05-10-2023 Agenda Packet John Couvrette Chris Pikus Andrew Cruz Robert Polston Jared Wilson
Committee Chair Committee Vice Chair Committee Member Committee Member Committee Member
Thank you for participating in your local government and the City of Poway Budget Review Committee
meetings.
Meetings | Future Regular Budget Review Committee meetings will be held on May 10 and May 24,
2023 at 5 p.m. These Regular Budget Review Committee meetings will be held in the Council Chambers
located at 13325 Civic Center Drive, Poway, CA 92064, and will be open to the public.
Public Meeting Access | Public participation is strongly encouraged.
Agenda Materials | This agenda contains a brief summary of items which will be discussed and
considered. The Agenda and Agenda Packet are posted at least 72 hours prior to Budget Review
Committee meetings and are available for viewing on the City’s website at www.poway.org or the
Bulletin Board at the entrance of City Hall, 13325 Civic Center Drive. Sign up at www.poway.org to
receive email notifications when Budget Review Committee agendas are published online.
Speakers | Persons wishing to address the Committee on matters not on the agenda may do so
under Public Comment. Those wishing to speak on items on the agenda may do so when the item is
being discussed. Please submit your Speaker Slip to the Committee Secretary prior to the meeting or
during the announcement of the item you wish to speak on. You may speak up to three (3) minutes.
The Director of Finance may reduce this time if there are a large number of speakers. PLEASE NOTE:
Written comments received via email before 3:00 p.m. the day prior to the meeting will be
distributed as formal additional material as well as be made available online prior to the
Budget Review Committee meeting. Written comments received after this deadline will be
forwarded to the Budget Review Committee, but not available online until after the Budget
Review Committee meeting.
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persons with a disability may request an agenda in appropriate alternative formats as required by
Title II. Any person with a disability who requires a modification or accommodation in order to
participate in a meeting should direct such request to the Finance Department 858.668.4433 at least
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Reminder | As a courtesy to all attendees, please silence all electronic devices and engage in
conversations outside the Council Chambers.
May 10, 2023 | 5 p.m.
CALL TO ORDER:
ROLL CALL:
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE:
PUBLIC COMMENT: In accordance with State law, an item not scheduled on the agenda may be
brought forward by the general public for comment; however, the Budget Review Committee will not
be able to discuss or take action on any issue not included on the agenda. You may speak up to three
(3) minutes. Speakers have one opportunity to address the Committee under Public Comment.
STAFF ITEMS:
1.Approval of the May 3, 2023 Regular Budget Review Committee Meeting Minutes2.Review of the Fiscal Year 2021-22 and 2022-23 Budget Review Committee Recommendations3.Economic Update4.Budget Overview
CITY MANAGER ITEMS:
ADJOURNMENT
State of California )
) ss. AFFIDAVIT OF POSTING
County of San Diego )
I, Jenny Paglinawan, Senior Administrative Assistant of the City of Poway, hereby declare under penalty of perjury
that this notice of a Regular Meeting as called by the Budget Review Committee of the City of Poway was posted
and provided on May 5, 2023. Said meeting to be held at 5:00 p.m., May 10, 2023, in the Poway City Council
Chambers, 13325 Civic Center Drive, Poway, California. Said notice was posted on the Bulletin Board at the entrance
to City Hall.
_____________________________________________________________
Jenny Paglinawan, Budget Review Committee Secretary
1 of 5 May 10, 2023, Item #1
DATE: May 10, 2023
TO: Honorable Chair and Members of the Budget Review Committee
FROM: Tim McDermott, Interim Director of Finance
(858) 668-4411 or tmcdermott@poway.org
CONTACT: Jenny Paglinawan, Budget Review Committee Secretary
(858) 668-4433 or jpaglinawn@poway.org
SUBJECT: Approval of the May 3, 2023 Regular Budget Review Committee Meeting Minutes
Summary:
The Budget Review Committee Meeting Minutes submitted hereto for approval are:
• May 3, 2023 Regular Budget Review Committee Meeting Minutes
Recommended Action:
It is recommended the Budget Review Committee approve the May 3, 2023 Regular Budget Review
Committee Meeting Minutes.
Public Notification:
None.
