Finances in the city of Redding is so bad that a CHURCH is offering the city $500,000 and trying to raise another $740,000, just to prevent police layoffs. Again, the problem is caused by CalPERS. City by city you will see an economic disaster as we go through the Spring and watch cities try to raise taxes and fees, cut basic services to keep the incompetent and mismanaged pension system open.
“Bethel’s offer, which Bethel’s $500,000 offer likely will need to be voted on still needs to be fleshed out, arrives against a money crunch backdrop that may force job cuts in the fire department. Communities everywhere in California are being stricken by more benefits and pension cost increases. The financial gift would guarantee at least an extra $250,000 to the city’s tight coffers for each of the two years. The total cost to keep four officers over that period is $1.24 million.
“Not to be a complete wet blanket for the rest of your discussion today, but I think we need to be very, very judicious in terms of making new commitments or committing general fund resources going forward until we have a better sense of how that (pension contributions) looks,” Starman said.”
Yet have you heard of any attempt to reform the pension system in Sacramento? Guv Brown, our very refused head of State, is confused and doing nothing. The unions are allowing the system to collapse—no idea why they are not concerned. This is not going to be a good summer for the people of California.
Bethel offers $500,000 to prevent police layoffs
Jenny Espino, Record Searchlight, 2/22/17
Bethel Church is offering the city of Redding $500,000 over two years and challenging faith groups and businesses to raise another $740,000 over the same period to retain the four officers that would allow the police department to keep the neighborhood police unit.
City Manager Kurt Starman met with church leaders and Councilwoman Julie Winter, herself a church elder, Wednesday. He announced the offer to the City Council a few hours later as members debated their spending priorities for the upcoming 2017-19 budget.
Bethel’s offer, which Bethel’s $500,000 offer likely will need to be voted on still needs to be fleshed out, arrives against a money crunch backdrop that may force job cuts in the fire department. Communities everywhere in California are being stricken by more benefits and pension cost increases. The financial gift would guarantee at least an extra $250,000 to the city’s tight coffers for each of the two years. The total cost to keep four officers over that period is $1.24 million.
“Not to be a complete wet blanket for the rest of your discussion today, but I think we need to be very, very judicious in terms of making new commitments or committing general fund resources going forward until we have a better sense of how that (pension contributions) looks,” Starman said.
The California Public Employees’ Retirement System lowered its investment expectations in December. The new forecast, to be phased in over three years, will have profound implications for the state, cities, counties and special districts, he said.
“Today, for our public safety employees … we’re spending about 50 cents (for every $1) to CalPERS as the employer contribution,” he said.
“With this most recent thing as well as other changes CalPERS has made … we think that percent will increase from 50 percent to the high 70s — 76 or 77 percent is our most recent analysis,” Starman said.
Enforcement initiatives ranked at the very top, while updates to the city’s General Plan and its Riverfront Specific Plan scored the lowest.
Winter said Bethel leadership also has expressed interest in committing $50,000 toward a marketing effort that promotes a sense of ownership in the community and giving.
“We really all need to step up and participate to help pay for those officer positions,” she said and stressed that need, given the defeat of Measures D and E sales tax last November.
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Redding Councilwoman Julie Winter addressed a $500,000 from Bethel Church to help prevent the layoff of four police officers. Jenny Espino
Starman and department heads are early in the development of the new budget, which starts on July. 1.
Funding for three firefighters and six apprentice firefighters expires at the end of June. A request to retain their positions at a cost of $838,000 was among four ideas that tied for fourth highest spending priority.
Following the meeting, Mayor Brent Weaver spoke of the tough choices the council is having to make.
“These are personnel decisions, people’s livelihoods,” he said. “My hope is that we will be able to find the money for the firefighters. (But the city) cannot make money magically appear for the positions.”
The neighborhood police unit tied with code enforcement as the highest priority. The cost for the unit is $620,000. For two retired code enforcement officers and homeless camp cleanups, the cost is $100,000.
Those two were followed by an updated development impact fee program and an evaluation of Redding Electric Utility’s proposed rate structure to deal with rising fixed costs. If it makes the cut in the budget, the evaluation may cost REU $75,000.
Two years ago, the REU proposal stirred public blowback. To quell angst, the council postponed the discussion until its budget workshop and Assistant City Manager Barry Tippin, also the utility director, said the agency was financially stable for years to come even if the restructure did not happen.
Besides the firefighter positions, the council ranked with the same urgency more community service officers, ongoing attention to the downtown and initiatives to jump-start the mostly idle Stillwater Business Park.
Kent Dagg, Starman said of a conversation with the real estate investor, has suggested dividing a 15-acre parcel into half-acre and acre lots to attract business. His proposal is expected to come before the cou
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