City Budget - Time to act is NOW

By Richard Ciardella

Over the past two years the current city council has used money from the General Fund (rainy day fund) to balance the current budgets. Two years ago the General Fund contained $36 million. Today it contains $25 million. That's a 30% reduction!

Dear Menlo Park Voter,

This is the fourth e-mail message in my series discussing the issues facing the City Council and voters of Menlo Park. In this message I want to present my thoughts on a few issues that have been sent back to me by voters in response to my earlier e-mails.

The topic that has generated the greatest number of return comments is the budget management (or mis-management). There is concern that over the past two years the current city council has used money from the General Fund (rainy day fund) to balance the current budgets. Two years ago the General Fund contained $36 million. Today it contains $25 million. That's a 30% reduction! The generally understood goal for the city's rainy day fund is to have an amount equal to at least one year's operating expenses for the city. We're now well below that. It will be my goal as a fiscal conservative to restore the fund to where it needs to be, and even higher.

We live in earthquake country. We are all told to keep a supply of water, food, batteries and other necessities in case we have a catastrophe. We'd hope to receive help to re-build damaged infrastructure, but a healthy rainy day fund will allow us to take quick independent action to address our own needs.

Menlo Park and most of its citizens are weathering the current national financial storm reasonably well. But the water is rising around our comfortable island and we can't ignore the signs. Federal and state budgets are deep in debt. We can expect federal and state funds that have been flowing to local communities to dry up. Building budgets on a foundation that expects a continuing flow of funds from our governmental big brothers is imprudent. We need the tax revenue restored from the vacant commercial property along the El Camino Real corridor. And we need to start cutting back on expenses. Labor is the city's largest expense. It's the elephant in the budget. It can't be ignored. We need to stop the rise in current and future labor expenses.

The other issue that has generated a number of return messages has been the High Speed Rail Project. I've been asked "where do you stand?" I'm very skeptical of the studies being used to justify the proposed High Speed Rail Project. I seriously doubt it is economically justified. How I vote and how the citizens of Menlo Park vote, however, doesn't matter as much as how the rest of California votes. If the proposition is defeated, then we can put this issue aside. But Cal Train has started plans to electrify the right-of-way. The Menlo Park City Council needs to structure a negotiating strategy that will bring maximum benefit to our city from either or both of these projects. If the High Speed Rail proposition passes, then the negotiating strategy needs to be even more aggressive. Menlo Park holds a key geographic position on the rail right-of-way. Money will be available to meet our demands. We need to turn this "challenge" into an "opportunity".

Visit my web site http://www.voteforrick.org for more details on my stance on these and other issues. I invite you to help me by getting involved. You can contribute time or money or both. The web site provides easy links to become part of our effort. Send this message to your friends and neighbors. We need everyone to get involved.

Thanks, and above all, VOTE on November 4th.

Rick Ciardella