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“The Wolf is Here,” Santa Monica City Manager Warns as Budget Woes Mount

05/25/2017 11:47 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

May 25, 2017 -- With shortages in revenue set to double, Santa Monica City Manager Rick Cole on Tuesday warned “the wolf is here” as the City Council took its first dive into a record $1.57 billion biennial budget for the 2017-2019 fiscal year.

Total spending for the first of the budget’s two years is $773.7 million, or 26 percent higher than this year’s budget.

But it also includes a nearly $148 million gap in revenue. Cole proposes filling the hole with a $77 million bond this summer to pay for constructing a new City Services Building -- the single biggest piece of the leap in total spending.

CCSM promises sustainable, affordable housing

05/25/2017 8:25 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The city’s largest affordable housing provider believes its next project will break ground in sustainability in California. Community Corp of Santa Monica plans to retrofit some ocean view apartments it purchased from the City in 2016 to be zero-net energy.

Along with plans to open up some walls, seismically retrofit and make 1616 Ocean Avenue ADA compliant, plans for the refurbishment include installing solar panels on the roof that will power the residences and common areas. The project has a $200,000 funding gap that just received a big boost from the City Council. On Tuesday, the Councilmembers voted unanimously to contribute $50,000 in discretionary funds for the energy upgrade.

Read More on page 1: http://backissues.smdp.com/052517.pdf

Santa Monica City Officials Set to Add, Update Fees

05/24/2017 1:55 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

May 24, 2107 -- As the Santa Monica City Council wades into its proposed $1.57 billion biennial budget for 2017-2019, it is considering adding 40 new user fees for everything from vendor carts at special events to seismic retrofits of buildings.

Seven of the new fees -- which range from $35 to $257 -- are the result of the City’s new mandatory seismic retrofit program.

The most expensive of the new fees is aimed at developers/property owners. It is for “manifold service” for multi-family or multi-unit commercial water accounts, allowing for a one-time fee of $6,817 instead of individual fees per meter.

In City of Santa Monica, Big Plans -- and Big Pension Costs -- Lead to Shaky Times

05/23/2017 1:23 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

May 23, 2017 -- With pension costs poised to drive it into the red and ambitious capital projects requiring huge chunks of money, the City of Santa Monica is facing a reality seemingly far-fetched for such a popular and prosperous seaside enclave: It is starting to run short of revenue.

The City’s proposed 2017-2019 biennial budget unveiled last week totals a record $1.57 billion, or 25 percent more than its predecessor.

But total revenue in the budget increases at only half that amount, leaving the City with a $134.8 million gap it proposes to fill with an almost $77 million bond and tapping the fund balance and reserves.

The record budget goes to the City Council for study sessions tonight as part of its regular Tuesday meeting, and again on Wednesday.

Employee Costs Pose Major Fiscal Challenge for Santa Monica Officials

05/23/2017 1:19 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

May 23, 2017 -- Like the public sector elsewhere, Santa Monica is facing a daunting bill for unfunded pension-related liabilities -- $387 million in the City’s case, according to the record 2017-2019 biennial budget proposed last week.

The rise in pension costs begins in the 2018-2019 fiscal year with an extra $2 million, City officials said. By 2021-2022, pensions alone will be responsible for $13 million of the $19 million deficit the City is projecting.

City Manager Rick Cole cautioned that if the City can’t reduce those rising costs, it will need to start looking at its workforce.

Santa Monica Encourages Landlords to Invest in Community

05/23/2017 8:50 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The City of Santa Monica has released a landlord incentive to encourage landlords to “invest in your community.” The H.O.U.S.E program (Housing Opportunities Utlizing Subsidy Enhancements) promises to pay the first 45 landlords $5,000 when they accept a tenant using a Santa Monica Housing Voucher.

Rent control vote divides Santa Rosa

05/22/2017 7:49 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The growing housing crisis is a hot topic in Santa Rosa these days. Rent control is on the Santa Rosa city ballot in a June 6 special election and voters will decide whether or not to pass Measure C, a 3 percent cap on annual rent increases for around 12,000 rental homes in the city built before 1995.

SMa.r.t.- Why Indeed!

05/19/2017 7:39 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The Downtown Community Plan (DCP) never adequately answers “why” so much more rapid development – more than 3 million sq. ft., an excessive amount – much of it luxury hotels and very expensive rentals, and more office space, is good for residents or the City. We are not a big city and our downtown is relatively small. Wouldn’t more moderate growth be better?”

It is simply unclear how the DCP, as currently proposed, is an adequate representation of a solution based on an analytically defined set of problems that needed a solution. It appears to be a proposal guided more by a set of specified wants and desires (by whom?…doesn’t seem to be the residents), and that in itself is a wicked problem.

City anticipates deficits in coming years

05/18/2017 1:49 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

While the Santa Monica’s fiscal outlook looks strong for the next two years, a dramatic rise in pension costs threatens the City’s ongoing stability, according to a nearly 400 page budget released by the City Manager’s Office Wednesday.

Even if national economic growth continues over the next two years, the City faces a $3.8 million General Fund deficit in 2019 that balloons to $19 million in 2021, according to current estimates. Pensions and workers’ compensation present the most significant pressures on the budget.

AND: http://www.smobserved.com/story/2017/05/18/news/city-of-santa-monica-proposes-spending-20-more-money-next-year-than-this-year-calls-it-sustainable/2907.html

Santa Monica Announces Another First in Stormwater Harvesting ...

05/18/2017 1:44 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The City of Santa Monica continues to be a leader in moving toward water self-sufficiency, promoting water conservation, and reducing potable water use. During National Public Works Week, on May 23rd, the City will officially open the Los Amigos Park Stormwater Harvesting and Direct Use Demonstration Project, a collaboration with the Santa Monica-Malibu School District and the Metropolitan Water District (MWD). This project marks another first in infrastructure advancement.