Is the city of Sacramento losing out on an opportunity to bring in more revenue? According to the most recent city audit, the answer is yes. In a report to the City Council Tuesday, City Auditor Jorge Oseguera outlined four areas for needed improvement in the Revenue Collections department of the city’s Finance Division, along with 12 recommendations for remedying the problem areas. The audit, which was started in late November 2010, found that the city could improve its cash handling procedures, that the performance measures for Revenue Division management lack efficiency and the process for collecting transfer tax revenue is inefficient. “(The Finance Department) does have good practi

The new California state budget reduced spending by $15 billion and potentially includes an additional $2.5 billion in cuts – but it’s not all bad news for Sacramento. Some of the impacts of the state budget on Sacramento were outlined at the City Council meeting Tuesday, most notably problems stemming from changes to redevelopment, realignment and motor vehicle license fees. “The best thing I can say is that it was an on-time budget,” said David Jones, lobbyist for the city of Sacramento. The budget was balanced using $4 billion in projected revenue increases, Jones said, and about 40 percent of that is “just hopeful thinking and subject to litigation or challenges.” That’s good news

The Sacramento City Council approved changes to a variety of fees for city services and permits for the upcoming fiscal year Tuesday night, including an increase in the cost of entertainment permits for businesses that provide music and dancing. All totaled, the council approved 18 different fees, including increases to 12 existing fees and the addition of six new ones. City Finance Director Leyne Milstein outlined the proposal in a public hearing presentation to a full council and about 50 people in the chamber audience before the council unanimously voted to approve it. Citing cost recovery as the basis for the adjustments, Milstein noted that 18 fee changes is a relatively small numb

While proposed budget cuts to public safety departments have attracted a lot of public attention, the Sacramento City Council also discussed millions of dollars in proposed budget cuts to many other offices and departments earlier this week. At a Tuesday afternoon meeting, council members examined cuts to departments and offices that include the mayor and City Council, Economic Development, Finance, Human Resources and Transportation. The city is in the throes of a budget crisis with a $39 million budget gap for the 2011/2012 fiscal year. The City Council members decided on Tuesday to give a large chunk of its budget to the city’s general fund. Council members’ budgets include revenues

The leader of a new effort to unionize city employees took issue with Interim City Manager Gus Vina’s recent decision to raise three managers’ salaries and lower the salary of a fourth manager. Dee Contreras, the former labor relations director for the city, is spearheading a campaign to unionize 677 city workers, including top managers and administrative staff. She retired in December but is once again involved in local labor issues – this time on the other side. Contreras said in an interview with The Sacramento Press on Wednesday that she will serve as the staffer for the emerging group, which is known as the Sacramento City Exempt Employees Association. “I will be working for them a

About 65 Pocket and Greenhaven residents gathered Thursday night to learn about current city issues. City staffers briefed the citizens on the city budget, green waste pick-up services and other topics during the community meeting, which was organized by City Councilman Darrell Fong. Attendees were fully engaged throughout the meeting, asking plenty of questions. It began at 6:30 p.m. and by 8:30 p.m. few had left John F. Kennedy High School on Gloria Drive. City Finance Director Leyne Milstein presented information to the group about the city’s $35-$40 million budget gap for the 2011/2012 fiscal year. She noted that the $35-$40 million represents about 20 percent of the net general fun

As part of a Thursday workshop led by Mayor Kevin Johnson, the Sacramento City Council discussed its current priorities as well as ideas for the upcoming “State of the City” address. Johnson described the workshop as a “mini-retreat” for the City Council. The city leaders kept the budget in mind when discussing their priorities, but exact budget numbers were not discussed. City Finance Director Leyne Milstein said after the meeting that she was still working on the budget figures and would present concrete budget information at a Jan. 25 public meeting. Johnson will speak at the State of the City event, which will be held Jan. 20 at the Sacramento Convention Center. His City Council col

Incoming Sacramento City Councilmen Jay Schenirer and Darrell Fong both said in interviews on Monday that they want to address concerns in the specific neighborhoods they will represent. They also said they are mindful of the city’s expected budget shortfall. Fong and Schenirer will be officially sworn into their new posts on Tuesday night. Schenirer pointed out that he will represent 19 neighborhoods as the councilman for District 5, including Oak Park, West Tahoe Park and Curtis Park. “I think the neighborhoods in my district have a significant amount of need,” Schenirer said. To respond to the neighborhoods’ needs, he said he wants to spend the next three to six months working with

Outgoing Sacramento City Councilman Robbie Waters is giving the Sacramento Public Library Authority up to $150,000. Waters specified at Tuesday night’s City Council meeting that he wants his donation to go toward materials at the Robbie Waters Pocket-Greenhaven Library. He announced at the council meeting that he scrapped his earlier terms for the donation. Last week, Waters had planned to give the money to the Library Authority only if the City Council retains the name of the Robbie Waters Pocket-Greenhaven Library. If the City Council changed the name of the library, Waters had planned to give the money to the Sacramento Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Waters said t

