Budget overview
The City’s revenue has declined 17%, or overall $8 million over the past two years. The City Council took a series of steps to balance the budget, including actions at a January 26, 2010 Council meeting. It has been a long process, ending with another round of painful employee layoffs at the end of January. The following are a few of the actions we’ve taken:
· Total net reduction of 54 staff positions since fiscal year 2007/08, or 12% of the workforce including layoffs, early retirements, and eliminated vacant positions.
· Furloughs for fiscal years 2009-10 and 2010-11 for non-safety employees with a 5% reduction in pay. Safety mid-managers reduced compensation by 3% for fiscal year 2009-10.
With employee reductions, service in place today cannot be sustained. As noted at recently held budget workshops, the City will not be doing more with less, or even the same with less. Our community will simply be forced to do less with less, as we provide services with a higher level of discretion, with an emphasis on maintaining minimum service levels that protect the health, safety, and welfare of our residents and businesses.
Even with these cuts in service and staff, however, San Rafael will continue to be served at a basic level to ensure the health and safety of our residents and businesses.
On this page, you will find a number of budget related items that explain our current situation. Please click on the following documents to learn more about the context of the issue, especially as it relates to declining sales tax revenue and our worsening economy.
January 26, 2010 Special Budget meeting - City Manager's Staff Report
January 2010 Town Hall Budget Meetings Presentation
City Manager's Staff Report for the January 19, 2010 Council meeting: Budget update for FY 09/10 and 10/11, including results from the public outreach meetings and budget options.
December 15, 2009 Special Study Session - See the City Manager's PowerPoint presentation made to the Council outlining Budget Options and RecommendationsHandouts from the Study Session:
Summary of 2009-10 and 2010-11 Budgets - City Manager's memo summarizing the 2009/10 and 2010/11 Budgets - Recap, Status and Next Steps
Exhibits A-G, including:
A) Five Year Areas of Priority and Emphasis (2006-2011)
B) City Manager's Report: San Rafael 2011 - Looking Back and What Lies Ahead
C) Macro Outlook on Economy and Taxes (approx. 1 MB)
D) Budget Update for FY 2009-2010 - Check out the 08/09 results, review the 09/10 revised budget and see what lies ahead for 2010/11 (November 16, 2009)
E) Resource Development Summary - 2007 through First half of 2009
F) Volunteer Report - 3rd Quarter (July-September 2009) and 2008 Annual Report
G) Recent Economic Development Activity (December 2009)
Attachments I to IV, including:
I) Summary of Budget Actions to Date
II) General Fund Budget Actions Adopted
III) City Authorized Positions
IV) Excerpt from June 1, 2009 City Council Staff Report
2009-10 Mid-Year Budget Status - Read the City Manager's memo to the Council on the Mid-Year Budget Status, Next Steps and Actions (November 13, 2009)
Sales Tax Update for April - June 2009 - Read the Third Quarter report for Second Quarter (April - June 2009) sales. See Sales Tax by major business group, Revenue Comparisons and Statewide Trends.
2009-10 Property Tax Summary - Get Property Tax information and read about Real Estate Trends.
Budget in Brief (October 2009)
City Budget for 2009-2011 (October 2009)
Recession Action Plan (March 2009)
Economic Vitality Plan (March 2009)