Dear Employees:
Today I released our Proposed Fiscal Year 2011 Budget, and Mayor Foster released his Budget Recommendations. To address our $18.5 million structural deficit in these very challenging financial times, I have proposed the following five-pronged approach:
1. Department reductions: Asking all departments to make further reductions
2. Potential new revenue : Continuing to explore new revenue to reduce the deficit
3. Government reform: Consolidating departments and improving efficiency
4. Employee contributions: Negotiating to reduce employee costs
5. Pension reform: Negotiating to reduce current and future pension costs
I encourage you to read more about this at www.longbeach.gov . Online you will find the two-page Budget Snapshot, and a larger 24-page document that details the budget solutions. Department Directors will be talking to employees in each affected area to keep everyone apprised of the potential impacts. While I regret that these recommendations will have an impact on our organization and on some of our employees, as a City we must take these actions in order to solve the budget deficit. Additionally, I am hopeful that, through negotiations, our employee organizations will once again choose to be a part of the solution. Without additional assistance from our employees this year, an additional 85 positions will need to be eliminated, causing significant service reductions to core services.
Despite our budget challenges, as a City family we have accomplished a great deal over this past year. Part of the Budget presentation today was to highlight all the great work our employees have done, from keeping our City clean and safe, to creating new parks, to repairing the most amount of streetwork in a decade, and many other successes. This budget will be difficult on us all, but I am confident that Long Beach will continue to be a leader in California in providing quality services to our community.
PATRICK H. WEST
CITY MANAGER
