fy 2018-2019 budget message - tigard-or.gov · page 2 - city of tigard fy 2018-2019 budget message...

INTRODUCTION - PAGE 1

FY 2018-2019 BUDGET MESSAGE

Tigard’s 2018-19 Budget and Preview of 2019-20 To the City’s Budget Committee and the Tigard community: Tigard is a great community, and a recent city survey showed that 96% of residents are satisfied or very satisfied overall with the quality of life and services that they have in Tigard. More than 80% are satis-fied with the value they receive for their tax dollars. But Tigard’s population is growing. Over the last three years, our budget messages have highlighted that Tigard has a structural budget problem in that our revenues grow more slowly than our spending to provide day-to-day city services. Tigard has taken measures to both curb cost growth and increase available revenues in the General Fund, but we are simply not able to maintain current service levels due to limits on revenue growth and the population growth that Tigard is experiencing. This imbalance is unsustainable. Fixing the situation requires either increasing resources to a level that can be sustained over time, or adjusting city spending to match available revenues. A request to Tigard voters for a local option levy to address the situation long-term is on the ballot for May 15, 2018. Tigard is proposing a local option levy to preserve and provide additional funding for the day-to-day operations of our police department, library, parks maintenance, and general city admin-istration services such as planning and finance. This option increases resources to keep providing the police, parks, library and other city services we provide today, and enhance some services in police, parks and safer walking routes. This proposal is in line with 2016 recommendations from the Budget Committee, and aligns with recommendations of the Levy and Bond Task Force, a citizen panel creat-ed by City Council to advise whether and when to ask Tigard voters to pursue a local option levy. Their suggestion was to focus on police and public safety, park maintenance, and improving sidewalks and walking connections. The Task Force suggested that the city should show accountability for how levy funds should be spent and show voters the other cost and revenue options that have been considered. The Proposed 2018-19 Budget envisions the other approach if Tigard voters elect not to approve a local option levy: matching our spending to the resources that we have. This budget proposes over $2.5 million in reductions in 2018-19, and a similar amount of reductions in the 2019-20. In developing this budget proposal, all General Fund Services will experience cuts to preserve the city’s core functions. Below is a summary of the reductions proposed in 2018-19 and a preview of what a second year of re-ductions would likely be in 2019-20. The Proposed Budget has two aims: first, to make city services financially sustainable for up to ten years; second, to match the level of services that the city provides with the growth in Tigard’s community. By significantly reducing the services provided by Tigard, we can maintain remaining city service levels as the city grows. Overall: A Reactive City, Less Safe and Sound Overall, the reductions proposed in this budget are designed to ask the Tigard community what kind of

a community it wants over the next ten years. With reductions over the next two to three years, Tigard

will be a more reactive and emergency-driven city; one that only addresses problems as they arise. The

proposed budget involves reducing or eliminating services to bring spending into alignment with reve-

nues. If we don’t take measures to make budget reductions now Tigard’s affordability and quality will

decline (this is comparable to neglecting one’s home, in which repairs not made now could cost more

to fix in the future).

CITY OF TIGARD


In 2018-19, the budget includes reductions to all General Fund services, and not filling existing vacant positions at the city. A second phase of reductions will occur in 2019-20 without approval of a local option levy. The goal is to preserve core services including: responding to police calls, preserving as many library hours as possible, keeping parks open and maintaining them to minimize risks, and meet-ing state-required permit and planning timelines. Directions to city departments to prepare this budget were to hold open or fill vacant positions only on a case-by-case basis, and to consider permanent gen-eral fund reductions in all departments up to $7M over two years. Below is more detail about the ser-vice reductions. Longer Waits, Less Services, and Closures at Tigard Public Library (Year 1 Reductions: $388,000, 2.1 FTE) First-year reductions are in the library’s children and adult programs and library collections. In the sec-ond year, the library would close on Sunday and Monday and additional public services will be reduced, causing greater wait times at all public service desks.

The library collection and computer replacements are reduced, most of the funding for programs is eliminated.

The number of library programs offered will be reduced, resulting in fewer story times, book groups for children, computer classes and other events for all ages.

Wait times will increase for checkout, receiving new library cards, and picking up holds or help in resolving issues with patron accounts.

