Campbell Proposed Operating Budget And Capital Improvement Plan

Press release from the City of Campbell:

June 5, 2020

The City of Campbell, like many of you, has been profoundly impacted by the global COVID-19 pandemic. The sudden closure of and significant limitations placed on numerous sectors of the economy due to the pandemic has brought the country into strained economic times. Like many local governments throughout the nation, the City of Campbell is looking at deficits in our General Fund budget caused by the downturn. The City estimates a General Fund deficit in the current fiscal year of $4.03 million and for the upcoming fiscal year that begins on July 1, the projected deficit is $2.91 million. As a result of the immediate decline in revenues to the General Fund, the City has implemented the following actions as cost-containment strategies:

• Limited Hiring Freeze
• Layoff of all temporary and part-time employees
• Limited business travel and training
• Evaluation and / or renegotiation of current contracts and non-personnel expenditures

Although these strategies have helped address the deficit in the current year, the ongoing shelter-in-place County Public Health orders and economic impacts require that the City continue to develop further cost containment strategies for City Council consideration which may include:

• Reducing Recreation programming
• Longer planning, code enforcement, and maintenance response times
• Fewer community celebrations, events and grants
• Reduced or deferred capital infrastructure, facilities and equipment maintenance and improvements
• Evaluation of staffing needs

The COVID-19 pandemic has also shifted the City’s strategic priorities. Rather than considering strategies to expand or develop new services, we are now focused on maintaining service levels. Although City service delivery may be different in FY 2020-21, we will work to limit the reduction so that you will continue to have maintained parks, streets, and public safety services.

The proposed FY 2020-21 Operating Budget and Five-Year Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) is posted on the City’ website. The Operating Budget totals $86.3 million and the CIP totals $83 million, of which 60% of this amount fund voter-approved facility improvements to the Campbell Library and Police Department. The remaining amount supports projects that improve our parks, streets, sidewalks and perform critical maintenance to city facilities.

I encourage you to review the draft budget and provide feedback to the City Council via e-mail or by calling in during the live City Council meeting to share your priorities or to provide comments and suggestions. Public communication instructions can be found on the front page of the June 9, 2020 agenda posted at this link.

On behalf of all City staff, I would like to assure you that we are committed to continuing our work to keep Campbell the vibrant and community-driven city that it has always been. You may contact my office at any time with comments or concerns at cmoffice@campbellca.gov or (408) 866-2125. However, I particularly look forward to hearing your feedback during the budget hearing on June 9 at 1:00 p.m.

Sincerely,

Brian Loventhal, City Manager

This press release was produced by the City of Campbell. The views expressed here are the author’s own.