Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutSLO Forward Presentation Join the Conversation OUR PRIORITIES & LOCAL NEEDS Welcome and acknowledgements I’m here today to talk about San Luis Obispo now and into the future. I’m going to talk about the City’s long-range fiscal planning that has been challenged by the Diablo Powerplant closure, pension costs and financial gap between the available resources and the City services, maintenance and infrastructure the community values most. We are committed to the community’s values and fiscal responsibility Fiscal Sustainability and Responsibility is a major city goal We also know that community members want to maintain SLO’s unique character and quality of life for future generations They also value personal safety, protecting open space and creeks, and insist on local control of the City’s revenue so they money is spent here in our community. And finally, I want you to think about a question throughout this presentation. What kind of City of do you want you want to live in? Who We Are 2 We are a community that celebrates our unique character and quality of life. We have a vibrant downtown, a passion for protecting the environment, and a community that cares deeply about the history of this City. We are the county seat, the regional retail and cultural center, a job center and home to a major state university. Though population is 47,500, our daily population nearly doubles with the number of people who come here to work, visit and play. We are a city that 165 years old, with aging roads, sidewalks, and community facilities.  We have issues similar to many cities in the state: The availability and cost of Housing is a major issue Transportation systems that need to be maintained and improved A responsibility to ensure we remain a safe and well-maintained community for future generations 3 City of San Luis Obispo Full-Service City Major City Goals We are a full-service city, that provides a variety of services, such as: Police & Fire Water and Wastewater A Transit system Parks and recreation programs We also maintain the infrastructure to ensure those services are delivered to the community. We also deliver the community’s Major City Goals, developed as part of the City’s Financial Plan, including: Housing Fiscal Sustainability and Responsibility Sustainable Transportation Climate Action Downtown Vitality All of these represent the services, maintenance and infrastructure that the community values most. And I’m here to have a conversation with you about what we have done and the work that still needs to take place to ensure our community maintains its unique character and quality of life. I’ll also talk about an opportunity for you to directly provide your feedback to the City Council, using a community engagement survey that has really helped the City focus on what your highest priorities are. Addressing Recent Issues Diablo Canyon 4 I want to talk about two recent challenging issues that we are continually working to address. The first is the closure of the Diablo Power Plant in 2025 (CLICK) The closure of Diablo Canyon represents a loss of nearly $800 million dollars in economic impacts including the loss of 3,000 jobs. To help offset some of those impacts, the City moved quickly to identify solutions through partnerships with all seven county cities, school district, county and Senator Monning’s Office. (CLICK) That collaboration resulted in the passage of SB-1090 City has secured $1.8 million of one-time dollars for new economic development programs such as a business attraction and retention program, a Shop Local Program, and a portion of the Prado Road Interchange project. But this funding is only a glide path and we need to continue to invest in our local economy and maintain the level of services, maintenance and infrastructure needed for head of household jobs. Addressing Recent Issues Pension Reform & Fiscal Health Response Plan 5 The second issue is the increase in the City’s Pension Costs. The increase in CalPERS Pension liability posed another threat to delivering the services, maintenance and infrastructure the community values most. Again, the City moved quickly to identify solutions and worked with the community and the City Council to adopt a Fiscal Health Responsibility Plan This Plan includes, on average, employees paying almost 50% of their normal pension costs, the most in the region and sets the standard for other California cities  We also conducted a top to bottom audit of how we deliver services and projects and built in efficiencies to minimize the impacts to the community. In 2018, the voters approved a cannabis business tax by 80% to also help minimize any reduction of services. All of this resulted in $8.9 million of annual savings in interest and an early, one-time paydown of our pension costs, helping to avoid $19 million in interest payments. The Fiscal Health Response Plan shows how the City continues to address challenging issues to ensure we have a balanced budget. Despite these efforts, our community recognizes the need for more services, maintenance and infrastructure to help maintain San Luis Obispo’s unique character and quality of life. Assessing Our Needs Current services Infrastructure audit Condition of community facilities Existing plans and projects 6 Tank Farm Road Over the past 18-months, we have conducted a top to bottom audit of the level of services and infrastructure needs. Informed by a number of approved City plans, including the General Plan, the Parks & Recreation Master Plan and the Facilities Master Plan Others include the Bicycle Transportation Plan, the Downtown and Mission Plaza Plans and the American with Disabilities Transition Plan These plans represent countless hours of community input on ways we can maintain San Luis Obispo’s unique character and quality of life. But these future needs compared to anticipated revenues have revealed a serious gap in funding to bring this vision to a reality.  