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Staff Reporter
cmacho@oakdaleleader.com
209-847-3021, ext. 8128
It took four months of meetings, multiple public hearings, and the restructuring of the police department, but at the end, the City of Oakdale had a budget.
The Oakdale City Council voted 4-1 to approve the 2009-2010 fiscal year budget at a special June 24 council meeting. The city was also able to maintain a 20 percent reserve, but did have to use $414,000 of that fund to balance the budget.
The city has been dealing with declining revenues the past few years, as sales and property tax has been drastically reduced throughout Stanislaus County — as well as the entire state — during the recession that began in December 2007. Last year Oakdale City Manager Steve Hallam directed city staff to trim 10 percent from their budgets; this year, he asked for 15 percent.
In reaching the budget, various employee groups agreed to salary reductions or monthly furloughs, as well as assuming increased workloads due to the city freezing vacant positions within the city.
“I can’t thank the employee groups enough for being part of the solution,” Hallam told the council.
Some city departments also cut more than the 15 percent required from their budgets, ranging from city administration trimming 17.2 percent to finance slashing 18.8 percent.
The cuts did not come without a price, however.
Mid-block streetlights will be turned off, park maintenance will be curtailed, and all leaf pickup will be eliminated, except for once in the fall, among other cutbacks to city services.
The police department, which is the largest department within the city and — along with the fire department — is the main user of city general funds, was also the most impacted due to the cuts.
A restructuring of the police department proposed by police chief Marty West earlier this year called for the elimination of six police officer positions. The city was also asking police employees to agree to a five percent pay reduction. Last week the Oakdale Police Officers Association (POA) worked out an agreement with the city where employees will be furloughed 12 days next year — saving the city $105,000 — assume crossing guard duties near local schools, and two police sergeants will be demoted back to officer. While the reorganization proposed by West — where detectives, traffic officers, and school resource officers will be assigned to patrol duties — will still take place, the agreement between the POA and city does not call for layoffs of police officers as West’s initial plan did.
Earlier in June, the POA and city also agreed to a reorganization of officer’s health benefits, saving the city $87,115.
With additional officers assigned to the patrol division, the city expects to save $100,000 in police overtime costs.
West also agreed to a $13,000 annual pay cut.
Oakdale Police Association President Joseph Parreira said as part of the restructuring all officers will be financially impacted, including the two sergeants who will be demoted to officer. West agreed to accept the same pay reduction as the most severely affected police employee, he said.
Council member Michael Brennan, as expected, didn’t vote to approve the budget.
Brennan had told council members in other hearings he believes the city should balance the budget without the use of city reserves, as the economy in California has continued to deteriorate.
“The officers and the association came up with some fantastic ideas,” he said, but added he thought the state would take more funds from cities in the future.
“I really fear the one big robber that is going to strike us in one pocket or another is the state,” he said. “They’re going to come knocking on the door, but they’re not going to knock, they’re going to kick it open and take more money from us.
“One way or another, we’re going to suffer.”
Brennan suggested closing down city hall one day a week if necessary to balance the budget.
“It’s not this year I’m worried about, it’s one or two years down the road. The state is not going to get their act together.”
Mayor Farrell Jackson said he was pleased with the budget.
“I commend the officers for really stepping forward these last few weeks and helping to put a budget together we can all live with,” he said of the city agreement with the POA.
“In years to come, we can’t always be in a down economy. And in years to come, as long as I am sitting on the council, I will remember this,” he added.
Jackson said he was especially satisfied that no city programs were cut entirely.
“Yes, some services are a little bit diminished, yet all services are intact.”
Council member Tom Dunlop agreed with Brennan that the city faces a tough road ahead.
“Every economic indicator I’ve seen is not up for the next year. I think as a council, we’ll be working to plug the holes,” he said. “We all agree we can only do this for so long, spending $400,000 next year and every year out of the reserves.”
Dunlop also pointed out the local agriculture economy is struggling, which will affect the city.
“The ag economy is not getting better in our area; we have to deal with that.”
Although the Oakdale Miscellaneous Employees group, representing non-management employees outside the police department, had not agreed to the city’s five percent pay cut yet, officials expect the city and the group will come to an agreement in the near future. Most of these employees are paid from funds outside the city’s general fund, such as wastewater fees, and their salaries are only a small fraction of the general fund, which is primarily used to pay for police and fire service.
