRE AND POLICE DEPARTMENTS.
THE TABLE ILLUSTRATES THE RANGE OF SERVICE REDUCTION EQUIVALENCIES IF THE SHORTFALLS WERE ADDRESSED THROUGH REDUCTIONS ALONE.
THESE REDUCTION EXAMPLES BASED ON FY 24 BUDGET AND ARE FOR ILLUSTRATIVE PURPOSES ONLY.
TO SUMMARIZE THE TABLE, IT WOULD BE 13.3 MILLION FROM PARKS TEEN PROGRAMS DAY CAMP, BE SPORTS GROUND MAINTENANCE, 3.6 FOR THREE BRANCH LIBRARIES, 7.3 FOR PUBLIC WORKS STREET TREE TRIMMING AND THREE POTHOLE TRUCKS.
5.2 FOR CENTRAL CITYWIDE ACCOUNTING AND BUDGET OPERATIONS.
3.4 FOR ONE FIRE ENGINE OPERATION, 1.7 FOR A PARAMEDIC RESCUE.
AND FINALLY 1.4 MILLION FOR SIX POLICE OFFICERS.
WHILE REDUCTIONS TO SERVICES ARE ONE APPROACH TO MITIGATING SHORTFALLS, EXPANDING THE CITY'S ECONOMY THROUGH THE GROW LONG BEACH INITIATIVE IS POSITIONED TO DELIVER GOOD NEWS TO THE CITY.
THE FY 24 BUDGET INCLUDED OVER 5 MILLION IN INVESTMENTS TO GROW LONG BEACH INITIATIVE, WHICH FOCUSES ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES GROWING EMERGING INDUSTRIES, AND TRANSITIONING AWAY FROM THE CITY'S DEPENDENCE ON OIL REVENUES.
WHILE THIS IS A NEW EFFORT, IT HAS ALREADY INCLUDED MAJOR SUCCESSES SUCH AS M MOVING TO LONG BEACH AND JET ZERO, EXPANDING ITS OPERATIONS AT THE LONG BEACH AIRPORT, INTRODUCING LEVEL UP LB TO PROVIDE TECHNICAL SUPPORT AND MICRO GRANTS, LOCAL BUSINESSES AND SPURRING GROWTH IN THE CITY'S BUSINESS AND TOURISM SECTORS THROUGH THE CONVENTION CENTER AND QUEEN MARY INVESTMENTS, ALONG WITH THE UPCOMING HARD ROCK HOTEL.
WHILE THE FISCAL IMPACTS FROM THESE AND THE VARIOUS OTHER EFFORTS ARE NOT YET KNOWN AS POSITIVE PERFORMANCE FROM THE GROW LONG BEACH INITIATIVE IS REALIZED IN THE CITY AND IN THE GENERAL FUND, THIS WILL BE INCLUDED IN FUTURE OUTLOOK PROJECTIONS EACH YEAR.
IN CONCLUSION, THE COMBINED STRUCTURAL SHORTFALL WILL NOT GO AWAY ON ITS OWN AND ONE-TIME SOLUTIONS ARE LIMITED AND ONLY TEMPORARY EXPENSES ARE STILL EXPECTED TO INCREASE, PARTICULARLY EMPLOYEE COSTS, WHICH MAKE UP OVER THREE QUARTERS OF OUR EXPENDITURES.
ALTHOUGH A TIGHT LABOR MARKET AND INABILITY TO RETAIN AND RECRUIT STAFF FAST ENOUGH HAS LED TO HIGHER VACANCY RATES AND REDUCE ACTUAL EXPENSES EACH OF THE LAST THREE FISCAL YEARS TO LOWER THAN BUDGETED LEVELS.
STRUCTURALLY, LABOR RELATED NEGOTIATED COST INCREASES WILL ONLY GROW THE EXISTING STRUCTURAL SHORTFALL FIRST AS A ONE-TIME IMPACT IN FISCAL YEAR 24, THEN STRUCTURALLY STARTING IN FISCAL YEAR 25.
ON THE REVENUE SIDE, THE CITY HAS INVESTED IN AND MADE PROGRESS OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS IN EXPANDING ITS REVENUE SOURCES.
POSITIVE PERFORMANCE FROM THESE EFFORTS HAVE BEEN REALIZED, SUCH AS ONE-TIME AND STRUCTURAL REVENUE GENERATED FROM PRIVATE DEVELOPMENT AND IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CITY, AS WELL AS EFFORTS MADE BY CITY DEPARTMENTS FOR FULL COST RECOVERY OF SERVICES AND ADJUSTING FEES AND CHARGES THROUGH THE CITYWIDE FEE
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STUDY PROJECT.HOWEVER, DESPITE THESE EFFORTS AND FOLLOWING THE SIGNIFICANT REVENUE ADJUSTMENTS ALREADY REFLECTED IN THE FY 24 BUDGET, THE CURRENT GENERAL FUND REVENUE BASE REMAINS CONSTRAINED AND SUBJECT TO VOLATILITY, AND IT IS NOT LIKELY TO BE ABLE TO KEEP PACE WITH EXPENDITURE GROWTH WITH THESE CONDITIONS.