Reducing the materials budget means the public will have less access to new materials, and will wait longer on hold for popular titles.

These reductions will increase the amount of time it will take to get new items to be cata-logued and available to the public.

Staff will need more hours to serve the public service desks, making wait times longer for new materials to be available. Reductions in the on-call budget covering staff vacations will drop the library below adequate staffing at the five public service desks, meaning longer wait times for patrons and less individualized service.

Response Only for Tigard Police Department (Year 1 Reductions: $598,000, 4.5 FTE) Most specialty assignments would be re-prioritized so the Police Department’s time and public safety resources would focus on handling highest-priority 911 calls by patrol, and maintaining an adequate police response time for the community’s priority calls. In year one, three school resource officers, the traffic safety unit, narcotics, some community engagement activities, peer court, and vacant police of-ficer positions will be reduced to focus only on patrol response. By 2020, reductions and reassignments to sworn law enforcement staff will occur.

Three school resource officers (of 4) in Tigard-Tualatin School District will come back to patrol instead of covering student events and the high school and middle school incidents. Current calls include investigations of child abuse and neglect, missing persons and gang resistance education and training, internet safety, home classes, suicide prevention and self-defense.



Traffic congestion is the Tigard community’s first concern; elimination of the Traffic Safe-ty program will affect crash responses, cut-through traffic in neighborhoods, and will be up to patrol officers to enforce in their districts. Delays for commuters and residents could result.

Peer court diversion program handles 80 to 120 cases referred to the county juvenile de-partment through a community-based restorative justice program. There are no other al-ternatives for this youth public safety service.

In the second year, additional police department staffing cuts would occur, affecting pa-trol, community outreach and neighborhood safety – programs that today keep our resi-dents connected with public safety resources.

Brown Parks, No Recreation (Year 1 Reductions: $924,000, 1.6 FTE) Tigard’s park maintenance and recreation programs are now supported 72.4% by the city general fund, even including the financial support of a Park and Recreation Fee created in 2016. Future changes would reduce park maintenance, including elimination of irrigating parks and sport fields in the second year, and rolling back the city recreation program. Tigard’s Public Works Department would make accounting changes to engineering, administration and the green team, which cares for streams, to sig-nificantly realign and reduce the impact to the General Fund over the next two years.

Tigard is already unable to keep up with maintaining current parks and trails. Only basic safety standards can be met in neighborhood parks, leaving trails and open spaces least-maintained. This means more weeds in the parks and overgrowth of invasive species along trails. Further, issues such as hazardous trees, vandalism and graffiti will only be addressed on a reactive basis in parks, and there will be slower response to trash pickup and home-less camps.

Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) would have no staff support, degrading our ability to be prepared and responsive in a disaster.

In 2015, Tigard established the city’s first recreation program with active classes for kids and adults, as well as popular events for families, such as the Egg Hunt, Movies in the Park and Concert in the Park. A fee on the utility bill was created for residents to support a portion of the program. The city would eliminate the recreation program by 2020.

Less Community Development, Just Permits (Year 1 Reductions: $341,000, 2.0 FTE) Planning and guiding growth in the community would move toward reactive services and mandated services. Until now, the city has supported business development through citywide economic develop-ment programs and general fund support of urban renewal programs. These economic development services would diminish or cease, along with the regional grant-funded Safe Routes to Schools (SRTS) program. All of these efforts would be reduced or eliminated by 2020.

The department will no longer enforce the community development, housing or nuisance codes. The public will no longer be ensured that code compliance questions or infractions are met with a timely response, or any response at all.

CITY OF TIGARD


Land use permit coordination and processing will also slow down as responsibilities are shifted to a smaller staff. Tigard’s focus will be on issuing development permits at the front counter and meeting state-mandated timelines, land use review services, and only the rede-velopment actions authorized by voter-approved urban renewal plans.

Applicants could see longer wait times at the permit counter due to staffing reductions. Tigard would reduce economic development efforts to be supported by one staff member

for basic business outreach and response. Other economic development activities like re-source development, regional partnering and data compilation will cease.

Urban renewal district staffing would switch away from general fund to urban renewal fund-ing, resulting in slightly less funding for urban renewal capital projects.

By 2020, the city’s visible cleanliness would degrade with the reduction of code compliance services. We would only be reacting to the worst complaints, and by staff who are not famil-iar with the code, which will be inefficient and frustrating for the public.

