This year, the Carlsbad City Council's annual goal-setting process focused on supporting an excellent quality of life as the city transitions from a period of growth to a new era focusing on economic, environmental and community sustainability.
At the beginning of each year, the City Council meets to develop goals that help city staff prioritize programs, projects and services, as well as the resources required to fund them. Based on this direction, and on input received at public workshops, city staff finalize the overall city work plan, and the City Council approves a budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1.
This year's process started with a full-day planning session in February. City staff provided the City Council with updates on key city services, including utilities, traffic and transportation, environmental programs, police and fire, library and arts, and parks and recreation. Many departments, including police, fire, library, and parks and recreation, reported an increased demand for services due to the recession.
Much of the day's discussion focused on the state of the local economy, how the city has adapted to the recession, and the challenges of continuing to provide a high level of service to the community with less money coming in to fund these services. Since the recession began, the city has trimmed its budget by $10 million and reduced the city workforce by 25 positions.
Cuts have focused in areas with the least direct effect on the public, with a priority placed on core services, such as public safety, maintaining infrastructure, and keeping library, parks and recreation services accessible. For example, Carlsbad libraries and community centers continue to be open seven days a week. We recently made improvements to Palomar Airport Road that will help traffic around the Flower Fields and the I-5 onramp, and this month we are scheduled to complete safety improvements to the Encinas Creek bridge on south Carlsbad Boulevard. Water and sewer maintenance projects are ongoing, and the city continues to expand its recycled water distribution system.
Maintaining core city services at their current levels is the top priority in developing the budget for the coming fiscal year. Other priorities focus on supporting the important values identified through Envision Carlsbad, a city-sponsored program to create a community vision for Carlsbad's future. Many of the city's core services and existing initiatives already support this vision, such as those related to preserving open space and the natural environment, promoting healthy, active lifestyles, and emphasizing history, the arts and cultural resources.
Elements of the community vision relating to sustainability, transportation and community connectivity will be addressed in the coming year by programs to improve traffic flow and coastal access and pursue alternative energy projects.
An increased emphasis will be placed on working in partnership with the business community to retain and expand existing businesses and attract desirable new ones to the city. Strengthening the local economy, business diversity and tourism are core values identified through Envision Carlsbad, and even more important given today's tough economic climate.
The city's fiscal year 2010-11 budget will be discussed at City Council meetings in May and June and at a citizens' budget workshop in June. More information about the budget workshop and Envision Carlsbad is available on the city's Web site, www.carlsbadca.gov.