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I. Fiscal Sustainability at General Plan Buildout Policies and programs in the current Economic and Fiscal Element help to ensure that the City remains fiscally self-reliant by calling for a diverse revenue base and a balanced budget. They also direct the City to conduct long term financial forecasting and planning, including evaluating financial trends, as is done each time the two-year Operating Budget is prepared. As to a long-term plan for sizing the City government to meet community needs at buildout, when the Draft 1996 General Plan was completed, a fiscal analysis was prepared to determine ifit was a financially sound plan. As part of the fiscal analysis, expected future service needs and the required staffing levels were identified. Each time the two-year Operating Budget is prepared, a review is done to determine current needs and ensure compliance with the long-term staffing plan. When positions become vacant, they are reviewed to determine their continued need. In addition, the City has used limited term employees in the development services departments to meet the increased demands during growth periods. By contractual arrangement with these employees and the bargaining unit, the positions are reviewed annually and reduced according to demand. At this point, most have been eliminated, and all will go away when tlte demand no longer exists. According to the long-range plan, staffing is not expected to grow beyond current levels with tlte exception of adding a police beat to service the Bernal Property and southern part of the City, and adding (or contracting) to maintain expanded park areas. Many existing positions in tlte Planning and Public Works Departments, for example, would evolve over time to service the needs of a built-out community rather than a developing one. Staff believes that no change to the current Economic and Fiscal Element is necessary since the current goals, policies and programs already address sustainability. In addition, a long-range plan already exists, and is reviewed with each biannual budget and when vacancies occur, which sizes staffing to rneet the projected needs at General Plan buildout. The Economic Vitality Committee recommends the following regardingfiscal sustainability at General Plan buildout: 1. Determine ways in which the business community can help the City to maintain fiscal sustain ability, such as assistance with selected capital projects. 2. Develop a systematic City approach for analyzing and responding to the effects that the General Plan economic programs have on the local economy over time. 32 I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I