Newest articles on The Sacramento Press tagged as "20092010 fiscal year"

City/County budget crisis: The weekly roundup

2009-06-22T01:20:33Z

City approves budget, 168 possible layoffs

The City Council approved its budget June 16 for the 2009/2010 fiscal year, which means the city no longer has a budget gap of more than $43 million. However, the budget also means that city services face significant cuts, and 168 employees are scheduled to be laid off.

The last day of work for the 168 workers has been changing because the city and unions are still grappling with contract negotiations. The most recent information is that the last day of work for employees scheduled to be laid off is July 3, said acting city spokeswoman Wendy Klock-Johnson Friday.

The city has already distributed 168 pink slips. Still, the number of actual layoffs hinges on union concessions. City unions must make deals with city managers soon: The final deadline for labor agreements is June 30 at midnight, Klock-Johnson said earlier this week.

City parks to be maintained by volunteers, private sector?

Budget cuts and layoffs at the city’s Parks and Recreation department may mean the department could consider contracting with private firms and working with neighborhood groups to maintain city parks, said Jim Combs, director of Parks and Recreation.

A total of 65 workers in the department have received pink slips, according to Parks and Recreation spokesman Hindolo Brima. The department’s planned $8.3 million in cuts includes layoffs.

Combs told the City Council last week that if the department is going to suffer severe budget cuts, then the department may consider working with the private sector, as well as Parks and Recreation staffers, for maintenance services at city parks.

He also said he would be meeting with several neighborhood groups that have indicated they want to enhance maintenance in their local parks.

The situation for Parks and Recreation may soon change if Stationary Engineers Local 39, the union that represents parks workers, makes concessions to city managers.

Joan Bryant, director of public employees for Stationary Engineers Local 39, was not immediately available for comment Friday. The union represents a wide variety of workers in numerous city departments, including code enforcement, parks and recreation, parking enforcemen and the solid waste division.

800 pink slips for county employees

The county’s approval of its proposed 2009/2010 budget last week means that 800 employees may lose their jobs.

In September, the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors will adopt the fiscal year’s final budget.

Budget damage to District Attorney’s office lessened

There’s no doubt that the county’s budget crisis is resulting in dramatic cuts and layoffs. But when it comes to the District Attorney’s office, the budget situation has improved.

The D.A.’s office lowered its budget gap to $1.7 million from $13.1 million in May. The most recent numbers for the D.A.’s office are 18 possible layoffs and 45 unfunded positions, said Shelly Orio, spokeswoman for the D.A.’s office.

The recent figures may change because the county is still negotiating with four unions that represent employees in the D.A.’s office, Orio said. The D.A.’s office is also still waiting for clarification on some of the decisions made by the Board of Supervisors last week.

In May, Sacramento County District Attorney Jan Scully said she would have to cut major units, such as elder abuse and major narcotics, if she had to resolve a $13.1 million deficit.

“The good news is that no prosecution units will be completely eliminated,” Scully told the Board June 10.

See the D.A.’s June 10 presentation for more information on the office’s numbers.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

A guide to Sacramento County budget hearings

2009-06-09T02:28:51Z

Sacramento County is holding hearings this week on proposed budget cuts to address a $180 million budget gap. The budget hearings are open to the public and will be held at the county Board of Supervisors’ chambers at 700 H St.

The proposed overall budget for the 2009/2010 fiscal year is $4.3 billion. Sacramento County’s general fund budget is $2.03 billion. The budget document explains that a large portion of the general fund consists of the county's general purpose funds. "All other funds in the county budget are financed with earmarked or restricted revenues," the document states.

A breakdown of the general fund is on page 9 of the budget’s introduction.

“We’re at a very challenging period of time where not only our revenues are down, but expenditures are up,” county spokesman Zeke Holst said.

The hearings begin at 2 p.m. Tuesday with an overview of the budget situation. County public safety budgets will be addressed at 2 p.m. Wednesday. The board will take up county social services funding on Thursday at 9:30 a.m. Funding for several areas -- general government, municipal services, county assessor, retiree health and transient occupancy tax -- will be discussed Friday, starting at 9:30 a.m.

Indigent medical services will be addressed in a hearing at 2 p.m. June 11, and at a hearing at 2:15 p.m. June 16.

The county will make decisions on the proposed 2009/2010 budget next week. The board may adopt the proposed budget at 9:30 a.m. June 17.

Source: The Sacramento County budget document

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

City/County Budget Crisis: The weekly roundup

2009-06-08T01:55:25Z

City Distributes 168 Pink Slips

Many city employees learned last week that their last day of work may be June 19. The city distributed 168 pink slips Monday, June 2.

The 168 figure is not set in stone. City officials said fewer people may be laid off if unions make concessions. The city is dealing with a budget deficit in excess of $43 million.

Firefighters Nix Labor Agreement with City

City managers and the local firefighters’ union both said Friday they are willing to head back to the bargaining table after firefighters voted down a labor deal last week.

