Vision

The Marina City Council finally passed the City’s 2012-13 budgets this past week. On several levels it’s a good thing, especially since there were not any significant cuts that would further affect the level of service to our community. On the other hand, the budget was completely void of a vision for the future of our City.

As a result of the budget decisions, the City will maintain the status quo. This means we will remain understaffed in key areas, thus resulting in a continuation of our endless pothole battle, building maintenance deferred, and staff shortages in the key areas of Recreation, Finance, Planning, Engineering and Economic Development. In other words, there is no forward vision for our City.

The City simply cannot move forward with any conviction without a vision for the future. We need new revenues and new jobs- it’s as simple as that. The approved budget does not address these issues. The current Mayor expressly removed a new airport manager from the budget. This is a position critical to the development of the airport as an economic driver of jobs in Marina. The current Mayor also removed the funding for both the Development Services Director and an Economic Development manager, the key people responsible for bringing new businesses and jobs into the City.

While I am not advocating solving every issue out of one budget that is still drawing on our reserves, it does not get fixed without looking to the future and knowing what you want to accomplish. There are key areas that need attention now and others that need to be addressed as soon as possible. This budget did neither.

It’s been four years and we have yet to see a vision for Marina. So let me suggest a start. Let’s concentrate on growing our revenues now so that we can fully fund our core services first. By funding key personnel positions, we put the City in the best place to create new revenues and to move forward. We will then use these new revenues to find the permanent solutions needed for the future. It’s a simple vision, one that can be acted on now. It is a vision that will show results quickly and one that we can afford today. So let’s make it happen!

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4th of July

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

On this July 4^th week perhaps it’s time that we all take a few moments to truly think about the words that we speak when we recite the Pledge of Allegiance.

We may disagree on the details of some political policies or how we accomplish this program or that one but we do so as one nation. In our Country we have the right and responsibility to speak our minds - to work together no matter how uncomfortable the process. We have a tendency to forget that.

There are events that happen from time to time that remind us of this. Unfortunately many of them are tragic but certainly not all. As we watch some of the Olympic trials this week we can think back to many chants of “USA!, USA!” that came with so many events in the past like the 1980 US Hockey team, the entire 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles or even the latest accomplishments of Michael Phelps. We celebrate them together as one nation.

We seem to spend far too much time looking for the political differences between us and not enough time on what we have in common. We take great pride in finding these divisions and using them as a wedge but I truly believe that our desire to seek liberty and justice for all is a common trait among us. How we get there is a question solved by discussion, diverse opinions, understanding and compromise. It’s not dictated or mandated by any one individual, group or organization. It’s worked through and resolved by each and every one of us on a daily basis. Sometimes the process is not pretty but it has worked for well over 200 years and we are not about to give up on it now.

So enjoy the holiday this week and take a moment to recite the Pledge of Allegiance as you see the flags flying around your neighborhood. Then think about what it means to you.

Happy Birthday America!

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2012-13 Budget, Part II

In my last column/blog I talked about our City’s budget issues and the challenges ahead. In this edition I want to back up a bit and examine things from a larger prospective. One of the things that our Interim City Manager has suggested to Council is a re-examination of the service levels they provide our citizens. The thought behind this is that once the Council determines the service level then they can adjust the budget accordingly.

I would agree with this methodical and reasonable course of action. Too many times we see government agencies simply take an action without taking into account the full scope or knowledge of their actions. The City Council has not reviewed these service levels in years and it is extremely important to do so after all our economy has been through.

Let’s look at a few examples. In 1977 the Marina Fire Department had 14 firefighters, covered 5 square miles and handled some 600 calls annually. Today the Marina Fire Department has 15 firefighters, covering 10 square miles and handles some 1700 calls annually. Is our Fire Department right sized for our community? We should talk about this extensively.

Another example; the City has several economic development projects on deck. These range from a new Hampton Inn hotel to the new Theatre at the Dunes. We also know we will have the new Veterans’ clinic and other projects coming fairly soon. Currently we do not have enough staff to review the plans for these projects in a timely manner. What are our options at this point? How can we help facilitate the projects that will bring new revenue to our City and help our budgets in the future?

Finally, our Community has several public facilities that the City is responsible for maintaining, including our beautiful new library. The care and maintenance of these facilities is important to make sure they are there for our Citizens use. Right now our staffing levels and budgets make it very difficult to fulfill this obligation. What are our options here and how can we make sure these facilities remain available to all of us?

These questions really need to be answered sooner than later. Yes, we will draw from our reserves during this discussion time but that is why they are there. Our Citizens deserve to have the services they voted on maintaining when they approved Measures M & N in 2010. Nothing has changed since that time which is really the issue.

We all deserve an adult conversation that explores all of our options that focuses on the level of service we want, a conversation that looks at the things our local government can do and should do. This is a conversation that should cross all party and ideological lines that is unique to our Marina community. This is something we can accomplish if we work together as a community. Let’s make it happen.

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2012-13 Budget, Part I

Well, here we go again! Our City Council has the duty to work on and approve the 2012-13 annual budget between now and June 30^th. Let the games begin.

As part of the annual budget process the Interim City Manager Doug Yount has provided a 20 page budget message. It is a well thought out and detailed document that explains Marina’s overall financial situation, our staffing issues and his recommendations for what he calls a “status quo” budget.

What is even more important, Mr. Yount has asked the City Council to review the level of services that the City provides its citizens. This would include our police and fire protection, our recreational services and our public works services such as pothole repair, building maintenance, etc. If the Council decides to make cuts in the overall budget, he has asked that they decide on what services they wish to eliminate.

