Budget Discussions Continue During Second Special City Council Meeting

Foster City residents may find themselves without the annual Fourth of July fireworks show or bocce ball activities in the next couple of years, if the suggested budget cuts discussed before city council members at last night's special meeting are enacted.

However, if a sponsor is able to pay for the fireworks, the council could allow them to continue with the help of the .

"I think it's not the fifteen minutes, it's what it means to America and it's what the tradition is and we just can't let that go and I think if we can find a sponsor I'm in favor of letting the Lions proceed," said council member Pam Frisella, who then suggested getting volunteers to run parking for the annual event.

"If they can make it affordable to the city, make it stay," added council member Charles Bronitsky.

The meeting . The city's general fund revenues are likely to fall $1.5 million short of budget estimates, largely due to property taxes.

Other potential cutbacks discussed were the eliminations of several positions from various departments, including police dispatchers, a recreation coordinator position, and crossing guards. Some of the positions – such as night shift officers on the police force – have been vacant for months with little effect on the community, while others, like two dispatcher positions, would require layoffs.

For the recreation department cuts, Frisella brought up the possibility of using unpaid interns, but certain criteria needs to be met with the state to allow that. She also suggested renegotiating with drivers to keep the Senior Express just for trips and looking into a volunteer program for keeping the shuttle system alive for the next couple of years at a reduced cost.

"I'd put myself on that list if it would save us having to have a bus driver on duty for 20 hours a week," she said.

Foster City Police Chief Craig Courtin presented his department's case. Suggested cuts from the FCPD would save the city about $651,000 per year. Two members of the public spoke out against cuts from the police department, including officer Dave Orlando and resident Bill Coons, who lives near .

Orlando outlined the duties of Foster City dispatchers and reiterated their importance to the force and city, while Coons spoke about the minor infractions he witnesses in his neighborhood during the hectic hours of school drop-offs and pickups.

"People pull into driveways, double-park, make U-turns in the intersection of Swan and Crane and Swan and Gull. Some parents just drop off their kids, so there's a big impact, especially with young children. I would hate to see impacts in public safety."

He also voiced concerns about vandalism, adding, "One of the reasons I live here is because it's safe."

"I'm very concerned that although it hasn't affected safety so far, it may in the future," Bronitsky stated following Coons' speech.

Linda Koelling stated that she was in favor of cutting the crossing guards, though she does not wish to compromise the safety of residents. The police chief also mentioned that he is actively looking at other models for the cuts.

Among the revenue enhancement options presented was raising the transient occupancy tax charged by the two hotels in Foster City, the and the . The ordinance has not been modified since it was first implemented in 1982.

"Fundamentally, it's taxation without representation," said Bronitsky. "Realistically, given what other areas charge, I don't find it to be an unreasonable burden." Most of the council seemed to be in favor of raising the tax.

Throughout the meeting, mayor expressed his reluctance to have to make cuts.

"I should be screaming at us for wanting to cut this, but I have to look at the totality of this. We've been lucky. We've had a staff that managed the funds so that loans came in to cover, the councils, that have been just fully responsible," he said. "Now is the time that we have to step up and face the issue if we're gonna, quite frankly, get to a balanced budget in the year 2013-14 and pay the remainder of the reserves, we've got to cut something, and no matter what we cut, it's gonna be disagreeable to some people and I understand that and I emphasize the fact that I have empathy for the people who are affected by that."

The City Council plans to present a finalized version of the budget plan in January  after a mid-year financial review.

How do you feel about the city's potential budget cuts? Should the fireworks go? What about crossing guards? Send Letters to the Editor to sarahy@patch.com and we'll publish them on Foster City Patch.