We have a responsibility to future generations to keep San Luis Obispo special. We must realistically assess our needs and anticipated resources Healthy cities don’t happen by accident. They happens through partnerships, good planning, management and a vision and plan to deal with upcoming challenges. What is SLO Forward? SLO Forward is a conversation with the community about the future needs, challenges, and vision of San Luis Obispo  7 We are launching SLO Forward to explain this gap and gather community input on how to solve this challenge. SLO Forward is a conversation with the community about the future needs, challenges, and vision of San Luis Obispo  It is a platform to obtain your views, measure your collective response and inform the City Council on the City services, maintenance and infrastructure you value most. Most Important MAINTAINING CHARACTER & QUALITY OF LIFE 8 We all agree – maintaining our character & quality of life is our primary goal It is safe to say that the definition of quality of life is based on our unique priorities and perspectives and yet there is a common theme. SLO is special and we need to invest in it to keep it special into the future. We have used different channels to hear your views and opinions We hired an independent consultant to conduct 2 focus groups and a statistically valid survey of 400 residents to better understand what is most important to them. What we hear was loud and clear. Residents want to maintain San Luis Obispo’s unique character and quality of life now and into the future. We also learned about specific issues that residents care deeply about. These are what we would like to share with you today.  Community Response Safety First Maintain What We Have Be Responsible with Finances Keep Local Control and Accountability 9 The Community Response provided several major themes, including Safety First Maintaining What We Have Being Responsible with our Finances Keeping Local Control of our revenue to ensure local tax dollars are reinvested into our community. Residents also recognized a need for the City to provide more services and investment in helping maintain our infrastructure. Local control with citizen involvement is essential  Protect funding from state or federal government Residents’ Top Priorities Requiring all funds used locally to benefit the community Protecting creeks from pollution Addressing homelessness Maintaining police, fire/emergency response Keeping public areas safe & clean 10 National Night Out with Residents Specifically the top priorities identified were –  All funds used locally to benefit the community Protect creeks from pollution Address homelessness Maintain public safety – police, fire, emergency response Keeping public areas safe and clean Residents’ Top Priorities Helping ensure children have safe places to play Preserving open space & natural areas Protecting long-term fiscal stability Preparing for wildfires & other natural disasters Repairing streets, sidewalks & potholes 11 1. Additional priorities include – Helping ensure children have safe places to play Preserving open space and natural areas Protecting long-term fiscal stability Preparing for wildfires and other natural disasters Provide traffic relief, repairing streets, sidewalks and potholes Addressing these issues will require collaboration among the community, the City, organizations and other agencies. Here are some examples  Protecting Our Creeks From Pollution 12 San Luis Creek under LOVR We maintain San Luis Creek and its 8 tributaries (CLICK) – Due to human activity, our crews removed 30-tons of materials from our creeks last year  Our crews are on call 24/7, providing basic services for protecting our creeks, but we simply can’t keep up with the amount of pollution in our creeks. Minimizing pollution and maintaining aging storm drains is essential  Pollution, maintenance will continue to be a major issue  Addressing Homelessness San Luis Creek Homeless Encampment 13 Residents express great concern with homelessness It’s an ongoing challenge (CLICK) - The number of unsheltered people experiencing homelessness has increased by 47% in San Luis Obispo. (CLICK) - Calls to the Police department related to homelessness have increased 28% (5,503 in 2015  to 7,032 in 2019) during the past 5 years and now represent 22% of total calls citywide. Calls related to homelessness are not just a Downtown issue, it’s a citywide issue. 81% of calls related to homelessness occur outside the Downtown. (CLICK) - Calls to the Fire department are experiencing much of the same, with almost 11% of calls being homeless related. Despite the county being the lead in providing social services and mental health services, the city spent $1 million last year related to homeless issues. Though the City partners with other agencies, such as 40 Prado, to help address homelessness, there is currently not enough resources to full address this issue. Vehicle Fire on Leff Street Ensuring Public Safety 14 Homelessness is just one aspect that impacts our first responders Maintaining our police and fire departments is our highest responsibility (CLICK) - Last year the City experienced a 46% increase in Hit & Run Collisions. (CLICK) – In 2019, the Police Department received approximately 31,400 calls, which represents a 11% increase over the last 10 years. (CLICK) - In 2019, the Fire Department received approximately 6,200 calls for service which is an increase of 300 more calls than from the previous year. As our community grows, we need to ensure we have an adequate number of public safety staff, with the appropriate facilities, equipment and technology to ensure the safety of San Luis Obispo. Existing Local Revenue Measure 15 Laurel Lane Complete Streets Project Local Revenue Measure is the City’s existing ½ cent sales tax. For every $1 of revenue generated, 69 cents is paid by visitors. The funding has been able to fund essential services and maintenance of existing infrastructure, including: The Madonna and LOVR Rehabilitation project The recently completed South Broad Street resurfacing project The Laurel Lane Street Project For the Laurel Lane, pictured here, this intersection was identified as the highest-ranking intersection for pedestrian collisions on City maintained streets. More than 180 people cross Laurel Lane every day, including