The document is very clear that there is just no more excess in the budget, and that any cuts made will directly affect the level of service that the City can provide. The document is also very clear that our City staff have been incredible stewards of our City’s funds. They have done their best to save monies where possible. Unfortunately, some of these savings were due to a lack of staffing that made it impossible to get some important things done in key departments such as finance and planning.

Another part of the document outlines the importance of Measures M & N to our City budget. It shows that the Citizens of Marina stepped up to cut the City’s overall budget deficit in half by passing the measures in 2010. Unfortunately, this also means that our City Council majority has essentially done nothing to narrow the revenue gap since then.

There will be a series of public meetings over the course of June (June 9, 12, 13, 19 and possibly the 20^th) to discuss the budget and to hear your input. I would ask that you pay attention to the process, add your input to the discussion and let your Council know what level of service you want from your City.

There will be much discussion over the next month and I will weigh in with some very specific ideas and solutions to our current situation. One idea that needs to be a part of any discussion going forward is to consider a two year budget cycle. We just simply do not have the staffing to stop everything and take almost two full months every year to approve our budgets. A two year cycle with 6 month updates will be far more efficient and allow our staff to focus on the services the City needs to provide our citizens.

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Ft Ord National Monument

I took the opportunity yesterday to attend the dedication ceremony for the new Fort Ord National Monument. It was a beautiful morning some 6 miles deep in the Ft Ord back country. While Marina was covered in the morning fog, the dedication area, and much of the Ft Ord area was full of bright sunshine.

As I heard speaker after speaker talk about the virtues of the Ft Ord National Monument you could hear the sounds of the Ferrari’s racing around Laguna Seca sometimes making it hard to hear the words. It was a reminder, spoken by Congressman Farr, that Ft Ord means different things to different people. His example was the Ferrari’s and the mortarboards representing the morning’s graduation ceremonies at CSUMB.

Many may not know but Laguna Seca was at one time part of the Ft Ord base but was gifted to Monterey County as a Park in the early 1960’s. Since then it has provided millions of dollars to our area’s coffers in tourism and service revenues. The Ft Ord National Monument may also add to our regions revenues over the years but that’s not really the point. The point is that the lands that make up Ft Ord are for everyone.

There are lands for recreation, from racing to hiking, biking and more. There is land for education as represented by CSUMB, MPC, Chartwell, York and others. There are lands for development like The Dunes, Marina Heights, the Highlands and more. What do all of these areas really mean for the region?

Jobs - jobs that left our local economy when Ft. Ord closed. They could be jobs in recreation, education, research, medicine, manufacturing and in areas that we have not even thought about or considered. Jobs that will help to stabilize our local economy, perhaps even diversify it so that we are not as dependant on the cyclical nature of tourism.

So we celebrate the dedication of the Ft Ord National Monument as it sets aside forever, over half of the former Ft Ord lands that can and will be used by all of us. We also celebrate the other lands that make up Ft Ord as they represent the economic opportunities needed to sustain our areas economy.

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Appreciation

It was Albert Schweitzer that said “At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us”. In my mind this is the definition of appreciation and it is with this thought in mind that I look forward to the next couple of weeks.

First on the list is my father’s birthday. It’s the perfect time to say the things I don’t necessarily say throughout the year. It’s his day and the time to let him know how much I appreciate all the things he has done for us over a lifetime.

In Marina, we have others that we get to acknowledge over the next couple of weeks starting with our Teachers. For many, many years the Marina American Legion has held an event, unique to our area that is designed to recognize the great job our local teachers do within our community. After all, who among us can’t think back to a teacher that somehow helped change our own lives? We as a community want to thank those that are changing the lives of our children today and Teacher Appreciation Day is our way of expressing our gratitude for a difficult job well done.

A bit later in the week, we as a community get the honor of acknowledging our Public Safety Officers. The annual Marina Public Safety Appreciation dinner again, is our community’s way of recognizing the often thankless job our Public Safety Officers do, day in and day out. So often we take for granted those that answer the call for help and those that protect us – this is Marina’s way of letting them know that we appreciate all that they do for us.

That will bring us to Mother’s Day. Here, not unlike the thoughts I expressed for my Dad’s birthday, we have the opportunity to appreciate all the things Mom has done for us. We thank them for the countless, thankless hours doing the things that Mom does each and every day that help and support their families. It also lets us pause and remember those Moms that we have lost but that we never let go from our hearts.

I am sure that there are many people in your own life that you appreciate but do not always acknowledge. Perhaps you can take a moment or two over the next couple of weeks and show them just how grateful you are that they are a part of your life.

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Springtime

Now that the taxes are done, Easter is over, the late season rains are giving way to flowers and baseball season is finally underway - it’s clear, springtime is here. Perhaps it’s time to take a brief break from all things political and look around our community.

It’s really not hard to see that there is far more that we have in common than what drives us apart. Springtime represents new beginnings, new starts and new growth so let’s celebrate those things.

Let’s take a moment and…

watch the kids playing baseball and softball and remember the spring days we played.

walk around our yards, gardens and neighborhoods to see what’s new this spring.

participate in the community events that bring us together like Earth Day and the Wind         Festival.

It is easy to get caught up in the day-to-day struggles and not see the things around us that bring a smile to our faces. It may seem a bit corny or silly to remind us to stop and smell the roses but if we don’t take the time now, when will we?

There is plenty of time to comment on politics, on who is doing what and who is not but maybe, just maybe, if we remember the lessons of spring we can reduce the divide just a bit, mend a fence or two and discover that we really do have more in common than we think.

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