Attachments:
A. May 3, 2023 Regular Budget Review Committee Meeting Minutes
CITY OF POWAY BUDGET REVIEW COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES
May 3, 2023
City Council Chambers 13325 Civic Center Drive, Poway, California
(Per Government Code 54953)
CALL TO ORDER
Interim Director McDermott called the Regular Meeting to order at 5:10 p.m.
ROLL CALL
Present: John Couvrette, Andrew Cruz, Chris Pikus, Robert Polston (5:17 p.m.), Jared Wilson
STAFF MEMBERS PRESENT
City Manager Chris Hazeltine; Assistant City Manager Wendy Kaserman; Interim Director of Finance Tim McDermott; Director of Human Resources & Risk Management Jodene Dunphy; Director of Community Services Audrey Denham; Director of Public Works Eric Heidemann;
Director of Development Services Bob Manis; Fire Chief Jeff Chumbley; Sheriff’s Captain Nancy Blanco; Budget Review Committee Secretary Jenny Paglinawan
(Note: Hereinafter the title Secretary shall be used to indicate Senior Administrative
Assistant/Secretary)
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
Interim Director McDermott led the Pledge of Allegiance.
PUBLIC COMMENT
None.
STAFF ITEMS
1.City Manager Welcome / Committee and City Staff Introductions
City Manager Hazeltine welcomed and thanked Committee members for their desire to serve. Committee members and staff made brief introductions.
Committee Member Polston arrived at this juncture
2.Budget Review Committee Mission and Charter (including Brown Act)
Interim Director of Finance McDermott presented the item along with a slideshow presentation. He provided an overview of the Budget Review Committee Charter and the Brown Act, including the duties; basic meeting rules and requirements; and violations.
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City of Poway – Minutes – May 3, 2023
Public Comment:
Torrey Powers requested the removal of Committee Member Jared Wilson from the Budget
Review Committee due to potential conflict of interest.
End of Public Comment. In response to the Public Comment, City Manager Hazeltine stated that the City’s Attorney confirmed there is no conflict of interest. This was an informational item. No action was taken. 3. Selection of Committee Chair and Vice Chair
Public Comment:
None.
End of Public Comment. Committee Member Pikus nominated Committee Member Couvrette for Chair.
Motioned by Committee Member Pikus, seconded by Committee Member Polston to select Committee Member Couvrette as Chair of the Budget Review Committee. Motion carried 5/0 by the following vote: Ayes: Couvrette, Cruz, Pikus, Polston, Wilson Noes: None Abstained: None
Chair Couvrette nominated Committee Member Pikus for Vice Chair. Motioned by Chair Couvrette, seconded by Committee Member Polston to select Committee
Member Pikus as Vice Chair of the Budget Review Committee. Motion carried 5/0 by the following vote:
Ayes: Couvrette, Cruz, Pikus, Polston, Wilson Noes: None Abstained: None
Interim Director McDermott provided newly appointed Chair Couvrette with a meeting script to assist in presiding over the meeting. 4. Budget Process Overview Interim Director McDermott presented the item along with a slideshow presentation.
In response to Committee inquiry, Assistant City Manager Kaserman responded Committee recommendations from prior years are available online and will be provided to the Committee.
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City of Poway – Minutes – May 3, 2023
Public Comment:
None.
End of Public Comment.
This was an informational item. No action was taken.
5.Overview of Departments
Interim Director McDermott introduced the item along with a slideshow presentation. Staff described their departments’ organization, broad functions, and major workplans.
Assistant City Manager Kaserman described the organization and major initiatives and workplans for the Legislative & Administrative Department. In response to Committee inquiry, Assistant City Manager Kaserman responded the vacant Management Analyst position is kept as a budgeted
position to potentially fund in the future if there is a demonstrated need.
Interim Director McDermott described the organization and major initiatives and workplans of the
Finance Department.
Director Dunphy described the organization and major initiatives and workplans for the Human
Resources & Risk Management Department. In response to Committee inquiries, Director Dunphy responded there are currently several vacancies throughout the City; she noted recruiting is challenging for all positions right now as Poway competes with other agencies, as well as the private sector for certain positions. An analyst is dedicated to running recruitments, with two technicians providing support. City Manager Hazeltine added the City takes hiring seriously and is deliberate and thoughtful in finding the right fit for Poway.