FUTURE SHORTFALLS, ESPECIALLY OF THIS MAGNITUDE WILL REQUIRE INTERVENTION INCLUDING REDUCTIONS, EXPANDED AND NEW REVENUE SOURCES EFFICIENCIES OR A MIX OF ALL APPROACHES TO MITIGATE.
THE LAST ITEM I'D LIKE TO COVER IS THE CITY'S PLAN TO ENGAGE IN EARLY COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT FOR THE FY 25 BUDGET PROCESS FOR THE THIRD YEAR IN A ROW.
WE WILL BE ENGAGING WITH THE COMMUNITY EARLY IN THE BUDGET PROCESS PRIOR TO THE PROPOSED BUDGET BEING DEVELOPED, RATHER THAN STARTING THE ENGAGEMENT IN AUGUST WITH THE RELEASE OF THE PROPOSED BUDGET.
THIS EFFORT RESPONDS TO A REQUEST A COUPLE YEARS AGO BY THE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL FOR EARLY COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND ALSO SUPPORTS THE CITY'S GOALS OUTLINED IN THE RACIAL RECONCILIATION FRAMEWORK.
IN JANUARY, WE WILL HAVE FOUR IN-PERSON COMMUNITY MEETINGS AND ONE VIRTUAL MEETING.
THERE IS ALSO A GENERAL SURVEY THAT HAS BEEN OPENED TO THE PUBLIC SINCE JANUARY 2ND.
THE COMMENTS AND FEEDBACK FROM THESE EFFORTS WILL THEN BE SYNTHESIZED AND MADE AVAILABLE, AVAILABLE TO CITY COUNCIL AND CITY STAFF BEFORE THE PROPOSED BUDGET IS DEVELOPED.
MOVING FORWARD STAFF WILL BE WORKING ON UPDATING OUT YEAR FORECAST FOR FISCAL YEAR 25 AND BEYOND.
WE WILL BE HAVING COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT EFFORTS IN JANUARY.
IN FEBRUARY, WE WILL BE COMING BACK TO CITY COUNCIL WITH THE FY 23 YEAR END PERFORMANCE REPORT.
THE RESULTS OF THIS REPORT WILL ALSO IMPACT OUR OUT YEAR FORECAST DEVELOPMENT, AND THEN WE WILL RETURN TO CITY COUNCIL IN MARCH WITH THE FY 25 OUTLOOK UPDATE AND MORE INFORMATION ON NEXT STEPS IN THE BUDGET PROCESS.
THIS CONCLUDES THE PRESENTATION AND WE ARE AVAILABLE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.
UH, SO MEMBERS, AS YOU CAN SEE, UH, WE HAVE OUR WORK CUT OUT FOR US THIS YEAR.
WE'LL, YOU KNOW, WE'LL, WE'LL GO THROUGH OUR BUDGET PROCESS AND ULTIMATELY DELIVER A BALANCED BUDGET LIKE WE ALSO ALWAYS DO.
UH, BUT WE ARE GONNA BEGIN TO THINK ABOUT THOSE YEARS OUT.
NOW, WE TALKED ABOUT IT A LITTLE BIT, UH, WE TALKED ABOUT IT A LITTLE BIT AT THE STATE OF THE CITY THAT THIS YEAR WE'LL BEGIN TO, TO MAP OUT STRATEGIES, UH, TO ADDRESS SOME OF THE SHORTFALLS TWO AND THREE AND FOUR AND FIVE YEARS OUT.
UH, THESE STANDARD APPROACHES ON SLIDE SEVEN, WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO LOOK AT A MIXTURE OF ALL OF THOSE THINGS AND, AND AS A, AS A GROUP DETERMINE WHAT THE BEST PATHWAY FORWARD THROUGH OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCIES, SERVICE REDUCTIONS, UH, AND GROWING CURRENT AND IDENTIFYING NEW REVENUE SOURCES.
WE HAVE TO EXPLORE ALL OF THOSE THINGS.
I I BELIEVE THAT THE BEST, UH, THAT WHAT WE SHOULD BE THINKING ABOUT IS, UM, WAYS THAT WE CAN ENHANCE SERVICE.
WE SHOULD BE THINKING ABOUT WAYS THAT WE CAN, BECAUSE WE KNOW EVEN IF WE GET TO FULLY STAFFED, THERE ARE CERTAIN AREAS THAT WE DO WANNA ENHANCE.
WE WANT TO, UH, INVEST MORE INTO OUR COMMUNITIES, MORE INTO OUR INFRASTRUCTURE, MORE INTO PUBLIC SAFETY.
AND SO, UM, YOU KNOW, OVER THE COURSE OF THE NEXT FEW MONTHS, AS WE GO THROUGH THIS PROCESS, WE WILL ALSO BE TALKING ABOUT, UH, WHAT ELSE WE CAN DO TO CONTINUE TO, UM, POSITION OUR OUR CITY IN A STRONG FISCAL POSITION.