children and parents making their way to and from Sinsheimer Elementary School and Sinsheimer Park as well as seniors and those using the community garden and local marketplace. (CLICK) With the project completed, pedestrian crossing at the intersections increased by 11% (CLICK) Vehicles speeds decreased by 7% (CLICK) Severe injury collision risk decreased by 11% (CLICK) Fatal collision risk decreased by 28% decrease. Without the Local Revenue Measure, improvements to our infrastructure like Laurel Lane, which helps improve our quality of life, would not have been possible. Existing Local Revenue Measure Sinsheimer Park Playground Replacement 16 The Local Revenue Measure isn’t just used for maintaining our roads, it’s also used to replace aging playground equipment. Here is a photo of the redesigned Sinsheimer Park Playground funded. The funds are spent on the priorities that the community values most, including: Open Space Preservation Bicycle and Pedestrian Improvements Neighborhood Street Paving Flood Protection Code Enforcement Parks and Recreation/Senior Programs and Facilities. Traffic Congestion Relief/Safety Improvements Public Safety and Other Vital Services and Capital Projects We’ve been able to leverage the revenue for grants, including transportation projects and the purchase of additional open space. The funding is overseen by a 5-member citizen advisory body, the Revenue Enhancement Oversight Commission, to ensure the funding is spent locally and on the community’s highest priorities. 17 Existing Local Revenue Measure For every $1 of sales tax revenue generated, approximately 70 cents is paid by visitors. 9.25% -10.25% - Santa Monica - Greenfield - Salinas - Palm Springs 8.75% - Santa Barbara - Santa Maria 8.24% - State Average 7.75% - San Luis Obispo Our existing sales tax percentage is currently below the State Average of 8.24%. For comparison at a local level, Santa Barbara and Santa Maria is at 8.75%. There are other financing options available to cities in California, such as: A General Obligation Bond, which is a parcel tax that is paid back by property owners. This requires a 2/3 vote of property owners. A Community Facilities District, which is also a parcel tax but for a specific area within the City.  This also requires a 2/3 vote of property owners within the district A general sales tax, which is what the Local Revenue Measure is, has a number of distinct advantages compared to General Obligation Bonds and Community Facilities District because: Approximately 70% of the Local Revenue Measure is paid by people who don’t live here in the community. While the services and projects benefit the entire community. Services & Infrastructure 18 Total Funding Needed Annually: $23M Gap in Funding: $16M Funding Ends in 2023 if Not Renewed by Voters The chart here shows the current level of funding, $8 million, from the Local Revenue Measure, which ends in 2023 if not renewed by the voters. (CLICK) – The gap in funding, $15 million, is the average cost to deliver the level of City services, maintenance and infrastructure the community values most. As you can see, we simply don’t have the funding for that level of services and infrastructure. Can we cut expenses – save money?  Our policy is to operate at efficient levels. But it is unrealistic to assume we can make up a $15 million gap through cuts to services and projects the community expects.  And if the Local Revenue Measure was not renewed, the total gap increases to $23 million, the equivalent of eliminating our police department. We need to find new resources to preserve the SLO we know and love  That is why I’m here today, to have a conversation with you about how we can provide the services and infrastructure the community values most Where We Go From Here 19 Healthy cities don’t happen by accident. They happen through partnerships, good planning, management and a vision and plan to deal with upcoming challenges. We have performed a top-to-bottom audit of our community’s need for services and infrastructure. And those needs far exceed our ability to maintain our unique character and quality of life. Over the next 20 years the city could experience a $15 million/yr. gap in funding for the services and infrastructure that community has said it values most. It is essential we engage residents to fully understand what are their highest priorities and how to align the resources to deliver on those priorities. That’s why I’m here today, to have a conversation with you and to get your feedback on you highest priorities on the City services, maintenance and infrastructure that maintains our community’s unique character and quality of life. We will take the results of your input to the City Council in late spring/early summer to ensure the City has the resources to continue providing the services, maintenance and infrastructure the community values most. Our City Our Future Join the Conversation What Are Your Highest Priorities? slocity.org/opencityhall Find out more at sloforward.org 20 There are multiple ways for you to join this conversation. Please fill out this community engagement survey. You can fill out a copy now or. Go online to slocity.org/opencityhall, click on SLO Forward – Join the Conversation and complete the survey  And if you would like more information about SLO Forward, please visit the City’s website at sloforward.org I want you to go back to the question I asked you earlier. What kind of City of do you want you want to live in? Thank You QUESTIONS & FEEDBACK 21 What Are Your Highest Priorities? slocity.org/opencityhall Find out more at sloforward.org I wanted to thank you again for having me today to discuss what we’ve done to address recent issues and the challenges we face in delivering the level of services, maintenance and infrastructure the community values most. SLO Forward is a conversation with the community about the future needs, challenges, and vision of San Luis Obispo  We want you to join the conversation and get your feedback on what your highest priorities are. Please complete the community engagement survey. Your voice matters. I’m happy to answer any questions you may have.