Council Approves Final Budget

The City Council of Foster City last night officially approved a budget for the upcoming fiscal year, after months of deliberation, discussion and community outreach.

The approved budget trims $2.5 million from the $5.3 million gap the city was facing. Going forward, the City Council has resolved to shave the remaining $2.8 million deficit down to a balanced budget over the next two years, without using reserve funds.

Council members Pam Frisella and Art Kiesel voted along with Mayor Linda Koelling in favor of approving the budget. But councilmen Charlie Bronitsky and Ricky Wykoff opposed it, due to claims the council should have cut more spending.

A majority of the $2.5 million worth of budget balancing efforts approved by the council were comprised of spending cuts. Only $500,000 worth of new revenue enhancements and spending efficiencies are included in the budget.

Wykoff said the city knocked off the "low-hanging fruit" in regards to spending cuts, but identified the parks and recreation department as well as the financial services department as potential targets for further reductions.

"I'm disappointed we couldn't do more," said Wykoff.

Bronitsky agreed, and said the nature of the spending reductions over the course of the following years will be far more severe.

The council is planning to split up the remaining deficit by spanning $1.4 million worth of budget balancing actions over the next two years.

Bronitsky said the city's leadership will be forced to cut jobs in the subsequent budget balancing efforts.

He was also concerned that Foster City residents did not fully comprehend the dire nature of the cuts to come. He encouraged the city's staff to increase its communication to the community about what to expect in regards to the future of the city's budget.

The city held numerous discussions regarding the formation of the budget, some of which included input from the community.

At a meeting earlier this month, Council members approved reinstating the funding for a crossing guard in front of city schools after residents expressed frustration with the council's initial attempt to cut the $21,000 necessary to hire the guards.

Bronitsky at the June 6 meeting favored reinstating the crossing guard money for the next year, under the assumption that the community would act to find creative funding sources for the guard in subsequent years.

Last night, Bronitsky said he believed the approved budget made progress toward balancing the city's books, but also said the city should have cut more spending.

Councilman Kiesel, who voted in favor of approving the budget, said he agreed with his fellow council members who felt there were many more cuts to come.

"We have a lot of tough choices coming up," he said.

Kiesel said the heads of city departments were going to have to make difficult personnel decisions in the future, as job cuts will likely be necessary to balance future budgets.

Wykoff also nodded to future members of the City Council as the responsible parties who will be burdened with attempting to balance upcoming budgets.

"What we didn't do will be dropped on the next council," said Wykoff.

But Mayor Koelling took a more positive perspective on the council's action, and said it made progress toward eventually balancing the city's budget.

"This has set the ball moving toward the goal," she said.