THE OTHER THING THAT, THAT I WILL SAY IS THAT, UM, SOME OF THOSE PROJECTIONS OUT AND, UM, MR. MOKA, THIS IS CORRECT, UH, WE HAVE FACTORED IN SOME OF THE IMPACTS FROM 1137 INTO THESE PROJECTIONS, CORRECT? UH, YES.
SO, UM, THAT DOES COME AS PART OF OUR NEXT UPDATE IS TO REALLY, UM, ABSOLUTE DIVE DEEP INTO THAT.
BUT WE ARE STARTING TO GIVE SOME ASSUMPTIONS OF WHAT THAT IS.
WE ALSO LOOK AT LABOR COSTS, UH, GOING OUT, UH, AND THEN WE CONTINUALLY, UM, UM, ADJUST THOSE, RIGHT? SO SOME OF THOSE COSTS ARE IN, IN THESE, UM, THESE, UM, PROJECTIONS, THE REDUCED REVENUE, UH, BASED ON REDUCED PROJECTIONS ON OIL BASED ON SB 1137.
WE ALSO ARE GOING TO NEED TO, UH, HAVE A DEEPER DIVE ABOUT, UM, WHAT SOME OF THOSE CHALLENGES ARE.
SO AS WE GO THROUGH THIS BUDGET PROCESS, WE'LL SEPARATELY SORT OF, UH, HAVE A CONVERSATION ABOUT THE LONG-TERM STRATEGY TO ADDRESS, UM, ADDRESS THESE, UH, REVENUE SHORTAGES.
AND AGAIN, I THINK WE SHOULD BE THINKING COMING FROM THE STANDPOINT OF WHAT KIND OF COMMUNITY, WHAT LEVEL OF SERVICES.
I DON'T WANT TO BE IN A PLACE WHERE WE HAVE TO CLOSE LIBRARIES.
I REMEMBER, YOU KNOW, I WAS, I WORKED, UH, FOR CITY, I WAS, UH, CHIEF OF STAFF TO COUNCILMAN NEIL LAST TIME.
WE WENT THROUGH, YOU KNOW, A VERY UGLY, UM, UH, PERIOD OF TIME WHERE WE SAW REDUCTIONS IN SERVICES TO PARAMEDIC RESCUES AND LIBRARIES AND ALL THOSE THINGS.
AND IT TOOK A LONG TIME TO RESTORE THOSE SERVICES.
AND SO THE MORE WE CAN GET AHEAD OF IT AND GROW, GROW OUR ECONOMY AND GROW REVENUE, THE EARLIER, UM, WE INTERVENE THE BETTER.
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SO WE'LL NOW GO TO COUNCIL IF THERE ARE ANY, UH, COMMENTS FROM THE COUNCIL.I DON'T SEE ANY SPEAKERS JUST YET.
UH, THERE'S SOME TECHNICAL, OKAY.
I THINK, OH, I SEE, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER KERR MADE A MOTION.
WE'LL START WITH YOU, BUT I'LL DEFER TO COUNCILMAN RICK.
UH, YEAH, THE OTHER QUESTION WAS THANK YOU FOR THIS PRESENTATION.
UM, MY ONLY QUESTION WAS, UM, I SEE THAT THE COMMUNITY BUDGET MEETINGS LOOK LIKE THEY'RE COMING UP PRETTY QUICKLY.
UH, WERE ALL THE COUNCIL OFFICES MADE AWARE OF THE DATES FOR THE MEETING AS REALIZED THEY WEREN'T ON MY CALENDAR? YES.
SO, UH, THERE WAS A TWO FROM FOUR THAT WAS ISSUED, UM, BUT ALSO COUNCIL COMMUNICATIONS TOOLKIT WILL ALSO BE COMING YOUR WAY.
AND THEN IN REGARDS TO ADDITIONAL UPDATES, UH, TO THE COMMUNITY, IT'S ALSO BEEN POSTED ON OUR WEBSITE AND, UH, SOCIAL MEDIA AS WELL AS CITY FACILITY POSTINGS.
CAN WE MAKE SURE TO GET A EMAIL OUT TO EVERYBODY? 'CAUSE I SEE THE FIRST MEETING IS ACTUALLY TOMORROW, SO I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE ENOUGH TIME TO NOTIFY OUR RESPECTIVE COMMUNITY SO WE GET A ROBUST SHOWING.
UM, I KNOW WE'VE HAD SOME ISSUES IN THE PAST WITH MAKING SURE THAT WE HAVE ENOUGH ATTENDANCE AT OUR BUDGET MEETINGS, SO I THINK WE REALLY NEED TO PRIORITIZE MAKING SURE WE'RE HEARING A FULL COMMUNITY VOICE, UM, AS WE'RE STARTING THIS PROCESS.
AND WE, WE WILL, ONCE THE BUDGET IS INTRODUCED, WE'LL HAVE ANOTHER ROUND OF MEETINGS AS WELL.
AND, UH, I WANT TO THANK STAFF FOR THIS PRESENTATION, AND I THINK THERE IS VALUE IN, IN ENGAGING IN OUR BUDGET PROCESS A LOT EARLIER THAN WE HAD IN THE PAST.
