San Diego Metropolis Council members need extra money for rental subsidies, tree planting, arts packages and library books within the new price range Mayor Todd Gloria will quickly start creating for fiscal yr 2024.
Council members are additionally requesting extra money for lifeguards, local weather fairness, creation of the town’s first bicycle grasp plan in a decade and enforcement of the town’s current crackdown on short-term trip leases.
To amplify the council’s affect on the proposed price range Gloria is scheduled to unveil in April, council members submitted price range precedence memos in October, as a substitute of the everyday following February.
One disadvantage to that strategy is larger uncertainty about metropolis funds at this early a date. This price range cycle, the memos come earlier than the annual November launch of the mayor’s monetary outlook estimating surpluses or deficits throughout the subsequent 5 years.
Town’s unbiased price range analyst, which compiled the council price range memos and launched them Thursday, stated there are a number of extra issues coming into the brand new price range cycle.
San Diego may have simply $52 million left of the $300 million it acquired in federal pandemic stimulus in 2020, which has performed a key position in serving to the town steadiness the final two budgets — $100 million in fiscal 2022 and $148 million in fiscal 2023.
Town can also be compelled to pay as a lot as $100 million to unwind the legally nullified Proposition B pension cuts. The IBA stated extra details about how a lot the town owes is anticipated in February.
Town may dip into reserves, however the IBA famous these reserves are effectively under goal ranges as a result of contributions have been suspended lately. Town has about $200 million in reserves, roughly 10 p.c of its annual $1.9 billion price range.
One other potential concern is the town’s annual pension cost, which is prone to rise sharply. The cost shrank by $31 million this fiscal yr due to inventory market beneficial properties, and it’s prone to spike within the new fiscal yr due to inventory losses.
Funding losses enhance the town’s pension debt and annual cost as a result of a vital a part of the town’s long-term payoff plan is important development within the worth of investments made by the town’s pension system.
Regardless of the uncertainty, council members are proposing many spending will increase. Basically, they need the mayor to proceed specializing in packages addressing homelessness and combating local weather change.
Concerning particular packages, a majority of the nine-member council desires an growth of a rental-assistance program created final summer time with $3.6 million. Requests for extra funding had been as excessive as $15 million for this system, which supplies $500 a month to low-income individuals with unstable housing circumstances.
Council members additionally need extra money for tree planting, stressing that the town’s revised local weather motion plan requires a 35 p.c tree cover by 2035.
On a associated observe, council members need extra money for the town‘s new local weather fairness fund, which helps low-income areas susceptible to local weather change. Three council members need this system to triple in measurement from $5 million to $15 million.
For lifeguards, council members need extra staffing, extra gear and extra coaching, together with cash for a complicated lifeguard academy.
On libraries, council members desires $250,000 for extra library books and different supplies, $500,000 extra for library upkeep and a rise in metropolis matching funds for donations, from $1.2 million to $1.4 million.
Council members additionally wish to rent seven extra full-time librarians centered on youth, household and teenage providers so that each one 36 metropolis branches may have such a librarian.
One other precedence listed within the memos is updating the town’s bicycle grasp plan for the primary time since 2013. Safer bike routes are key to getting individuals to commute in additional climate-friendly methods, metropolis officers say.
Council members additionally need extra money for code enforcement, notably for short-term trip leases and underserved communities.
The council’s price range committee is scheduled to debate the priorities Wednesday, with the complete council slated to finalize them Oct. 31.
