Politics & Government

Senior Center, Crossing Guards May Return

At budget workshop Thursday, city manager recommends using Measure U funds to restore some services cut over the past three years.

Newark could hire more police officers, bring back school crossing guards and reopen its senior center if the City Council adopts recommendations made by City Manager John Becker at a council budget workshop Thursday night.

Becker recommended using funds generated by Measure U, the utility users tax approved by voters in November, to restore programs and services that have been cut in recent years to the city's operational budget for 2011-2012.

He also recommended replenishing the city's equipment, fire apparatus, capital improvement and fiscal uncertainty funds.

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Together, the recommendations total $2.1 million, a little shy of the $2.3 million a year that Measure U is expected to bring in. The measure places a 3.5 percent utility users tax on electricity, gas, telecommunications and cable television for five years. 

No formal action was taken during Thursday’s budget workshop. The city council is expected to take up a budget amendment that will outline which services to reinstate in May.

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Becker recommended that the city focus on using the measure's revenues on public safety; landscape-parks and street maintenance; senior and recreation services; equipment replacement; rebuilding depleted funds; and other services, such as reinstating funds for school crossing guards.

Becker described the recommendations as a conservative approach, since the projected revenue totals are only estimates. This would give the city some  "wiggle room," he said.

The recommendations include restoring and replenishing the following:

Public Safety

  • One full-time school resource officer, one full-time police detective, one part-time, temporary police service aide and one part-time vehicle abatement aide.
  • Annual cost is estimated at $365,000. 

Landscape-Park and Street Maintenance

  • Two maintenance positions in the Landscape-Parks Division, one part-time street maintenance position and an increase in funding for park watering, planning and turf repair.
  • Annual cost is estimated at $237,000. 

Senior Center and Recreation Services

  • Reopening of the Senior Center: Two full-time staff positions, building and equipment support services, and a projected opening in July 2011.
  • Restoration of the six-week Ash Street Summer Program.
  • Annual cost is estimated at $334,000.

Other Services

  • Restoration of school crossing guards, one part-time community preservation office, a design consultant for the Lakeshore Park Seawall Project, a part-time junior accountant for the city's Financial Department, administrative support services and funding for utility and fuel increases.
  • Annual cost is estimated at $417,000.

Equipment replacement

  • The city is proposing to add $300,000 annually into equipment replacement funds, which currently totals $400,000 annually.

Fire Apparatus Replacement

  • An investment of $100,000 annually to build up the city's fire equipment replacement fund. The city owns three fire engines and one ladder/pumper fire truck. The cost of replacing these vehicles, which have a 20-year life span, ranges between $500,000 and $1 million.

Capital Improvement Fund

  • An investment of $100,000 annually to the city's capital improvement fund. The city has approximately $110 million in unfunded projects identified in its capital improvement plan, and no capital funds have been set aside for the past six years.

Fiscal Uncertainty Fund

  • An investment of $250,000 annually to the city's fiscal uncertainty fund. In the past three years, the city has used $5 million from its fiscal uncertainty fund, and the fund is depleted and  This would build the fund up to $1.25 million in five years.

The city's 2010-11 operational budget totals $33 million, about 12 percent less than the 2009-10 adopted budget. The estimated 2011-12 operational budget adds up to a little more than $34 million.

"While the plan does not restore all the services or asset funding, it does bring us back to a more sustainable level," Becker said. 

Since 2008, the city has made approximately $8 million in cuts by eliminating and decreasing staffing levels, closing down its only senior center as well as its community center (with the exception of weekend rentals) and contracting out its fire services.

Contracting out its fire services to the Alameda County Fire Department saves the city between $500,000 and $600,000 annually.

Identification of which services to reinstate were based on the cuts made throughout the past three years, Becker said.

"We wanted to distribute the money in somewhat equal proportion in where we cut it," Becker said.

The four council members present welcomed the recommendations and also expressed their hopes of working with the  to restore crossing guards and a . Councilmember Alberto Huezo did not attend.

Councilmember Ana Apodaca said she was concerned about the impact of only having one school resource officer in place.

"I just don't see how one is going to do the job. That's my concern along with a lot of others when working with the safety in our schools," Apodaca said. "That partnership just really needs to happen. That discussion needs to be had."

Mayor Dave Smith expressed overall satisfaction with the propositions and described them as a prudent path to bringing key services back to Newark residents.


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