THIS IS THE THIRD YEAR IN A ROW AS WAS MENTIONED, THAT WE WE'RE NOW STARTING IT, UH, EARLY, UH, IN JANUARY AS, AS OPPOSED TO, YOU KNOW, LATE SUMMER.
UM, I DID HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS RELATED TO THE RECOVERY ACT DOLLARS.
HOW MUCH LONGER DO WE EXPECT TO BE ABLE TO UTILIZE RECOVERY ACT DOLLARS AS ONE-TIME SOLUTIONS IN OUR BUDGET FOR, UH, GIVEN THE PRELIMINARY PROJECTIONS, UH, THERE IS ENOUGH SECURING OUR CITY'S FUTURE AT LB UH, LONG BEACH RECOVERY ACT FOR ONE MORE FISCAL YEAR.
SO IF IT WERE USED TO COVER FISCAL YEAR TWO FIVE, AND FORGIVE ME, YOU MAY HAVE MENTIONED IT, BUT IS THAT FACTORED INTO THE PROJECTED, WHAT'S PROJECTED HERE ALREADY? NO.
SO THE TABLE ASSUMES NO ONE TIME, UH, HELP FROM LONG BEACH RECOVERY ACT.
SO, SO IT'S GONNA BE A ROSIER PICTURE AT SOME POINT IN THE, THE FUTURE WITH AT LEAST FOR AT LEAST ONE YEAR.
UM, SO, SO WE DO EXPECT AN FY 25, THIS UPCOMING $28 MILLION, THAT WOULD BE OUR LAST YEAR OF RECOVERY ACT.
SO THAT'S ACTUALLY BEEN QUITE THE SUCCESS STORY IN THE ORIGINAL RECOVERY ACT WE PLANNED ON TWO YEARS, UM, ONLY TO BE COVERED, AND THAT WAS I THINK 21 AND 22.
UH, HERE WE ARE GOING INTO 25, AND BECAUSE WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO SAVE A LOT OF REVENUE, UM, FROM OTHER ONE TIMES AND USE THAT INSTEAD OF RECOVERY ACT, WE'VE, WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO STRETCH RECOVERY ACT.
SO WE'RE NOT EXPECTING REDUCTIONS THIS YEAR FOR FY 25, BUT WE DO NEED THIS, THIS IS THE LAST YEAR THAT THAT'S GONNA BE AVAILABLE TO US.
WE GOTTA BE PREPARING FOR FY 26 I.
WELL, UH, TO ME IT, IT, IT WOULD, IN TERMS OF, UH, FULL TRANSPARENCY, UM, WHEN WE ARE TALKING ABOUT THE BUDGET TO, PARTICULARLY TO THE PUBLIC, AND WE'RE, WE'RE GIVING OUT THESE PROJECTIONS, WE, WE NEED TO LET THEM KNOW THAT, THAT, THAT, YOU KNOW, REGARDLESS OF OUR FISCAL POLICY, WE HAVE BEEN PRETTY CONSISTENT WITH UTILIZING ONE TIME DOLLARS TO, TO, TO, UH, TO, TO ACCOMMODATE FOR OUR, OUR SHORTFALLS FOR, FOR A FEW YEARS NOW.
UM, AND IF WE, WE STILL HAVE THAT OPTION, EXCUSE ME, AN OPPORTUNITY IN FRONT OF US, UH, I'M KIND OF CONCERNED ABOUT THE FUTURE PROJECTIONS BECAUSE IT JUST SHOWS THAT IT GOES UP, UP, UP IN TERMS OF THE PROJECTED, UM, SHORTFALLS OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS.
UH, AND, UH, I WOULD AGREE THAT WE DO NEED SOME SERIOUS, UM, REVENUE SOLUTIONS, UH, TO, TO OFFSET THAT, YOU KNOW, MOVING FORWARD.
AND, UH, LASTLY, I WOULD JUST ASK IF, UM, THE, WHAT, IF ANY IMPACTS OF THE STATE'S PROJECTED BUDGET SHORTFALL IS GOING TO IMPACT THE US ON A LOCAL LEVEL? HAVE WE FACTORED THAT IN YET, OR DO WE HAVE ENOUGH INFORMATION? THE LEGISLATIVE ANALYST OFFICE SAYS IT'S A $68 BILLION SHORTFALL.
GOVERNOR NEWSOM SAYS IT'S 38 BILLION.
I'M SURE IT'S SOMEWHERE IN BETWEEN, BUT IT'S STILL A LOT OF MONEY.
THE PROJECTIONS THAT ARE PRESENTED TODAY, UH, DOES NOT INCLUDE ANY, ANY IMPACTS, LOCAL IMPACTS FROM THE STATE'S BUDGET AT THIS TIME.
HOWEVER, AS THEY ARE KNOWN AND REVIEWED, UH, ARE PROJECTION UPDATES WILL REFLECT THAT FOR
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ANY OF LOCAL IMPACTS.AND JUST REMEMBER, SEVERAL YEARS AGO, WHENEVER THE STATE RAN OUTTA MONEY, THEY WOULD JUST REACH DOWN AND GRAB OUR MONEY.
