PC 032906 - Laserfiche WebLink

Ms. Stern noted that Program 17.3, regarding the City debt limit, was lowered to five percent from ten percent to more accurately reflect the current debt limit; some flexibility was included by allowing exceptions to be made by the City Council. She noted that this element related to the potential fiscal impacts of the new General Plan and that the options for Land Use would be addressed in the near future. Those options would be tested by creating a fiscal model of the City, and potential impacts would be assessed. She requested feedback from the Commission prior to review by the City Council. Chairperson Arkin inquired how the City would be run financially at buildout, when growth would no longer be possible. He further inquired about staffing requirements at buildout. Ms. Rossi replied that in a situation where inflation did not outpace revenues even in buildout, the City would be probably be fine. She noted that property taxes could not be controlled and that they were the lazgest part of the tax base. She added that a normal real estate market would probably yield normal growth. She noted that the real key to the City's future would be the City's economic vitality and the ability to find other sources of revenue; business development and redevelopment of businesses would be important parts of that scenario. She noted that property tax was close to 50 percent of the total General Fund revenue, and approximately 25 percent was from sales tax. With respect to staffing, Ms. Rossi noted that with no major changes to the existing Municipal Facilities Master Plan, the number of additional police officers and parks employees/contractors were anticipated to increase, with the rest of the City workforce remaining stable. Commissioner Blank expressed concern about changing the word "prohibit" to "discourage" and would like the City to maintain the same high level of service with financial flexibility. He was concerned that at buildout, with more redevelopment than new development, there may not be a need for the same high level of services because of the different mix. He suggested that some services that were ancillary to the City's vitality may be reduced. Ms. Rossi noted that at buildout, there may be a move from building inspectors to other staff associated with remodeling. She added that staff levels and positions were frequently assessed to match the City's needs; transfers and re-training had been performed in the past. Chairperson Arkin suggested that the Commission address the report page by page. Staff Renort Pages 1 - 2 There were no comments. PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES March 29, 2006 Page 7 of 25