Director Denham described the organization and major initiatives and workplans for the
Community Services Department. In response to Committee inquiry, Director Denham stated the City has faced challenges bringing some volunteers back following the pandemic. The City has considered holding a volunteer fair. She stated she would speak more with Chair Couvrette on
connecting with volunteers through the Poway Chamber of Commerce, as well as the process for making reservations for the older adult meal program.
Director Manis described the organization and major initiatives and workplans for the Development Services Department. In response to Committee inquiries, Director Manis responded to questions regarding Section 8 housing vouchers, grading, code compliance, and
unfunded State mandates regarding stormwater requirements. In response to Committee inquiry, City Manager Hazeltine responded the City does not participate in Project Labor Agreements (PLA) for capital projects and this does not result in the City losing State funding.
Director Heidemann described the organization and major initiatives and workplans for the Public Works Department. In response to Committee inquiry, Director Heidemann provided clarifying information regarding the Water Infrastructure Improvement Program. In response to further Committee inquiry, Director Heidemann explained the California Advanced Clean Fleet
regulations taking effect January 1, 2024. This unfunded State mandate will impact the City’s capital replacement program and there are not yet electric options for much of the City’s fleet. Director Heidemann clarified the work that will be done as part of the Hazardous Tree Removal
Project.
Director Chumbley described the organization and major initiatives and workplans for the Fire Department. In response to Committee Inquiry, he stated the City receives helicopter services
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City of Poway – Minutes – May 3, 2023
from the San Diego Fire Department. He also confirmed there are no plans for a reserve ladder truck, however, it will be several years before the City takes delivery of the new ladder truck ordered earlier this year.
Sheriff’s Captain Blanco described the organization and major initiatives and workplans for the
San Diego County Sheriff’s Department Poway Station. Discussion ensued regarding License Plate Recognition (LPR) cameras, including how they operate and will be used. Assistant City Manager Kaserman stated funding for the cameras is included in the Budget and the City is currently waiting for the County to execute contracts with the vendor. City Manager Hazeltine added the concept of LPR cameras was introduced with the Safe Poway program as a pilot program. Staff requested, and the City Council approved, additional funding for LPR cameras outside of the cameras the County Sheriff’s Department is providing as part of the Safe Poway program. In response to Committee inquiry regardless the homeless population in Poway, Sheriff’s Captain Blanco described the Department’s efforts to continually educate and offer volunteer services to the homeless. She added it can be challenging when homeless persons do not want to accept assistance. Sheriff’s Captain Blanco also addressed questions regarding traffic
enforcement in Poway.
In response to Committee request, staff will provide the Committee with an electronic copy of the presentation slideshow.
Public Comment:
None.
End of Public Comment.
This was an informational item. No action was taken.
CITY MANAGER ITEMS
City Manager Hazeltine expressed how proud he is to be City Manager of Poway and the pride he feels hearing the department directors give their presentations and talk about the work their departments do to serve the residents of Poway on a daily basis. He added that what was presented is the bulk of what the budget supports; the City only budgets for what it needs and there is not much room for extra items.
ADJOURNMENT
Chair Couvrette adjourned the Regular meeting at 7:32 p.m.
__________________________________________
Jenny Paglinawan
Budget Review Committee Secretary City of Poway, California
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1 of 6 May 10, 2023, Item #2
DATE: May 10, 2023
TO: Honorable Chair and Members of the Budget Review Committee
FROM: Tim McDermott, Interim Director of Finance
(858) 668-4411 or tmcdermott@poway.org
CONTACT: Jenny Paglinawan, Budget Review Committee Secretary
(858) 668-4433 or jpaglinawn@poway.org
SUBJECT: Review of the Fiscal Year 2021-22 and 2022-23 Budget Review Committee
Recommendations
Summary:
The Budget Review Committee Recommendations from Fiscal Year 2021-22 and 2022-23 are included
with this report for Committee review.
Recommended Action:
None.
Public Notification:
None.
Attachments:
A. Report of Recommendations by the Budget Review Committee Fiscal Year 2021-22
B. Report of Recommendations by the Budget Review Committee Fiscal Year 2022-23
1
Date: June 1, 2021
To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
From: Budget Review Committee
Subject: Committee Input and Recommendations for FY 2021-22 Proposed Budget
Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council, we, the members of the City of Poway’s Budget Review Committee (BRC), report our observations, findings and recommendations from our review of the Proposed Budget for Fiscal Year 2021-2022.