NOW THAT'S CONSTITUTIONALLY PROHIBITED, SO THEY CAN'T TAKE THAT DIRECT OF AN OPTION OF AN ACTION, BUT THEY CAN, YOU KNOW, REDUCE PROGRAMS THAT EITHER OUR RESIDENTS RELY ON OR HAVE KIND OF INDIRECT IMPACTS, UH, ON, ON THE CITY.
SO, UH, THOSE ARE HARD TO PREDICT RIGHT NOW WHAT THOSE ARE GONNA BE.
THE GOVERNOR THINKS, UM, AT LEAST IN HIS PROPOSAL, IT'S GONNA BE A LOT LESS THAN WHAT THE LAO HAS PROJECTED, AS YOU MENTIONED.
UH, BUT UM, AS WE KNOW WHAT THOSE ARE, WE'LL BE COMMUNICATING THOSE MORE, BUT, UM, NOT EXPECTING ANYTHING DIRECT, UM, YOU KNOW, ONE-TO-ONE TO OUR BUDGET DEFICIT THAT IT WOULD IMPACT.
ALRIGHT, SO THAT'S ALL I HAVE.
UH, THANK YOU AND, UH, LOOK FORWARD TO THE COMMUNITY INPUT ON WHAT'S, WHAT'S BEING PRESENTED.
THANK, THANK YOU MEMBER AUSTIN FOR, FOR YOUR QUESTIONS.
UM, IN REGARDS TO THE MEETING THAT HAVE BEEN COMING UP, THAT'S WHAT I'M VOTING, UH, WE START TOMORROW.
UH, WHY ARE THERE GOING TO BE ANY ADDITIONAL MEETINGS, UH, MARCH, MAY, JUNE THROUGH THE WHOLE BUDGET PROCESS, AND HAS THAT BEEN WORKED ON YET? YEAH, SO WE DO THE FOUR THAT WE DO IN, UM, IN, UH, JANUARY, AND WE KIND OF MOVE THOSE AROUND, SO WE HAVE THEM, UH, UH, DIFFERENT GEOGRAPHIC LOCATIONS.
UH, THEN WE, UM, IN MARCH WE'LL HAVE ANOTHER BIG MEETING OF THE COUNCIL HERE, UM, TO HAVE EVERYBODY TALK ABOUT THE BUDGET AGAIN AND GET INTO SOME REAL SPECIFICS.
UH, THEN WE GO INTO BUDGET DEVELOPMENT AND THEN WE START DOING, UH, DISCUSSIONS, UH, MORE IN AUGUST AND WE DO ANOTHER ROUND, UH, THROUGHOUT THE CITY.
WE TRY TO MOVE THOSE AROUND, UH, ALWAYS TRY TO HIT A LITTLE BIT OF, UH, NORTHEAST, SOUTH AND, AND WEST.
AND THEN THE CENTRAL ONES KIND OF MOVE WITH, UM, SOMETIMES WE'RE IN DISTRICT ONE AND TWO AND SIX AND KIND OF MOVE THOSE AROUND.
UH, AND SO THAT'LL HAPPEN AGAIN IN, UH, IN AUGUST.
IN REGARDS TO THE, UH, SURVEY, UM, THERE'S GONNA BE MORE THAN ONE SURVEY OR JUST ONE, THE ONE IN JANUARY WE, YES.
UH, SO WE WILL HAVE THE JANUARY SURVEY AS PART OF THE EARLY ENGAGEMENT, AND THEN ANOTHER SURVEY IS RELEASED AFTER THE BUDGET IS RELEASED IN AUGUST.
UH, ALSO IN REGARDS TO WHAT I WAS LOOKING AT HERE IN TERMS OF, AND IT IS ALL CONJECTURE OBVIOUSLY, UH, FOR THE, UH, SHORTFALLS THAT MIGHT BE OUT THERE, UH, WAS THERE, UH, ANY THOUGHT PUT INTO, UH, EXISTING, UH, VACANCIES LIKE, UH, UH, HIRING THAT WE HAVEN'T DONE, THAT WEREN'T UP, THAT WE CAN FREEZE THOSE POSITIONS THAT WOULD NOT IMPACT SERVICES? SO THAT CAN BE ONE OF THE STRATEGIES THAT WE LOOK AT.
WE ACTUALLY HAVE INCREASED THAT NUMBER OVER THE LAST COUPLE YEARS.
UM, SO THAT, THAT BECOMES PART OF YOUR STRUCTURAL SOLUTION.
UH, WE'RE REALLY TRYING HARD TO SPEED UP HIRING AND, AND FIND WAYS THAT WE DON'T HAVE AS MANY VACANCIES BECAUSE WE'RE SEEING THE IMPACTS OF THAT BY HAVING THOSE VACANT POSITIONS OPEN, WE'RE SEEING PRETTY BIG SERVICE IMPACTS.
AND SO, UH, WE CAN ALWAYS LOOK AT WHAT WE CALL THE VACANCY FACTOR IN ANY ORGANIZATION, EVEN IF YOU HIRE REALLY QUICKLY, WHICH WE DO NOT.
