With a balanced budget and positive financial forecast, the City of Carlsbad is coming out of the recession on solid footing and ready to move forward on projects important to our community.
Although the city budget gets a lot of attention in June and July as we wrap up our fiscal year and prepare for the next one, managing our budget is really a year round effort. In fact, when the City Council approved a $231.6 million budget June 26, it was the culmination of months of work by all city departments to develop their spending plans and ensure they are aligned with community priorities and available resources.
The city budget for the fiscal year starting July 1 focuses on several initiatives identified by the City Council at its annual goal setting workshop in January. At the top of the list is fostering a strong local economy and bringing new jobs to the city.
We are already seeing new investment in the city, including new corporate headquarters and major hotel, retail and commercial projects, which will strengthen the local economy. It is critical that we continue to work in partnership with the business community in the coming year to help local companies thrive in Carlsbad and attract new entrepreneurial talent to our city.
The city is also working on adapting its plans to better meet the community's future parks and recreation needs. Improving traffic flow, expanding the trails system and updating the city's land use plans are also top priorities.
Our latest budget also includes projects to improve efficiency and community connection through technology, including installing free public Wi-Fi at city parks and community centers.
Our Capital Improvement Program this year includes $28.9 million in new spending to improve parks, keep streets smooth, and upgrade the city's sewage, drainage and water delivery systems. We also recently kicked off construction of Alga Norte Community Park, which will provide a new swim complex, ball fields, a skate park, a dog park, and playground and picnic areas when it opens in late 2013.
There is no doubt that creating and maintaining a high quality community takes resources. With the recession, the past few years have focused on maintaining our core city services with fewer resources. Now that the economy is beginning to recover, we are continuing our intense focus on the bottom line with the goal of putting as many resources as we can toward achieving our community's vision for the future.
City staff at all levels have worked very hard to find efficiencies throughout city operations. Some of these efficiencies have come through the use of technology, while others have come from simply challenging ourselves to consider new and different ways to provide our high quality services in the most cost effective manner possible. This is important because when the city saves money in operations, those resources can be redirected to projects and services that benefit the community.
This year's budget eliminates the equivalent of 16 full-time positions, bringing the total city workforce reduction since the beginning of the recession to 43 positions. Even with a smaller staff and other reductions in resources, the city has not made significant cuts to public services. City libraries and community centers remain open seven days a week and city offices are still open Monday through Friday.
It's important to keep in mind that although the economy is looking up, the recovery remains fragile. State budget problems, the elimination of redevelopment agencies, pension obligations, and increasing costs for utilities and materials are all areas of continuing concern. These challenges are a reality, and we are ready for them.
Even more importantly, we are ready for the future. This is an exciting time for local government. The world has changed a lot in recent years, and will continue to change even as the economy improves. With these changes comes the opportunity to work together in new and innovative ways to make Carlsbad the best it can be.
Although the city budget gets a lot of attention in June and July as we wrap up our fiscal year and prepare for the next one, managing our budget is really a year round effort. In fact, when the City Council approved a $231.6 million budget June 26, it was the culmination of months of work by all city departments to develop their spending plans and ensure they are aligned with community priorities and available resources.
The city budget for the fiscal year starting July 1 focuses on several initiatives identified by the City Council at its annual goal setting workshop in January. At the top of the list is fostering a strong local economy and bringing new jobs to the city.
We are already seeing new investment in the city, including new corporate headquarters and major hotel, retail and commercial projects, which will strengthen the local economy. It is critical that we continue to work in partnership with the business community in the coming year to help local companies thrive in Carlsbad and attract new entrepreneurial talent to our city.
The city is also working on adapting its plans to better meet the community's future parks and recreation needs. Improving traffic flow, expanding the trails system and updating the city's land use plans are also top priorities.
Our latest budget also includes projects to improve efficiency and community connection through technology, including installing free public Wi-Fi at city parks and community centers.
Our Capital Improvement Program this year includes $28.9 million in new spending to improve parks, keep streets smooth, and upgrade the city's sewage, drainage and water delivery systems. We also recently kicked off construction of Alga Norte Community Park, which will provide a new swim complex, ball fields, a skate park, a dog park, and playground and picnic areas when it opens in late 2013.
There is no doubt that creating and maintaining a high quality community takes resources. With the recession, the past few years have focused on maintaining our core city services with fewer resources. Now that the economy is beginning to recover, we are continuing our intense focus on the bottom line with the goal of putting as many resources as we can toward achieving our community's vision for the future.
City staff at all levels have worked very hard to find efficiencies throughout city operations. Some of these efficiencies have come through the use of technology, while others have come from simply challenging ourselves to consider new and different ways to provide our high quality services in the most cost effective manner possible. This is important because when the city saves money in operations, those resources can be redirected to projects and services that benefit the community.
This year's budget eliminates the equivalent of 16 full-time positions, bringing the total city workforce reduction since the beginning of the recession to 43 positions. Even with a smaller staff and other reductions in resources, the city has not made significant cuts to public services. City libraries and community centers remain open seven days a week and city offices are still open Monday through Friday.
It's important to keep in mind that although the economy is looking up, the recovery remains fragile. State budget problems, the elimination of redevelopment agencies, pension obligations, and increasing costs for utilities and materials are all areas of continuing concern. These challenges are a reality, and we are ready for them.
Even more importantly, we are ready for the future. This is an exciting time for local government. The world has changed a lot in recent years, and will continue to change even as the economy improves. With these changes comes the opportunity to work together in new and innovative ways to make Carlsbad the best it can be.