Mayor White Claims $6 Million in Reserves Instead of Admitting to $100 Million Deficit.

History may reflect 2017 as the year Beaumont began to become “great again.”

Beaumont Mayor Lloyd White acknowledged during the Aug. 24 State of the City luncheon that the city has gone through a lot in the past two-and-a-half years since the raid by the Riverside County district attorney’s office on city hall in April 2015.

Seven former employees, including the city manager, finance director, city attorney and police chief, were arrested in May 2016 on a variety of embezzlement charges estimated at $67 million.

The SEC reached a settlement with the Beaumont Financing Authority last week, stating that the financial authority will not have to pay any financial penalties.

And, the city of Beaumont last month rejoined the Western Riverside Council of Governments after a nine-year hiatus, when Beaumont refused to participate in paying into regional transportation mitigation fees.
White, elected to the city council in November 2014 and selected as mayor in January 2017, told the 186 luncheon guests that the city is on its way to economic stability again.

“It’s the best it’s been in years, but it’s not as good as it can be,” White said.

The city and the Beaumont Chamber of Commerce sponsored the 24th annual State of the City luncheon at the Four Seasons community, when the chamber also announced the winners of their Beautification Awards and the 2017 Public Safety Hero Awards.

Over the past few years, the city has been working toward accountability and healing and restoration, White said.

He said that 2017 will be remembered as the year that Beaumont started becoming great again.
White outlined fiscal statistics about the general fund’s solvency.

In 2017, the city has $6.1 million in cash reserves in the general fund, White said.

“We want to be budget-solvent, but we’re not there yet,” White said.

The city is looking forward to Wolverine’s first-year sales, which are estimated at $3.4 million, with tax revenues of $30,000 to $40,000 annually, White said.

The year 2018 will be a renewal of regional and local partnerships with WRCOG and Pardee Homes, which the city settled a claim with in 2017.

In 2016, the city was forced to cut expenses and reduce full-time positions from 162 to 141.

White said that, in 2018, the city plans to bring back some positions and add new ones. The Police Department plans to hire three additional patrol officers.

White also was pleased to announce that a full-service street maintenance department will be implemented.
“We’re going to fix the streets of Beaumont,” White said.

As for Beaumont’s sales tax history, he reported that the first quarter of this year declined faster than other years.

A pavement management program will feature a multi-year maintenance program. White said that $2.3 million a year will be spent over the next five years.

The city has current and upcoming projects, including the Potrero Interchange at State Route 60 and the Oak Valley Interchange.

A future project is the Pennsylvania Avenue Interchange, which the city is close to starting, White said. Ramps will be added in the 2018-19 fiscal year. Currently, there is one off-ramp exit for Pennsylvania Avenue.

This will alleviate traffic on Highland Springs and Pennsylvania avenues, White said.

The same speech was given that night at a free event held at the Beaumont Civic Center. Approximately 20 people attended the State of the City talk, which also featured presentations by the department heads.
Before White’s speech, Beaumont resident Jan White said she decided to come to the talk to gather information about the city she has lived in for six years.

“To the best of my ability, I want to be aware of what’s going on in my community,” she said.
Department heads spoke about their budgets and the work that is processed through each office.

Nicole Wheelwright, deputy city clerk, said her office has a $160,000 budget, and her department handled 101 public record requests this past year.

Wheelwright said that candidates interested in running for three city council seats, city clerk and city treasurer will need to file in May 2018 for the November 2018 election.

Rebecca Deming, director of Community Development Services, said that her department includes building and safety, planning, fire prevention, and oversees distribution of community development block grants.
Her department saw an increase in expenditures this year.

She also has been working on the general plan update, which has included the formation of an advisory committee and planned workshops.

Bob Sherwood, director of the Community Services Department, oversees the Albert A. Chatigny Sr. Community Recreation Center, the Plunge aquatic center, day camp programs, and building and grounds, along with street maintenance.

His budget is $3.2 million this year. Sherwood said that the Plunge has attracted about 150 to 200 people, using the swimming pool per day; and the day camp is hosting 180 to 200 youths a day.

Kyle Warsinski, Economic Development manager, talked about how the city helps people open a business in Beaumont.

Warsinski said that there are plans for a Sonic Burger, along with other businesses, to open up at the northwest corner of First Street and Highland Springs Avenue, which is planned for seven acres.

Also in the works is the Sundance Corporate Center at Eighth Street and Highland Springs Avenue. That center will be a mixture of professional and medical offices, Warsinski said.

Beaumont Police Chief Sean Thuilliez said that the Police Department budget is $13 million.
He spoke of the department’s accomplishments, including traffic enforcement, modernized patrol fleet, and the cadet program.

Upcoming projects include a Homeless Outreach program, and is exploring a potential partnership with Beaumont Unified School District for a school resource officer program.

As for crime statistics, Thuilliez said that robberies are down 40 percent as of July 31, 2016.
Crime is down 17 percent overall in Beaumont, he said.

Aftab Hussain, public works and utilities manager, said that the Public Works Department oversees engineering, street maintenance, traffic and sewer.

The department will spend $150,000 on pothole repairs for the 2017-18 fiscal year.

That amount doubled from last year, he said.

Traffic signal maintenance will cost $45,000 in 2017-18 and street signs will need to be replaced.

Elizabeth Gibbs, director of Transit Service, said her department is 90 percent federally funded and 10 percent is collected through passenger fares.

“We are not funded out of the general fund,” Gibbs said.

In fiscal year 2017, there will be 196,377 passenger trips, with 50 percent of riders being youth, 16 percent seniors, and 41 percent riding from Beaumont to Cabazon via the Banning route.

With a lot of attention on the city’s finances over the past few years, Finance Director Melana Taylor has been working on reconciling the city’s numbers.

“City accounting is not easy to understand,” Taylor said.

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