Introduction
The City of Poway faced an unprecedented budget outlook when this committee met last year as the Covid-19
pandemic was early in its onset. Worldwide, 160 million people were infected and over 3 million perished due to the virus in the ensuing twelve months. In Poway, lives were upended, schools were closed, and state-mandated closures brought unprecedented hardships for Poway businesses and families.
At this time last year, the City of Poway proposed a plan of “retrenchment,” leaving vacancies unfilled and foregoing almost $2 million in regularly scheduled asset maintenance. Fortunately, tax revenues were higher than expected and retrenchment proved to be a smart move, given the uncertainty of the situation.
While the BRC has numerous concerns, which will be addressed in this memo, we support the City returning to a normal state of staffing and asset maintenance, which creates some cost increases in the proposed FY 2021-22 budget compared to last year.
We thank the City’s staff, especially City Manager Chris Hazeltine, Assistant City Manager Wendy Kaserman, Director of Finance Aaron Beanan, and Senior Administrative Assistant Jenny Paglinawan for their support for the BRC. We also thank all of the members of the public who spoke, submitted comments, and tuned into the meetings. This Committee is an important means of transparency, accountability, and accessibility for the public. We are thankful for the opportunity to have served and look forward to the City’s continued support of the BRC.
A Summary of Poway’s FY 2021-22 Proposed Budget
Despite being a generally well-governed and well-managed city with a long history of good accounting procedures and fiscally responsible revenue application, the forecast has been troubling for years, largely due to large increases in personnel costs.
Simply put: The costs of operating the city are not keeping up with revenue.
The concerns raised from recent BRC sessions remain relevant today. To recall a statement in the 2019 BRC memo: “It is the view of this BRC that aggressive moves be made by the City, sooner rather than later, to avoid future service cuts for Poway residents.”
General Fund Overview
As the Budget states, the General Fund is the City’s principal source for fire protection, law enforcement, parks
and recreation, planning and engineering and other operations. The primary source of revenues for the General Fund are property taxes, sales tax, and fees for services.
While the budget is balanced, it is important for the Mayor and Council to understand that this is only because of
$3 million in federal stimulus dollars in the coming fiscal year. With those federal dollars, the City of Poway is able to maintain a normal level of service for Poway residents; without it, service levels would be reduced.
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In the current proposed budget, General Fund revenue is forecast to be $53 million in FY 2021-22, which is an increase from an estimated $51 million received in the previous FY 2020-21 fiscal year. General Fund
expenditures are budgeted at just over $51 million, up from an estimated $47 million in the previous fiscal year during retrenchment.
Due to dramatic cutbacks on spending under retrenchment in FY 2020-21, the City is expected to have an increase in fund balance, from $8.6 million last year to an estimated $11.9 million at the end of the FY 2020-21 fiscal year in June. This is largely due to the land sale to Poway Commons, as well as funds from the American Rescue Plan Act. This will prove helpful in addressing significant one-time costs facing the city in the near-term, like the Penasquitos Lagoon Project.
The City’s non-General Fund operating budget is over $47 million. The capital budget includes $16 million in new requests; half a million of that is related to General Fund projects.
Expenditures
Expenditures are budgeted to increase $4.1 million from the prior year’s projections. This is largely due to bringing back items previously retrenched, notably capital asset management of $1.5 million, reserve transfers of $700,000, law enforcement contract increases of more than $500,000, increase in retirement-related costs of $500,000 paid to the California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS), restoring the budget for unfunded positions at a cost of $350,000, and catching up on deferred capital projects of $500,000.
Ever-rising personnel costs are the largest contributing factor to the City’s expenditures, driven largely by
CalPERS, which manages the defined-benefit pension plans of all City employees, The City Council has done a good job in attempting to control these costs and we commend previous actions by city leadership to adopt early pension reform efforts including establishing a Tier 2 for “classic” members that carries a less costly retirement
benefit. Despite this, it must be noted that personnel costs are both the City’s largest expense and, due to CalPERS pension obligations, they are ongoing operating expenses. Those costs must be controlled as much as possible. Although it is tempting to expand the range of available services when there are indications of additional
budgetary solvency, it is important that the city continue to maintain focus on supporting the primary core values of public safety, good roads, and clean water.