UM, BUT EVEN IF WE DO, THERE'S ALWAYS GONNA BE A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF TIME WHERE THAT POSITION IS VACANT.
AND SO, UH, ORGANIZATIONS OFTEN OFTEN LOOK TO TRY TO CAPTURE THAT AS PART OF A BUDGET SOLUTION.
SO WE DO DO THAT, UH, BUT, UH, UH, WE'D PREFERABLY LIKE TO REDUCE THE AMOUNT IT TAKES TIMES TO HIRE, SO WE DON'T HAVE THAT KIND OF VACANCY SAVINGS.
LOOKING FORWARD TO A FURTHER DISCUSSION ON THIS BUDGET.
UM, JUST THANKS TO THE TEAM FOR ENGAGING THE PUBLIC, UH, LIKE COUNCILMAN RICKS ODI, UH, THOSE START TOMORROW.
SO FOR SOME OF OUR RESIDENTS, THE CLOSEST ONE IS, IS THIS WEEK.
SO WE'LL DO, UM, OUR PART TO MAKE SURE THAT FOLKS KNOW THAT THAT'S HAPPENING IN THE VARIOUS WAYS THAT THEY CAN REACH OUT IN THESE EARLY TIMES TO TALK ABOUT WHAT CONTINUE TO BE THEIR PRIORITIES HERE IN THE CITY.
SO THANKS TO THE TEAM AND I LOOK FORWARD TO THE ONGOING CONVERSATION.
MR. MOCA, ONE MORE THING BEFORE WE GO TO PUBLIC COMMENT.
SO AT THIS POINT, CAN WE LA THIS POINT LAST YEAR WE SAW A, A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF ONE TIMES, UM, AND THAT WE WERE ABLE TO SORT OF MAKE A LOT OF INVESTMENTS IN THE COMMUNITY WITH THOSE ONE TIMES THIS YEAR.
HOW ARE WE LOOKING IN TERMS OF, OF ONE TIMES COMPARED TO LAST YEAR? YEAH.
UM, SO ONE TIMES ARE SIGNIFICANTLY DOWN, UM, BECAUSE PARTLY, UH, WE'VE USED THOSE.
UM, SO, UH, THE COUNCIL WAS VERY STRATEGIC IN TRYING TO, TO USE SOME OF THAT AS PART OF THE FY 24 BUDGET.
WE HEARD A NUMBER OF REQUESTS AFTER THE BUDGET WAS DONE, AND THEN IN ORDER TO MEET SOME OF THOSE, WE USE SOME OF THE ONE TIMES THAT WOULD COME.
WE ALSO, UH, THE POLICE DEPARTMENT WAS GENERATING BY FAR THE, THE MOST AMOUNT OF ONE TIMES.
AND SO, UH, GOOD FINANCIAL POLICY SAYS IF THERE'S ANY MONEY AT THE END OF THE YEAR, THAT DEPARTMENT DOESN'T NECESSARILY KEEP IT.
YOU PUT IT BACK IN THE POT AND YOU REALLOCATE IT.
WELL, BECAUSE THEY WERE GENERATING SO MUCH AND THEY HAD SO MANY, UH, ISSUES HIRING, WE USED A LOT
[00:30:01]
OF THAT FUNDING TO CREATE INCENTIVES TO EITHER RETAIN EMPLOYEES OR TO HIRE NEW POLICE OFFICERS.AND SO A LOT OF THOSE SAVINGS HAVE BEEN USED FOR THOSE, UM, PRETTY, UM, UM, AGGRESSIVE PROGRAMS TO TRY TO, TO BEEF UP OUR, OUR NUMBERS IN OUR BUDGETED POLICE OFFICERS.
SO, UM, WE'LL HAVE THAT NUMBER OUT, UH, SOON.
BUT, UH, IN, IN, IN THE PAST IT USED TO BE OVER 10 MILLION OR SO, I, I THINK YOU NEED TO LOOK AT MAYBE A FIFTH OF THAT KIND OF IN THAT AREA.
UM, AND WE'LL TRY TO ADDRESS SOME OF THE, THE HIGH PRIORITY THINGS THAT THE COUNCIL WANTS US TO FUND.
AND I THINK THAT'S IMPORTANT, UH, TO NOTE TO MANAGE EXPECTATIONS.
THIS YEAR, OUR GOAL WILL BE TO MAINTAIN SERVICES.
THAT'S GONNA BE OUR GOAL THIS YEAR.
WE HAVE A PLAN, UH, THAT WE'LL BE ABLE TO RE, YOU KNOW, LIMIT ANY SERVICE REDUCTIONS.
THAT'S INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT, BUT WE HAVE TO MANAGE THE EXPECTATIONS WITH THE COMMUNITY.
WE WILL NOT HAVE, UM, 10, 15, 18 MILLIONS OF DOLLARS OF ONE TIMES, UH, TO ENHANCE COMMUNITY PROGRAMS THIS YEAR.
