Can't we do better than the State?

Cities in California have long played the role of victim.

We complain about how our dysfunctional State government has pushed its financial problems on us, forcing us to cut vital services and do stupid things (like subsidize auto malls and big box retailers to generate sales tax.)

It's true, but almost no one is listening.

Part of the problem is us. We talk about "funding for cities." The more successful "schools lobby" doesn't talk about "funding for school districts."

They talk about "kids" and "education" and "investing in our future."

Part of the problem is the voters. They generally pay as little attention as possible to anything long-term or complicated.

Part of the problem is partisan gridlock in Sacramento. One party panders to the voters desire to protect "kids" and "parks" and "education" and "fight crime" etc., all of which cost money. The other party panders to the voters desire to keep down taxes. Of course, each panders to the constituencies that favor one over the other, but they both pander to the voters in the middle who like both.

I don't have any practical solution for our State's problems, but I do believe at the local government level we have the opportunity and the responsibility to do better.

It begins when we stop playing victim.

Yes, we've "lost" millions in local revenues diverted by the State. Yes, we've had to add millions in spending to cover State mandates and problems they've dumped on us.

But as my wife would say, it is what it is.

Our challenge is to balance our budget anyway.

In Ventura, we are moving in that direction. Four years ago, recovering from the last recession and the State's confiscation of our revenues to help balance their budget, we adopted a Three Year Budget Plan. It aimed to reduce the growth of costs and increase the growth of revenue to erase a deficit and create a surplus.

We succeeded. We directed the surplus to four priorities identified at the beginning. We added 7 police officers and 6 firefighters -- the first increase in over 15 years. We invested in fixing our streets and other vital infrastructure. We added three parks -- with the funding to maintain them. After several years of salary freezes for most of our staff, we began to bring them closer to average compensation in response to record levels of vacancies that were going unfilled.

Now, the housing market slide has triggered an accelerating erosion of revenues. Sales tax is down 10% below projections. Building permits more than 15%. We expect the bad news to get worse as California enters a recession.

So we are again acting. The City Council unanimously approved defering or cutting $1.253 million in projects, added to $1.1 million cut in February. After approving $1.9 million in operating expense reductions in January, last night they began consideration of early implementation of $4 million of reductions originally slated for next year's budget.

It's called fiscal sustainability -- or not spending money you don't have. Here are the principles the Council unanimously approved last night to guide them through the tough decisions ahead:

1. In spite of adverse economic conditions, the Council remains focused and committed to the achievement of the long-term General Plan Strategic Visions embodied in the 2005 General Plan and will continue its commitment to the community to become a national model;

2. To ensure increasingly limited resources are allocated to what matters most in achieving the General Plan Strategic Vision, the Council recognizes that tough choices will need to be made and that its emphasis will be placed on eliminating, reducing or restructuring lower-priority programs and expenses rather than compromising the success of high-priority efforts by inadequate funding;

3. Building on the first two principles, programs and initiatives that produce income or save future expenses should generally be given higher priority than those that simply consume revenue; and

4. Because we will be asking more in the these difficult times from our workforce, the Council remains committed to the goal of competitive compensation to continue to retain and attract able and loyal staff.

Will Ventura voters support this approach? The Council also approved an ambitious public outreach effort to involve our citizens in the long-term and complicated challenge we face. Mayor Weir began that effort with an outline of our budget realities in the Star that is now posted on the City's website:

http://www.cityofventura.net/mayorsmessage

Mark Baldassare, President of the California Public Policy Institute, makes the case that voters across California recognize the problem and want common sense answers -- including a mix of cuts and revenue increases to ensure we live within our means without sacrificing vital services:

http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20080330/news_mz1e30baldas.html

He asks: "Will the elected officials squander the moment and use it for political grandstanding and partisan one-upmanship? The state's leaders have little to risk and much to gain in showing the electorate a way out of the current budget crisis and a fiscal plan for the future."

The elected officials in Ventura have accepted that challenge at the local level. Let's hope it works as a model for our State.