The City of Coronado’s affluence was on full display at Tuesday’s city council meeting. City Manger Blair King announced that the city’s general fund was balanced with $52.6 million in revenues and $51.3 million in expenditures. The city also has $40.8 million in reserve and by the end of the year it expects to reap $4.1 million from the repayments from loans it made under its redevelopment agency in 2014 under an edict by Governor Jerry Brown.
The bulk of the money will be used for personnel (staff salaries and pensions), public safety (police and fire) and to maintain and enhance the city’s infrastructure (roads, sewers and buildings), including 22 capital improvement projects proposed for next year see list here.
There was also money ($1.6 million) for local nonprofit organizations. Following a tradition that goes back decades, it approved requests from organizations it had previously funded as long as they didn’t ask for substantially more money. Those who requested more were asked to justify the increases.
Camp Able asked for an additional $3,620 bringing their total request to $12,070. Of this, $7,320 will be used for local scholarships and $4,750 will be used to buy a specialized wheelchair bicycle to replace one that was stolen. Coronado Community Band needed an extra $3,500 to buy new uniform shirts for the band.
Three new community groups also asked for money — Musica Vitale, a classical vocal chamber ensemble asked for $9,800, Bridge Collaborative for Suicide Prevention requested $5,000 and the Community ChorUS requested $6,200.
The only new request the council refused was the one applied for by the Coronado ChorUS. The group formally launched in February, it doesn’t have nonprofit status, nor a place to rehearse or to perform. Mayor Casey Tanaka called the organization’s request “hope and prayer money.”
Councilwoman Carrie Downey offered to help the group establish itself as a 501c organization, but agreed that the chorus needed more history before the city could fund it. “You have to show a couple of years of what you’re doing,” she explained.
Other organizations funded include: Coronado Chamber of Commerce, the 4th of July Committee, Coronado Floral Association, Coronado Island Film Festival, Coronado MainStreet, Lamb’s Players Theatre, and Coronado SAFE.
The 4th of July Committee received an additional $25,000 from the Port of San Diego. King said that he had applied for the funds after he learned that other cities were getting port money for their 4th of July celebrations. “Our position was ‘me too’. If other cities were getting, we want to get some too,” he said.
There were a few other changes to community organization grant funding including a new funding scheme for the school district’s social adjustment and clinical counseling services. For years these funds were distributed through the Coronado Healthy Children’s Initiative (CHCI). Now the money will be part of a Facilities Use agreement with CUSD that will give residents access to school facilities, such as the track and the CoSA auditorium on weekends.
Funds for the Coronado Senior Association continue for this year, but will be moved to the recreation department once the new John D. Spreckels Center (senior center) opens.
The council also approved the Spreckels Center’s operations plans, including two full-time and two part-time staff positions, an advisory committee and a review of free public meeting spaces.
The latter was added at Downey’s request. She feels strongly that the city doesn’t have enough free spaces for non-profits to meet. Currently only the Winn Room and the Conference Room at the police station are available.
Under the proposal proffered by city staff the center’s Activity Room would charge a fee for outside groups to use it. Tanaka pointed out that the idea was for the center to be financial self-sufficient and not have to rely on city funds. “We want to give the senior center a chance to be profitable,” he said.
“I don’t think this is going to break us,” Downey replied. Because of her instance the fee schedule will be brought back for discussion at an upcoming meeting.
In addition to the 22 capital improvement projects and recommended programming, optional budget line items included $1.6 million for on the Country Club Area Storm Drain Line Infiltration Project and one million for the Regional Communications System. This seamless wireless system will allow first responders (police officers, fire fighters and EMS personal) countywide to talk to each other and coordinate their responses to an event, such as an earthquake that affects more than one jurisdiction.
The exact cost won’t be known until October. It may well be more than the one million the city plans to set aside. If it does cost more, the city can tap into its general fund reserves or take advantage of financing the County of San Diego is offering.
At this point the final costs and financing terms are not known – view document here. A city that has over $40 million in reserve funds can well afford to pay the full cost and not incur any interest payments. “That,” Councilman Richard Bailey pointed out, “is the reason you have reserve funds.”