Reduced General City Services (Year 1 Reductions: $652,000, 3.2 FTE) All the things that make the business of the city run (Human Resources, Central Services, Facilities, In-formation Technology, Finance, and City Administration) would all move more slowly and face reduc-tions over the next two years.

Half of Social Service and Community Grant funding would be reduced in 2018-19, and the grants would be eliminated completely in 2019-2020.

Citywide, currently vacant positions would be permanently eliminated by 2020 (up to 13.4 in 2018-19 and over 18 in 2019-20) in all the service areas outlined above.

Applicants would experience longer recruitment times for open city job postings. Passport services, Wi-Fi at public buildings (except Tigard Public Library), and online finan-

cial analysis would be eliminated. More would be charged for e-transactions. Finance and Information Technology support would be eliminated for current planning ap-

plicants (System Development Charges). The city’s contract for federal lobbying services, which has resulted in up to $4M leveraged

in grant support, would be eliminated. By 2020, financial services will face a real risk of regulatory violations such as budget viola-

tions, audit findings, and contract violations. This will impact the city’s bond rating result-ing in higher interest rates on future borrowing that is repaid by property taxes and utility bills.


Respectfully submitted, Marty Wine City Manager

In summary, the Proposed Budget assumes that no local option levy is approved by voters, and it in-

corporates cuts in 2018-19, signals further reductions in 2019-20, and is designed to sustain a lower lev-

el of city services for up to ten years while accommodating the growth in the Tigard community. As I

said when I notified Tigard staff last year that the budget would involve reductions over the next two

years, I wish these reductions were not necessary. They could be averted if voters approve a local op-

tion levy and our resources can keep up with service demand. But this Proposed Budget represents the

fiscally responsible approach to providing just the core level of city services expected by the Tigard

community, and accommodating growth, in the absence of any significant new resources.


CITY OF TIGARD

COUNCIL GOALS


COUNCIL GOALS

CITY OF TIGARD

COUNCIL GOALS


CITYWIDE PERFORMANCE MEASURES

Between 2012 and 2014, the City of Tigard began a journey to define its sense of place and the strate-gic direction it wanted to take over the next 20 years. One of the recommendations of the 2012 Mayor's Blue Ribbon Task Force called for developing “a strategic plan that articulates a clear vision for the city." Ideas ultimately coalesced around a vision for Tigard to become a healthy, walka-ble and interconnected community for all. In 2014, city staff met and talked with more than 1,200 residents and community groups about this proposed direction. We met with citizen boards, at school meetings, in neighborhoods, with service groups and at events like the Downtown Tigard Street Fair. We engaged more than 1,200 residents to gauge whether we had captured their vision for Tigard. A detailed account of our outreach can be found in this presentation and memo. In 2014, the City Council adopted the vision the Strategic Plan with a strong vision and roadmap for

the future:

Starting with the FY 2017-18 Budget, Tigard started measuring against the four goals of the strategic

plan. These performance measures are selected from the department measures found in the program

sections of the budget document and are still a work in progress as citywide performance measures.

Vision

"The most walkable community in the Pacific Northwest where people of all ages and abilities

enjoy healthy and interconnected lives."

Goal

The strategic plan will provide guidance and direction for the city's priorities over the next 20

years. Proactive planning for the future will provide an opportunity to grow the city in a way that

is thoughtful and unique by leveraging and building on Tigard's existing strengths.

CITY OF TIGARD


GOAL 1: WALKING AND CONNECTING Facilitate walking connections to develop an identity

GOAL 2: GROWING AND PLANNING Ensure development advances the vision



GOAL 3: Engaging and Communicating Engage the community through dynamic communication

CITY OF TIGARD


GOAL 4: Financing and Sustaining Fund the vision while maintaining core services


CITY INFORMATION

CITY OF TIGARD

CITY INFORMATION


CITYWIDE ORGANIZATION CHART - BY PROGRAM

CITY OF TIGARD

CITY OF TIGARD

CITY OF TIGARD MAP

City of Tigard | PROPOSED BUDGET | FY 2018–2019

fy 2018-2019 budget message - tigard-or.gov · page 2 - city of tigard fy 2018-2019 budget message...

Documents