The Oakdale City Council voted 4-1 to approve the 2009-2010 fiscal year budget at a special June 24 council meeting. The city was also able to maintain a 20 percent reserve, but did have to use $414,000 of that fund to balance the budget.
The city has been dealing with declining revenues the past few years, as sales and property tax has been drastically reduced throughout Stanislaus County — as well as the entire state — during the recession that began in December 2007. Last year Oakdale City Manager Steve Hallam directed city staff to trim 10 percent from their budgets; this year, he asked for 15 percent.
In reaching the budget, various employee groups agreed to salary reductions or monthly furloughs, as well as assuming increased workloads due to the city freezing vacant positions within the city.
“I can’t thank the employee groups enough for being part of the solution,” Hallam told the council.
Some city departments also cut more than the 15 percent required from their budgets, ranging from city administration trimming 17.2 percent to finance slashing 18.8 percent.
The cuts did not come without a price, however.
Mid-block streetlights will be turned off, park maintenance will be curtailed, and all leaf pickup will be eliminated, except for once in the fall, among other cutbacks to city services.
The police department, which is the largest department within the city and — along with the fire department — is the main user of city general funds, was also the most impacted due to the cuts.
A restructuring of the police department proposed by police chief Marty West earlier this year called for the elimination of six police officer positions. The city was also asking police employees to agree to a five percent pay reduction. Last week the Oakdale Police Officers Association (POA) worked out an agreement with the city where employees will be furloughed 12 days next year — saving the city $105,000 — assume crossing guard duties near local schools, and two police sergeants will be demoted back to officer. While the reorganization proposed by West — where detectives, traffic officers, and school resource officers will be assigned to patrol duties — will still take place, the agreement between the POA and city does not call for layoffs of police officers as West’s initial plan did.
Earlier in June, the POA and city also agreed to a reorganization of officer’s health benefits, saving the city $87,115.
With additional officers assigned to the patrol division, the city expects to save $100,000 in police overtime costs.
West also agreed to a $13,000 annual pay cut.
Oakdale Police Association President Joseph Parreira said as part of the restructuring all officers will be financially impacted, including the two sergeants who will be demoted to officer. West agreed to accept the same pay reduction as the most severely affected police employee, he said.
Council member Michael Brennan, as expected, didn’t vote to approve the budget.
Brennan had told council members in other hearings he believes the city should balance the budget without the use of city reserves, as the economy in California has continued to deteriorate.
“The officers and the association came up with some fantastic ideas,” he said, but added he thought the state would take more funds from cities in the future.
“I really fear the one big robber that is going to strike us in one pocket or another is the state,” he said. “They’re going to come knocking on the door, but they’re not going to knock, they’re going to kick it open and take more money from us.
“One way or another, we’re going to suffer.”
Brennan suggested closing down city hall one day a week if necessary to balance the budget.
“It’s not this year I’m worried about, it’s one or two years down the road. The state is not going to get their act together.”
Mayor Farrell Jackson said he was pleased with the budget.
“I commend the officers for really stepping forward these last few weeks and helping to put a budget together we can all live with,” he said of the city agreement with the POA.
“In years to come, we can’t always be in a down economy. And in years to come, as long as I am sitting on the council, I will remember this,” he added.
Jackson said he was especially satisfied that no city programs were cut entirely.
“Yes, some services are a little bit diminished, yet all services are intact.”
Council member Tom Dunlop agreed with Brennan that the city faces a tough road ahead.
“Every economic indicator I’ve seen is not up for the next year. I think as a council, we’ll be working to plug the holes,” he said. “We all agree we can only do this for so long, spending $400,000 next year and every year out of the reserves.”
Dunlop also pointed out the local agriculture economy is struggling, which will affect the city.
“The ag economy is not getting better in our area; we have to deal with that.”
Although the Oakdale Miscellaneous Employees group, representing non-management employees outside the police department, had not agreed to the city’s five percent pay cut yet, officials expect the city and the group will come to an agreement in the near future. Most of these employees are paid from funds outside the city’s general fund, such as wastewater fees, and their salaries are only a small fraction of the general fund, which is primarily used to pay for police and fire service.
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