Laserfiche WebLink
Redwood Shores Community Association <br />Redwood Shores, CA 94065 <br />October 26, 2020 <br />City Council <br />c/o City Clerk <br />1017 Middlefield Road <br />Redwood City, CA 94063 <br />council@redwoodcity.org <br />Sent via E -Mail <br />RE: Redwood City FY 2020-21 Budget Proposed Revision <br />Dear Council Members, <br />The Redwood Shores Community Association ("RSCA") objects to the October 26, 2020 <br />proposed revision to the City of Redwood City's ("City") FY 2020-21 budget. RSCA also <br />encourages the City to review its Community Emergency Response Team ("CERT") program and <br />the agreement between the County of San Mateo ("County"). <br />In 2018, the City faced a similar budget deficit and proposed Measure RR, or "the City of <br />Redwood City Essential Services Protection Measure," to increase the local sales tax rate for <br />more locally controlled funds. With Measure RR's passage, it was the voters' understanding <br />from the City and intention for generated funds to protect our police, fire, paramedic services; <br />911 response time; library operations; and after-school and recreational programs. <br />RSCA believes the City must uphold the voters' decision by not redirecting Measure RR <br />generated funds to other areas in the general fund and strive to protect these services. We are <br />concerned that having these life-saving services strained on the workforce during times with <br />high -demand will significantly endanger our community. The Shores community also heavily <br />relies on additional police officers, firefighters, and paramedics to assist emergencies. The <br />community is eager to utilize our library branch as soon as possible. <br />Regarding CERT, RSCA is concerned by the program's absence in the community during the <br />ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and recent incidents of wildfires, power outages, and record- <br />setting heatwaves. <br />On March 26, 2019, the City entered into an agreement with the County from April 1, 2019, to <br />June 30, 2021, to equally split (50/50) the CERT Coordinator position cost and time for "services <br />including but not limited to emergency response readiness, planning, training, education, <br />