 In an abandoned corner of City Hall that formerly housed the planning department, four auditors are digging for information about the city’s rules and finances. Jorge Oseguera, the new city auditor, has narrowed down the top four areas of municipal government he will investigate first: the city’s health benefits, citywide policies, revenue collections and the vehicle fleet. In addition to those audits, he has four more in the hopper. The next set of audits will cover the city’s 311 information center, purchase cards, fire inspection fees and the city’s sidewalk repair process. The City Council gave Oseguera permission to move ahead with the audits in June. Oseguera said his goal is to

When the Sacramento City Council resolved a $43 million budget gap last week, it also decided to hire 30 police officers during the following three fiscal years. The decision to create 30 new police officer positions was non-controversial among council members, even though the city is experiencing harsh cuts in its departments. “I think we felt that this was an appropriate measure to keep our police department at a level that can maintain public safety,” Councilman Steve Cohn said in an interview Monday. The city has figured out how to pay $3.6 million for the police officers during fiscal years 2010/2011, 2011/2012 and some of 2012/2013. Sheraton Hotel parking funds will cover $1 milli

The Sacramento City Council will grapple with a $43 million budget gap at several meetings this month and next. Budget meetings are open to the public. Here’s a list of key dates for the city’s budget process: Tuesday, May 11: Interim City Manager Gus Vina is expected to make a presentation to the City Council on the draft budget for fiscal year 2010/11. Tuesday, May 18: Budget ideas from consulting group Management Partners and fees and charges are expected to be discussed at the City Council meeting. Tuesday, May 25: Budget hearing Tuesday, June 1: Budget hearing Thursday, June 10: Budget hearing Tuesday, June 15: Budget hearing Tuesday, June 22: Budget adoption The meetings star

City officials are supporting a proposed ballot initiative that aims to ban the state from taking or borrowing local government monies. Mayor Kevin Johnson stood with three city councilmembers and local public safety officials outside City Hall to publicize the initiative in a press conference Tuesday morning. California is in the process of borrowing $12 million of the city’s tax funds as part of last year’s state budget crisis, according to city finance director Leyne Milstein. By the end of the month, the city will have given that total amount to the state, she said. Don Cavier, finance director for the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency, said that the state plans to take $19

The Sacramento City Council is open to the idea of consolidating some of the services offered by the city and county governments. Councilmembers unanimously decided Tuesday that city staff should analyze the issue over the next 90 days, and then bring their findings to the City Council. The discussion about consolidating services is moving forward as both the city and county struggle with severe budget problems. Councilman Rob Fong strongly supported the idea. If the city and county can have “virtually identical” regulatory processes for businesses, then organizations like the Sacramento Area Commerce & Trade Organization and the city and county’s economic development departments could m

Sacramento’s city and county governments are considering consolidating some of their services to save money as they wrestle with tough budgets. The City Council and Board of Supervisors will discuss the idea at their public meetings Tuesday. Combining services could help local governments save money in the long term, said Gus Vina, assistant city manager. It also could cut redundancies, Vina said, noting that the city and county offer several similar services. For example, the county and city both provide animal control and code enforcement services, he said. The city and county have not yet selected which services to combine. At this point, city and county officials are asking elected r

Now that Sacramento’s 2009 / 2010 budget has been approved, what does the city’s financial picture look like for next year? The Sacramento Press sat down with Leyne Milstein, the city’s finance director, to ask that question. Milstein outlined next year’s projected $30 million deficit and commented on the city’s “structural deficit.” While Milstein grapples with severe city budget gaps that are tens of millions of dollars, she has a self-described “lighter side” that is evident in her choice of office decorations. An interview with Milstein would be incomplete without mention of her Magic 8 Ball collection. Sacramento Press: What is the city’s financial outlook for the next year? Leyne

The past week saw several major developments in Sacramento’s budget crisis, from the city’s forecasts of major deficits in 2010 to a campaign by residents against proposed budget cuts to local parks. Here’s a roundup of the past week’s budget news: Huge deficit predicted for 2010 The Sacramento City Council is studying a slew of proposed cuts to resolve its $50 million deficit. But once the city deals with the current $50 million deficit, it will face a projected $30 million deficit for the 2010/2011 fiscal year, according to Leyne Milstein, the city’s finance director. “Gap will grow to $30 million as revenues continue to decline and expenses increase in FY 2010/2011,” Milstein wrote i

City management will still need to lay off staff even if all of its unions make concessions, according to the city’s finance director. Sacramento Finance Director Leyne Milstein said she could not say how many layoffs would be needed if all the unions make concessions. That’s because the City Council will make the final decisions on cuts to services and programs, Milstein said. Concessions from the unions will not create enough savings to avoid layoffs, Milstein said. The city’s proposed budget aims to resolve a $50 million deficit. If the unions do not make concessions, city management plans to lay off 189 city employees. At its May 19 meeting, the City Council will address the propo