One area that could be addressed by the City Council in the future is employee compensation, especially the City’s contribution toward employee health insurance costs. The BRC calls on the City Council to do whatever is necessary to limit personnel costs, including no compensation increases during the current fiscal crisis and the pursuit of contract renegotiations if the situation becomes worse. In that vein and where possible, the BRC recommends that the city consider totality of compensation strategies to retain talent within the staffing ranks. This would generally consist of compensatory options outside of traditional regular pay increases.
Specific Items of Note
The City of Poway is a service-providing organization that relies on tax and fee revenue from residents and
businesses in order to provide services to the people of Poway. Therefore, the BRC encourages city staff and policymakers to deliver services as efficiently as possible while keeping taxes and fees at a minimum. Some of the primary means of achieving that goal are below:
Budget readability
The BRC commends Aaron Beanan and his staff for producing a much more readable and transparent
budget than we have seen from the City of Poway. Many previous BRC recommendations have been incorporated into the budget, including highlighting personnel costs, even separating pension and healthcare costs as their own line-item. The inclusion of a running fund balance in an easy-to-view chart
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is also a great improvement. Additionally, the “About” sections in the proposed budget are a helpful, clear, and concise addition for the public.
The BRC also recognizes the City Manager and Director of Finance for their inclusion of a longer view of the City’s financial forecast in this year’s budget, as recommended in recent BRC memos.
Revenue growth
Revenue increases should be accomplished primarily through increasing the size of the property tax base rather than increasing the tax rate. This type of revenue generation without tax increases can only occur
through a continuation of redevelopment in areas where it is currently permitted and by encouraging and streamlining the ability of Poway residents to improve their own properties. It is critical that the city not impede this type of growth through excessive or unnecessary regulatory burdens and costs, and rather should act as a partner and facilitator in these activities. Tax increases on Powegians should not be an option.
Development Services Department
An efficient and well managed Development Services Department (DSD) is central to the efforts of increasing the rate of revenue growth to the point that it exceeds the growth in expenses. This department operates in a deficit and efforts should be taken to increase permitting throughput to achieve cost neutrality.
The BRC recommends that City management push for the maximum level of efficiencies, streamlining, and customer service at DSD. The better the Department gets at moving projects through the pipeline quickly, the more direct and recurring revenue the City can generate. The BRC recommends the Department continue to streamline their processes and simplify requirements in order to reduce permit time and reduce City costs on project approvals.
We are hopeful that the City’s adoption of the EnerGov software will help improve these efficiencies.
For background, the City's current software to manage and track permits, projects, code compliance, and business/regulatory licensing is over a decade old. With the exception of business certificates, the current system does not provide an online interface to submit, pay and interact with City staff for these civic
services. Implementation of EnerGov and the associated Bluebeam plan review software will allow the City to provide these services online, including the option of online submittal and real-time project tracking.
Additionally, the City should employ trackable metrics to identify key regulatory or process pain points that increase turnaround time from project start to final inspection signoff. Key performance indicators, such as the percentage of projects completed in fewer than three eligible review cycles, the percentage of projects completed within the established departmental deadlines, and the percentage of inspections performed within next day would provide the City Council and upper management with good overall relative metrics for the department. More granular metrics, such as the frequency of the class of regulation that requires additional review, and the general types of questions that low volume and high volume users ask can guide the city management towards targeted regulatory streamlining that can smooth the process of development from concept to completion. It is critical that DSD clearly, proactively, and in a timely manner, communicate with prospective developers and business owners about the bounds of what and where structures can be built to ensure efficient use of capital for development
and growth.
Finally, this committee supports recent actions by the city to ensure that outdoor dining and other uses that have seen success over the last year remain a continued option for Poway residents and businesses.
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Poway Center for the Performing Arts
Over the past several years multiple BRCs have highlighted the need for the City to look closely at the Poway Center for the Performing Arts (PCPA) operating model and budget. PCPA represents a financial drain on the City of over $1 million in the proposed budget and consistently runs at a deficit.
Negotiations with Poway Unified School District (PUSD) for a district purchase of the facility were not fruitful and therefore a combination of decreased direct subsidies and increased external funding partnerships should be pursued. Increasing the flexibility of booking partners to set prices to maximize profitably, coupled with a more robust revenue sharing agreement may enable the facility to come closer to cost neutral operations. Additionally, occupancy and profit/loss metrics should be kept allowing accurate, timely, and helpful feedback amongst all partners. Third party management and/or booking servicers should be considered if they are found to be more suitable.