THIS YEAR WILL BE ABOUT HOLDING THE LINE AND CASTING AN EYE TO THE FUTURE, UH, AS WE GET INTO THE PLACE WHERE WE'RE SEEING $20 MILLION AND, UH, DEFICITS.
AND IF WE DON'T, UH, GET VERY, VERY SERIOUS ABOUT THAT NOW WE'LL BE IN A VERY DIFFICULT PLACE, UH, COME THE NEXT, OVER THE NEXT TWO YEARS.
AND SO WE JUST NEED TO BE VERY CLEAR, WE WILL SAVE SERVICES THIS YEAR.
WE, WE WILL BE ABLE TO TAKE A LOOK AT HOW, HOW BEST WE CAN BE EFFICIENT, BUT THE PRIORITY FOR THIS BUDGET WILL BE TO MAINTAIN OUR SERVICES.
I HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT THE SERVICE CUTS ON, UH, PAGE EIGHT FOR STAFF.
UM, JUST KINDA CURIOUS, UH, HOW WE ARRIVE AT THAT NUMBER FOR A, UM, AN ENGINE OPERATION AT $3.4 MILLION.
I DON'T THINK ANYTHING ELSE GOES DOWN, BUT WE'RE HAPPY WITH THAT.
BUT I, IS THAT THE OFFICIAL NUMBER WE USE AND IS THERE A REASON WHY IT'S THAT AMOUNT NOW WE CAN GO AHEAD AND REVIEW THE NUMBER AND RETURN BACK, BUT IT DOES INCLUDE, UH, A 24 7 FIRE ENGINE OPERATION, INCLUDING STAFFING AS WELL AS BASED ON THE FY 24 BUDGET.
WELL, I'LL JUST TAKE THE GOOD NEWS THAT IT'S LOWER THAN IT USED TO BE.
COUNCIL MEMBER SORROW? YES, I WANNA JUST THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION AND MAKING SURE WE HAVE A HEALTHY EARLY START TO TALK ABOUT FISCAL YEAR 2025 BUDGET.
I JUST WANTED TO ADD TO THE QUESTION ABOUT ONE TIME, YES, SOME OF THE INCREASE IN NUMBER AMOUNT OF ONE TIMES WERE DUE TO THAT WE COULDN'T FILL SOME OF THE POSITIONS AS WELL.
UM, I, I KNOW THAT WE ARE TRYING TO MAKE SURE WE ADDRESS, UM, AND FILL THOSE SLOTS.
OBVIOUSLY IT'S VERY IMPORTANT, BUT I JUST, I KNOW THAT WE'VE BEEN HAVING A LOT OF DISCUSSION ABOUT INCREASING, UM, OUR EFFICIENCY AND EFFECTIVENESS AND HOW WE'RE HIRING.
BUT DO WE ANTICIPATE, UM, ONE TIMES THAT ARE SIMILAR TO WHAT WE'VE HAD THIS YEAR FROM RESULTING FROM NOT FILLING POSITIONS? I THINK WHAT WE'VE SEEN IN THE LAST YEAR OR SO WAS, WAS PRETTY EXTRAORDINARY IN TERMS OF ONE TIMES.
UH, WE ALSO SAW SOME REALLY LARGE REVENUE JUMPS AND, AND ESPECIALLY IN SALES TAX AND WE USED SOME OF THAT, THAT LARGE INCREASE TO NOT ONLY, UH, REPLACE SOME OF OUR RESERVES, BUT ALSO THEN TO, UH, STRUCTURALLY ACCOUNT FOR SOME OF THOSE DOLLARS.
SO NOW, UH, WE'VE ADJUSTED OUR REVENUE PROJECTIONS THAT THOSE ARE PART OF THE, THE ONGOING SOLUTIONS, WHICH IS A GOOD THING, BUT IT, IT LEADS TO LESS, UH, ONE TIMES.
AND THEN WE ALSO SAW SOME LARGE SETTLEMENTS AS WELL, UM, TO OUR FAVOR.
UM, YOU KNOW, THE MONSANTOS WATER QUALITY SETTLEMENT WAS ALMOST $10 MILLION.
UM, SO THAT WAS A PART OF IT, BUT THE VAST MAJORITY WAS FROM VACANCY SAVINGS.
AND WE'RE TRYING REALLY HARD NOT TO HAVE AS MANY VACANT POSITIONS SO WE CAN SERVE THE PUBLIC BETTER.
I HAVE ONE MORE QUESTION IS THAT I DID SEE THE SURVEY BEING POSTED IN OUR, UM, SOCIAL MEDIA, BUT I'M WONDERING IF WE CAN ALSO JUST MAKE SURE WE HAVE, UM, DATES AND LOCATION OF THESE MEETINGS.
MAYBE I MISSED IT, BUT I, I DIDN'T WANNA HAVE TO DIG THROUGH IT.
IF WE CAN JUST START SHARING THAT SINCE IT'S STARTING TOMORROW.
UM, SO WE WENT BACK, WE DID PRESS RELEASES IN THE END OF DECEMBER AND THE BEGINNING OF JANUARY.
UM, WE RESENT THOSE TO YOU RIGHT NOW AND, AND YOUR TEAM SO THAT YOU CAN START HELPING US PUSH THAT OUT.
