CCMin 2010-06-21 Special - Laserfiche WebLink

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i Council Direction One Council Member pointed out what he sees as issues: 1) the great altruistic work the Fire Department does 2) the staffing levels needed to maintain certain response levels. This Council Member is concerned with lowering response levels. One Council Member explained that the math to cut is not easy because now it is getting to the bone of the organization. This Council Member explained that a long structural problem needs to be addressed. Vice Mayor Aguirre is ready to accept the budget that was proposed by the Chief. Another Council Member felt this is very hard but this needs to be addressed. Mayor Ira explained that times have changed and that if the need arises, consolidation models need to be looked at. Parks, Recreation and Community Serviced Department Mr. Chris Beth, Director of Parks, Recreation and Community Services, explained that he looked at vacancies as well as current management structures. He spoke about partnerships and increased use of technology. He spoke about the synthetic turf conversion as a success story. He addressed the possibility of a calling center that would be at the Veterans Memorial Center. Mr. Beth provided some statistics on the cuts and he specified the reasoning behind the proposed cuts. M/S Foust/Pierce to extend the meeting until 11:30 p.m. Motion carried unanimously by voice vote. Mr. Beth explained that he is looking at shifting custodial teams to daylight to forego the 5% evening differential. He also mentioned the future of the department and covered it in detail. He then commented on the reduction options which included eliminating the Civic Cultural Commission Grant and the Human Services Financial Services Grants. Council Discussion One Council Member focused on the Fair Oaks Center and the portion of the services that the County covers. Mr. Beth said that the County provides the City with $300,000 and Ms. Chin added that they also provide an additional fee. She explained that 75% of the customers are Redwood City residents and the other 25% live in unincorporated Redwood City. Ms. Chin explained that she is trying to look for private partners to maintain the services. One Council Member said that she will have to balance the value of a Child Care Coordinator versus other services. She worries if Parks and Recs are spread too thin the quality of life might be impacted. Another Council Member spoke about considering cutting the Civic Cultural Commission grant funds. This Council Member believes it is the wrong time to cut HSFA due to the great need. Another Council Member opined that HSFA is an essential service and should not be cut. This Council Member also reiterated that the Civic Cultural Commission grants are leveraged 5 to 6 times over and she finds this truly valuable for the community and Redwood City as a whole. Another Council Member spoke about quality of life and values. Yet another Council Member shared concerns with the elimination of the Child Care Coordinator. This Council Member would concur with funding something through reserves on the first SPECIAL JOINT CITY COUNCIL/REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY BOARD June 21, 2010 MEETING MINUTES PAGE 8 MINUTE BOOK NO. 63 Page No. 118