After going though his fifth budget priorities exercise and listening to City Manger Blair King restate the principles guiding the budget process, Mayor Richard Bailey suggested a different approach — a “deep dive” into the city’s revenues and expenditures, department by department.
Without naming any specifically in advance, Bailey said “there were a dozen or so items that are not getting the attention they deserve.”
“We’re going to be doing a deep dive and a lot of questions will come up that can’t be answered right away,” he said.
To give each item its full due, he suggested that the budget review be held outside a regular council meeting. Councilman Mike Donovan proposed holding a follow-up a week later.
King called the process a page-turn. He did note that it was more common than not to hold budget workshops outside the regular council meetings.
Bailey next proposed separating community grant reviews from the budget vote. Traditionally the council reviews the grant requests when it approves the budget. The money available will not change. There will still be $1.1 million available. Community organizations will just have to wait a week and expect to receive more scrutiny.
“The main purpose of voting on the budget and community grants at separate meetings is to allow for a more thorough review of both items,” Bailey wrote in an e-mail. He added that he didn’t “anticipate any other changes to the community grant processes or application.”
The motion passed 5-0.
Bailey’s efforts to explore taking control of Orange Avenue and Third and Fourth Streets from Caltrans won approval as well. The council authorized King to formally request an assessment from Caltrans on the cost. King stressed that this was not a request for relinquishment. “Whatever we get back from Caltrans will be treated as an opening position,” King said.
“Basically the report will only include structural integration and cost to bring [the highways] into good repair,” Bailey said. “It will not include other benefits.”
These could be many. The city wouldn’t have to get Caltrans’ permission to improve safety on the two streets. They could, for example, install speed bumps on Third and Fourth Streets, something Caltrans has steadfastly refused to do.
There are also risks and limitations as Donovan pointed out. Even without the state, the Navy will have a big say in what the city does. The streets service two major Naval installations – North Island Naval Air Station and the Naval Amphibious Base. The city doesn’t have the same resources. “Caltrans has a big legal staff to handle a lawsuit. We don’t.” Donovan said.
Meanwhile the city is moving forward on efforts to manage traffic speeding off the bridge on its way to Naval Air Station North Island. All were recommended by a traffic study and approved by the city council in October 2015. All require Caltrans approval.
Speed tables were not approved. Bulb outs on Fourth Street at A, C and Pomona Avenues are still being discussed. King expects Caltrans to approve the bulb outs, because they worked through similar concerns with the small bulb outs out Fourth and B Avenue. If all goes well, construction could begin as early as February 2018.
Plans for the traffic signal at Fourth and Alameda are even further along. Construction for that could begin as early as this fall, King said.
The street light and streetscape project on Third Street is proceeding as well. Streetscapes are designed to “beautify streets, calm traffic and create a sense of place,” King said.
At the requests of residents, the yield to pedestrian sign that was installed to aid the school crossing guards will now be a permanent fixture. Residents noticed that even when crossing guards were not on duty, vehicles slowed as they approached the signs.
Some progress has also been made on the Gateway Project, King reported. While Caltrans won’t let the city replace the agency’s building, it will let the city renovate the building’s facade. They also may allow the city to use decorative pavement to create a visual image that slows traffic and to create a park-like environment.
