Systematic changes at the state government level regarding the funding of certain activities have created a serious funding situation for the city of Los Alamitos, City Manager Chet Simmons told the Los Alamitos Chamber of Commerce this week.
Simmons and city consultant David Cain briefly presented the case for the approval of Measure Y, which is the official ballot name for a 1.5 percent sales tax increase on the Nov. 3 ballot.
Before introducing Cain, Simmons said citizens could relate other services to the situation surrounding trash collection, which was the subject of the main speaker for the meeting (see related story).
“Residents just put trash cans out every Monday or Tuesday,” and they are picked up. “But as you just heard, there’s a lot that goes on in the background” to create effective and efficient trash collection, said Simmons.
While the many services received by residents look seamless, Simmons said they actually require a complex mix of personnel, equipment and talent to be efficiently and effectively delivered to residents.
“Unfunded (state) mandates have put a severe strain on city finances,” he added.
Simmons said the city has figured out “different ways” to provide the same level of service to residents while maintaining a balanced budget, but if Measure Y fails, the city will burn through all reserves by 2025 or so.
Cain, a financial consultant, said a number of external factors have contributed to the Los Alamitos postion, but he noted the city has taken a series of significant actions over the past two decades to mitigate the slide.
He said 26 full-time positions have been eliminated, which he said is about “about one-third” of the workforce, with no reducation in service.
Just in 2020, he said, the city saved $1.3 million by not filling several positions, including some in the police department, and making dramatic pay cuts to others.
Moreover, he said city employees in Los Alamitos make about 15 percent less than in most other cities.
Cain said if residents approve Measure Y, it will restore full funding to all city departments, including some capital improvement projects.
In practical terms, said Cain, the measure would cost city residents about 30 cents for every $20 they spend. “It would preserve the high quality of life in Los Alamitos that we have all come to expect and want.”
Another thing that is important, said Cain, is that visitors spending money in the city would also pay the tax so the entire burden will not fall on city residents. Also, he said, “not everything is subject to sales tax,” including medical and dental services, groceries and other items that are not subject to the tax.
He said the city has done surveys of residents and held meetings at various locations around the city to offer residents every opportunity to understand the city’s finances before putting the measure on the ballot.
Cain said the workshops were important for residents so that they could inform city officials as to where they wanted to see the money spent, including recreation, after school and youth programs, anti-gang patrols, enhanced law enforcement, quicker pot hole repairs, etc.
Finally, he said that if voters approve Measure Y, the sales tax would move to 9.25 percent, lower than Long Beach and Signal Hill, but slightly higher than nearby Orange County communities.
Voters in Seal Beach approved a half-cent sales tax measure in 2018 which brings its tax rate up to 8.75 percent. The city of Long Beach, he said, is at 10.25 per cent.
