City is Strong, Mayor Says

Despite a down economy and losing the city’s redevelopment agency—and the funds that went with it—this year, Mayor Janice Parvin called the state of the city of Moorpark strong Wednesday at her annual State of the City address.

There was a bit of the good, the bad and the ugly in Parvin’s speech as she detailed some of the challenges the city has had to face in the last year as well as a number of its accomplishments.

The good came in the form of the projects and services the city has been able to provide while maintaining a balanced budget despite being what Parvin called a “relatively low property tax and sales tax city.”

“We don’t have any shopping malls; We don’t have any car dealerships,” she said, explaining one of the reasons the city’s tax income is low. Though, she added, “I think that’s why we like living here.”

The mayor discussed coming developments like the Moorpark West Movie Studio, which she said she expects the city will see in about two years; continuing FEMA flood map revision efforts; the city library, Shop Moorpark campaign spearheaded by the Chamber of Commerce—which sponsored the event—and the city’s maintaining of over $27.8 million in reserves in the general and special project fund.

Parvin also spoke of the city’s safety record—which was also covered by Police Capt. Ron Nelson when he addressed the assembly—and developments funded by the redevelopment agency, like the Ruben Castro District and low-income housing.

The bad was the economy and the hard economic times people of Moorpark have faced and the tough decisions the city council and city manager have had to make—decisions that included reducing operation costs, cutting back on the parks budget and eliminating one full-time city staff position.

The accompanying good was her announcement that tax revenues in the city have gone up for an eighth consecutive quarter—a healthy sign for economic recovery, she said.

The ugly came in the form of discussion of the state’s dismantling California’s cities’ redevelopment agencies through legislation that was tacked onto the state’s 2011-2012 fiscal year budget.

Parvin held no punches when discussing the state’s action. While Moorpark has maintained a balanced budget, “I can’t say the same for the state,” she said.

“The state continues to attempt to cut costs by passing the responsibility for programs to local jurisdictions. They are also taking money through legislative initiatives,” Parvin said.

With vocal support from attendees, the mayor said it is about time the people tell state legislators they must manage and balance their budget as individuals and families balance theirs.

Despite the raid on redevelopment funds by the state, Parvin ended her address with a positive outlook for the city.

“We have a proud, proud past and we have a very promising future,” Parvin said. “ And it’s easy to understand why we here in Moorpark feel life can be this good.“