The City Council held a PCPA workshop on April 6, 2021 during which the City Council provided staff with direction on a number of items geared toward improving the long-term financial sustainability of the
PCPA.
Options discussed included eliminating the direct cash subsidy provided to Poway OnStage ($93,350 in the current fiscal year), evaluating other options for booking services to schedule the professional
performance series at the PCPA to potentially generate new revenue for the City, renegotiating the City’s cost sharing agreement with PUSD, completing a feasibility study to explore the potential for creating a new endowment to support the PCPA, completing a fee study with the intention to move toward greater
cost recovery in the fee structure, evaluating operations to potentially have the facility open for more dates throughout the year, and conducting research to implement best practices from other venues to potentially improve efficiencies and reduce costs.
Recognizing that many of these items will take time for staff to complete and user groups need advance notice on fee and operational changes, Council set a goal for staff to reduce the overall subsidy of the facility by 50% beginning in FY 2022-23. The BRC supports this and other efforts to reduce the
significant costs associated with the facility.
Overtime
Poway is fortunate to have built a first-in-class fire department which provides fire protection and emergency medical response. This great level of service includes a price tag that is second only to the City’s contract with the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department.
One in every five dollars spent on employee compensation within the Fire Department is spent on overtime, which is far and above any other department. In the past this large expense has been rationalized by pointing to the high pension costs and other benefits offered to each new employee of the department, thereby making overtime for existing employees more cost-effective. However, as more employees are hired under the PEPRA retirement plan, overtime will not be cost-effective like it once
was.
We once again recommend that the City Council examine the department’s overtime costs, especially once 50% of PEPRA employees are on the Fire Department payroll.
Capital Expenditures to Reduce Operational Expenses
Where possible and timely, the city should consider capital improvement projects to reduce ongoing operational expenses. Of note, the utility costs required to treat and move the water and sewage run to nearly $800,000/year. During the large scale water improvement/reliability projects currently in the planning stage, it may be worth exploring if locally generated and controlled power sources, such as solar
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and/or battery storage options, are cost effective at reducing or eliminating this ongoing operational expense.
Additionally, as California approaches state-mandated requirements for electric vehicles, the city should consider a long-term approach to transition the fleet before other agencies in the state do the same.
Mitigation of unexpected financial risk
The city should make every attempt to extricate itself from financial risk within regional projects where the city lacks sufficient financial oversight and control. Additionally, the city should undertake projects,
where possible, to mitigate unexpected financial risk, such as Phase II of the Los Penasquitos Lagoon silt reduction project. The thoughtful negotiation efforts of the Development Services Department to spread the Phase I payments out over eight years has reduced the sting of this unfunded external environmental decree. However, the time to understand the requirements to avoid financial entanglement in Phase II of this project is now. Wherever possible, capital expenditures and projects should be planned in such a way as to reduce Poway’s financial and legal exposures to regional agreements or state mandates, or to reduce continuing operating expenses. Outside-the-box solutions should be considered given the high cost of these types of liabilities.
Water Revenues
It’s important for the City Council to understand that water revenues are budgeted to increase by $16
million in FY 2021-22. This increase is much higher than previous budgets.
This major budget increase is due to the city’s pursuit of significant capital improvement projects for the city’s water supply including a connection to treated water and the removal of the outdated clearwell and replacement with modern water storage tanks. If adopted, this revenue increase will likely have to come from one or a variety of sources. Other agencies have pursued increased water usage fees, grants, and bond financing in similar instances. The City Council must do everything in its power to keep water rates low for Poway residents.
Reserves
The BRC notes that the city is fully funding the General Fund reserve at the Council-mandated level of 45% of General Fund operating expenses.
BRC Format
Finally, we thank the Mayor and City Council for continuing to support the mission of the Budget Review Committee (BRC). This committee provides an important extra review of the proposed city budget before it is brought before the City Council each year. Indeed, we appreciate not only the support of the committee but the willingness of the City Council to adjust and improve the format of the committee over time as needed. The City Council’s decision earlier this year to stagger terms on the BRC will be an important improvement of the process by allowing continuity of experience year-over-year. The most
significant challenge facing this committee since its inception has been the need to get a completely new committee up-to-speed on municipal finance and the basics of the organization every two years. We commend staff and the elected officials for their support of this wise improvement to the process.
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