UH, AND THEY'VE BEEN ON THE CITYWIDE CALENDAR, SO WE MISSPOKE.
WE DIDN'T DO A TWO FROM FOUR THIS YEAR ON THAT.
WE DID PRESS RELEASES ON THAT ONE INSTEAD.
SO, UM, AND UH, WE'D LOVE YOU TO HELP SPREAD THE WORD AND UH, AND GET AS MANY PEOPLE TO THE MEETINGS AS POSSIBLE.
AND I, I THINK IT'S GOOD THAT WE DRAW THE RELATIONSHIP, THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN, HEY, WE HAD VACANCIES THAT VACANCIES HAD ONE TIME SAVINGS THAT SHOWED UP AND WE INVESTED THOSE INTO THE COMMUNITY, BUT WE ALSO PLACED A BIG FOCUS ON HIRING.
SO REFUGE REFUSE DEPARTMENT, FULLY, FULLY STAFFED FIRE DEPARTMENT, FULLY STAFFED.
UM, AND THOSE VACANCIES IN THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, AGAIN, HELP PAY FOR THOSE INCENTIVES SO WE CAN CONTINUE TO BE AGGRESSIVE AND HIRE MORE, MORE PEOPLE.
BUT AS WE SEE MORE HIRING, WE'RE GONNA SEE BETTER SERVICE
[00:35:01]
IN THE COMMUNITY, BUT WE'RE GONNA SEE LESS ONE TIMES AT THE END OF THE YEAR.SO THERE'S A TRADE OFF BETWEEN THE QUALITY LEVEL, THE QUALITY OF SERVICE, AND HIRING AND HAVING ADDITIONAL ONE-TIME FUNDS AT THE END OF THE YEAR.
AND, AND SO THIS YEAR IT'S JUST IMPORTANT FOR US, UH, YOU KNOW, TO BE VERY CLEAR WITH THE COMMUNITY THAT OUR PRIORITIES IS SERVICES, MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE ABLE TO DELIVER QUALITY CITY SERVICES.
ALRIGHT, WELL NOW GO TO PUBLIC COMMENT.
IS THERE ANY PUBLIC COMMENT HERE? IF THERE'S ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC THAT'D LIKE TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM, PLEASE APPROACH THE PODIUM.
MY NAME IS CATHERINE TED, THEY CALL ME AND I'M THE RETIRED GENERAL CONTRACTOR OF CAL STATE LONG BEACH.
BLESSED BECAUSE I BUILT THE JAPANESE GARDENS AND IN 98 99, I AM THE GENERAL CONTRACTOR OF RECORD THAT DELIVERED FIBER OPTICS TO THE REGION, INCLUDING LONG BEACH LA BURBANK, ALL THE WAY TO IRVINE.
ENOUGH SAID, WE'RE CONCERNED ABOUT THE EXPENDITURES.
WE WERE AT THE MEETING WHERE THEY WANTED TO PROPOSE TO BUILD CEMENT WALLS AROUND NAPLES TO PROTECT IT FROM SEA RISE DONATED BY THE CALIFORNIA COAST COMMISSION AND THE OIL FUNDS.
AND IF YOU MEASURE NAPLES, THERE'S ABOUT EIGHT MILES OF SEAWALL.
YOU'LL SEE IN FRONT OF YOU TODAY, A PROPOSAL TO TEND THE MATTERS ALONG OUR WHOLE COAST.
AND UH, SO WE'RE CONCERNED BECAUSE WE'RE SOON TO LOSE OUR OLYMPIC VENUE AT MARINE STADIUM.
AND MY DEAR FRIEND RICARDO ACEVEDO, WHO HE AND I COACHED ALL THOSE YEARS TOGETHER AND OUR KIDS WON THEIR AWARDS TOGETHER WITH MISTY MAYOL, HE CALLED ME THIS MORNING AND I'M BROKEN HEARTED BECAUSE HE LET ME KNOW TODAY THAT THE AQUATICS HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM LONG BEACH BY THE OLYMPIC COMMITTEE.
AND YOU'LL SEE TODAY THAT AT THE CITY COUNCIL MEETING, I DON'T WANNA PRESENT THAT IN FRONT OF THE PUBLIC TODAY, JUST MY THREE MINUTES TO EXPLAIN.
AND, UH, YOU'LL HAVE TODAY IN FRONT OF YOU TWO PDFS AND POWERPOINTS REGARDING MATTERS, CAPTAIN TED AT YOUR SERVICE.
AND I WANT TO THANK YOU ALL FOR YOURS, REX, AL, ME, AND LAKE GREG.
LARRY, WE GO BACK IN TIME WITH YOU GUYS AND SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR SERVICE.
ALRIGHT, UH, THAT SATISFIES A PUBLIC COMMENT.
UH, LET'S MOVE, LET'S NOW TAKE THE VOTE TO RECEIVE AND FILE.
AND THIS MEETING IS NOW ADJOURNED.
WE WILL RECONVENE AT FOUR 30 FOR CLOSED SESSION.