AgdaPkt 2020-10-26 Joint SA PFA - Laserfiche WebLink

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From: David Chassin To: Council -Diane Howard Subject: Re: Proposed cut to fire department budget Date: Tuesday, October 27, 2020 6:10:34 AM Hi Diane, Just so you know, I did review the budget documents shared on the city's website prior to the meeting and they tell a sad story of the financial state of our city. However, with all due respect your reply is totally unresponsive to the primary concern expressed in my email, viz. that cutting emergency medical services during a pandemic is extremely ill-advised. If anything you should be boosting them for the next 18 months because starting this winter we're really going to need them. Honestly I didn't expect much more than the perfunctory formulaic reply you gave us because it seems the city's financial troubles stem largely from years of financial planning based on an erroneous assumption that future growth would cover future pension obligations. Any economic model that assumes eternal growth is doomed to fail spectacularly at some point, and it seems this COVID-19 crisis means we have finally come to that point. I strongly suggest you seek better financial advice from your staff because this is only the beginning of a financial catastrophe that will undo all the hard work you have put in recently. Thanks, Dave On Oct 26, 2020, at 13:59, Council -Diane Howard <DHoward@redwoodcity.org> wrote: Dear David and Norma, Thank you so much for your email regarding the Revised Budget that the City Council will consider at its meeting tonight. Your email has been shared with both our City Council and Staff, and your comments will be included as Public Comment for this topic. I wanted to share some context for the Revised Budget, and encourage you to review the staff report and Revised Budget. Because of the COVID-19-related recession, City operating revenues are expected to drop 8.1% or $13.1 million compared to FY 2019-20. We expect it will take at least five years for revenue to return to FY 2019-20 levels. When reduced revenues are combined with known cost increases to fund pension and retiree health obligations, the City must reduce operating costs and seek new revenues. Without action, we would face annual deficits of $7-13 million per year for the foreseeable future. We appreciate voter support for Measure RR in 2018; without