The hard work of cutting the city budget to offset an estimated $6.3 million deficit for the coming fiscal year will be the focus of the Woodland (CA) council meeting last week.
In short, Woodland’s day of reckoning will start at 6 p.m. in the Woodland Community & Senior Center, 2001 East St.
Although talks have continued since an initial round of budget cuts were proposed in late March — including a recent “golden handshake” for 12 city staffers — the Tuesday discussion will get down to the nitty gritty of which programs and personnel will go.
The hope is to submit a balanced budget to the council on June 16, two weeks prior to the start of the July 1 through June 30, 2010 fiscal year.
The golden handshakes will ultimately save $1.03 million from the city’s general fund. However, the budgeted 2010 savings will be less than that amount due to retirement dates, vacation accrual payments and labor agreements.
The total savings of all the proposed budget cuts is $5,128,374.
Additionally, city management are seeking to work out new pay agreements with the city’s various bargaining units. Concessions from the units, in compensation or sharing of benefits, will also facilitate significant reductions that could eliminate the involuntary discharge of employees through layoffs and mitigate deeper cuts in programs and services, according to City Manager Mark Deven.
Parks and Recreation
Reduce the frequency of various park maintenance tasks such as mowing, edging, litter removal and weed removal. Field preparation service provided to organizations such as Woodland Little League and Woodland High School (Clark Field) would end.. This cut would result in the layoff of 15 part-time employees to save $158,663 and the acceptance of three golden handshake retirements to generate additional savings.
Eliminate the vacant recreation supervisor position for the Community & Senior Center, saving $74,468.
Cut the vacant management analyst position (formerly administrative secretary) responsible for providing management support, saving $71,834.
Reduce a vacant deputy director position proposed in the original budget submission as part of a departmental reorganization, saving $128,952.
Reduce a support staff position primarily assigned to support the C&S Center program. The employee accepted a golden handshake to save $56,520.
Eliminate the programmed recreation activities within the Yolano housing area, including the boxing program and ballet folklorico, to save $86,400.
End the spring “Egg Extravaganza” event, and modify or reduce some of the activities programmed in association with the July 4th celebration; does not impact the fireworks display at Woodland High School. The reduction would to save $4,500.
Reduce miscellaneous recreation administration support costs to save $25,442.
Modify the implementation of the fitness center program by utilizing contract instructors to provide recreation classes on a fee basis. This alternative will eliminate the need to staff the facility under the membership-based format. The modification would save $60,000.
Modify operation of the Youth Center through a contract with the Yolo County Office of Education that would be funded by a fixed-term grant. The reduction would cut a vacant recreation coordinator position to save $91,587.
Close the Hiddleson Pool facility, including aquatics programs and maintenance; reduce four part-time positions and a vacant aquatics coordinator position to save $162,319.
Reduce the projected costs for a turf maintenance contract that was never implemented and is no longer necessary following reorganization of the Parks Division led by the three park supervisors to save $283,290.
Save $215,731 associated with reductions to various supplies/services accounts, transfer of the Sports Park operation to the Communities Facilities District, reassignment of work hours to specific landscape/lighting districts based on responsibilities and restructuring associated with the golden handshake retirements.
Retirement of five Parks & Recreation Department employees, including the following positions which will generate FY 10 savings of $335,345: recreation superintendent and C&S Center manager.
In consideration of the staff and service level reductions impacting Parks & Recreation, the Parks & Recreation Director and City Manager have developed a retirement program within the framework of the existing labor agreement for senior staff.
The action recognizes that the general fund savings for FY 10 ($60,000) and additional long-term structural savings will facilitate consideration of restructuring options. The short-term strategy will be to assign the authority for leadership and strategic management of the Parks & Recreation Department to Chief of Police Carey Sullivan.
It is unclear if P&R Director Dan Gentry is actually retiring or not.
Total savings – Parks & Recreation: $1,814,721