The city’s decision to distribute layoff notices to firefighters is a key dispute between city management and Sacramento Area Firefighters Local 522. The preliminary agreement that firefighters tossed out would have kept Sacramento Fire Department jobs and cut firefighters’ upcoming cost-of-living salary increase.

The union said the city’s layoff notices were an intimidation tactic. But city managers said they were being straightforward in their negotiations with the union.

The jobs of 68 employees in the Sacramento Fire Department are at stake. Of the 68 employees, 50 are firefighters, nine are engineers and nine are captains.

County Budget Released

Sacramento County released its proposed 2009/2010 budget Friday night. Look for our coverage on the county budget this week.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

City employees receive pink slips, 168 possible layoffs

2009-06-03T04:54:26Z

A number of city employees received pink slips Monday that said their last day of work would be June 19. Though 168 workers received the layoff letters, city officials said the number of potential layoffs would go down if unions make concessions.

The city is planning layoffs and cuts to services to address a budget deficit of more than $43 million.

Sacramento began its budget planning for the 2009/2010 fiscal year with a $50 million deficit. The deficit figure dropped to $43.6 million in March after the Sacramento Police Officers Association made concessions on pay increases, said Gus Vina, an assistant city manager.

The firefighters’ union, Sacramento Area Firefighters Local 522, made a tentative deal with the city on Friday. Union members will vote this week to decide whether to approve the deal, which would cut their scheduled pay increases. The city plans to slash 50 positions in the fire department if the union does not accept the agreement.

Another major union, Stationary Engineers Local 39, is in negotiations with the city.

“We have not cracked that wide open,” Mayor Kevin Johnson said Tuesday, referring to the status of the city’s negotiations with Local 39. He said that if the firefighters’ agreement is approved, the city would be in “much stronger position” with Local 39.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Firefighters make deal with city; union to cast votes on agreement

2009-06-02T02:43:42Z

Sacramento's firefighters’ union and city management have made a preliminary deal to maintain jobs that city officials hope will be approved by union members later this week. A union spokeswoman, meanwhile, is saying that no one is “thrilled” about the proposed agreement.

The deal, which was arranged Friday and made public Monday, would maintain 50 positions in the city’s fire department and take $5 million off the city's deficit, said Gus Vina, an assistant city manager who is negotiating with the city’s unions. A key part of the agreement is that the firefighters would give up their 5 percent cost-of-living pay increases that had been scheduled for July, Vina said.

Instead of the 5 percent in July, the firefighters would receive a 1 percent raise in July 2010, and a 2 percent raise in 2011. “So they get basically 3 percent back on the 5 percent they forego,” he said.

“We’ve been working towards an agreement for many months now,” Vina said. “So I’m very happy that we’ve reached tentative agreement with the fire union.”

Sacramento Area Firefighters Local 522 spokeswoman Robin Swanson said that the union’s firefighters don’t want to see layoffs, adding that it’s their job to save lives. The firefighters have been willing to make major concessions, she said, including cutting their own pay. She said she didn’t think anyone was “thrilled about” the tentative deal.

The union’s members will vote on the proposed agreement Wednesday, Thursday and Friday this week, according to Swanson.

The city’s $50 million deficit has shrunk to $43.6 as a result of a recent deal that was approved by the Sacramento Police Officers Association, Vina said. If Local 522 accepts the proposed agreement, the city's deficit would be $38.6, he noted.

Vina said he hopes to know whether the agreement passes by Friday afternoon.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

City/County budget crisis: The weekly roundup

2009-05-31T19:15:07Z

If State Demands City Funds, City Will Have the Money

Schwarzenegger’s recent proposal to borrow $2 billion from local governments has angered cities and counties, including the city of Sacramento. The proposal aims to help the state cope with its budget deficit -- the latest number for the state’s deficit is $24.3 billion.

At first, Sacramento reacted to the state proposal with alarm. But Mayor Kevin Johnson’s recent comments indicate that the city’s fears have somewhat dissipated. The city has a way to pay up if the state asks to borrow its money.

The city can use up to $12 million in its “risk funds” to pay the state, Johnson said Friday. A May 22 report by city staffers explained that these funds “are reserved to cover city liability settlements over the life of a claimant.”

While the city’s fears have calmed a bit, city officials note they are still worried. Johnson said it would be a bad precedent for the state to borrow money from cities. He also said Friday that he was worried about the possibility of the state taking a long time to pay back the city of Sacramento.

“Sacramento can tap into our risk funds...but what concerns me more so is that when the state borrows money, they don’t have a good history of paying back the full amounts in a timely manner,” Johnson said.

The city is working to resolve its $50 million deficit.

County Budget On the Way

The county will release its proposed budget Friday, June 5, said county spokesman Zeke Holst. The proposed budget will tackle the county’s $180 million projected deficit.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Send your tips about local politics to kathleen@sacramentopress.com.