by The Editors on August 6, 2009
Carlsbadistan doesn’t have a usable skateboard park or a new swimming pool, but Carlsbad City Council is proud to announce that the City has ended the fiscal year “in the black,” according to a Barbara Henry story in the North County Times.
And it added about $1.5 million to its reserves, according to the city finance department’s year-end financial assessment. The fiscal year ended June 30. . . . Falling sales tax revenue and other recession-related problems have hammered most California cities in recent months. Even well-off places like Carlsbad have experienced first-hand a decline in everything from automobile sales to home construction.
But we’ve got Lisa Irvine at the controls, so we don’t worry.
[Link: North County Times]
by The Editors on July 19, 2009
Carlsbad Youth Baseball is headed for a Carlsbad City Council meeting on Tuesday, July 21, 2009 to see if they can get Poinsettia Field #1 re-named as Thorp Field in memory of Mitchell Thorp a former player who died last November after “fighting a 5-year battle against an unknown disease.”
This proposal has been supported by CYB, La Costa Youth Organization (LCYO) and Carlsbad High School Baseball Programs. The proposal was reviewed by the Carlsbad Parks Planning Commission on May 18th, and was endorsed unanimously by the Commission for Council approval.
Everyone is invited to the council meeting and player are requested to attend in uniform and carry signs saying “Thorp Field.”
[Link: Carlsbad Youth Baseball and Mitchell Thorp]
by Richard J. Riehl on July 5, 2009
The power of the pyramid prevailed when the Carlsbad City Council voted unanimously at its June 9 meeting to accept a report prepared for the parks and recreation department by a Colorado consulting firm paid $50,000 for their advice. Pyramids were all the rage in the 1970’s, with advocates claiming structures shaped like Egyptian pyramids unleashed magical powers that could preserve foods, clarify thinking and improve your sex life.
From the praise the city council heaped on the pyramid model of cost-recovery for Carlsbad’s parks and recreation programs, you’d think council members believe the power of this pyramid will help them escape the wrath of special interest groups. If they raise fees they can always blame the pyramid.
It makes good sense to base the funding of resources on who benefits most from using them. That’s what the cost-recovery pyramid attempts to do. The base level of the model represents resources that provide the greatest benefit to the entire community. The top level represents resources providing the greatest benefit to individuals.
Follow the jump for the rest of the story. . .
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by The Editors on June 25, 2009
After a special meeting June 23, 2009 between the Carlsbad City Council and the Carlsbad Municipal Water District Board of Directors it was decided that water and wastewater rates for the city will go up 10 percent beginning August 1, 2009.
Nearly 74 percent of the water rate increase is directly related to increases in water purchase costs. The cost of water is increasing because of long term drought conditions along the Colorado River and legal restrictions on water that comes from Northern California. These two imported water sources make up 100 percent of the Carlsbad Municipal Water District’s supply. A small portion of the increase is also needed to maintain and operate the water system.
Follow the jump for all the details.
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by The Editors on June 16, 2009
When Dean A. Goetz lost a few feet of his Terramar back yard he got worried enough to get the permits to build a $500,000 concrete wall to “protect beach goers,” according to a story in the North County Times. But at least one surfer didn’t like that.
. . . local surfer Dustin Rosa said the “true nature of their concern is protecting their backyards, not public safety.” . . Rosa contacted the San Diego County chapter of the Surfrider Foundation last week after construction of the wall began. . . . Todd Cardiff, an attorney with the Coast Law Group and an adviser to Surfrider, also rejected the safety argument. He noted that the main bluff collapse in the area occurred Dec. 19 and that the problem couldn’t have been that urgent if the fixes are just beginning now. . . .”We are going to do everything we can do to make them take that sea wall out,” Cardiff said. “This is one of the most cynical attempts to avoid the public process that I’ve seen in a long time.”
It will be interesting to see what happens on this one.
[Link: North County Times]
by The Editors on June 11, 2009
We just never cease to be amazed by The City of Carlsbadistan’s financial wizardess Lisa Irvine. She cuts the budget back, keeps the City on track, and apparently has time to win awards while she’s at it. For the past 11 years the City of Carlsbadistan has been awarded a Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting from The Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada for its fiscal year 2007-08 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report.
“We strive for the highest level of professionalism in our management of the city’s finances,” says Lisa Irvine, finance director. “This award is great validation for our staff, who work hard year round to achieve this goal.”
Sounds like Irvine and the team are doing just that. Congratulations! Follow the jump for all the details.
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by The Editors on May 29, 2009
Want to know how Lisa Irvine and her crew of number crunchers go about setting up the budget for the City of Carlsbadistan? Well, want no more. On June 4, 2009 at 6 PM at the city’s Faraday Center everyone will get the chance to review the city’s 2009-10 budget, ask questions, and provide feedback that will be presented to the City Council.
The City Council is scheduled to receive a report on the fiscal year 2009-10 budget June 2 and consider it for adoption June 16. . . For more information, contact the City of Carlsbad’s finance department at 760-602-2493. . . .Regular updates on the city budget and financial forecasts are available on the city’s Web site at www.carlsbadca.gov/finance.
Sure, the City Council is going to see it first, but at least we’ll all have time to give feedback before they adopt it.
by The Editors on May 20, 2009
Last night at the Carlsbadistan City Council meeting the gang reviewed “a preliminary capital improvement program budget of $68.8 million for the fiscal year that begins July 1.” The capital improvements include the following:
- Agua Hedionda Channel
- El Camino Real Widening – Tamarack to Chestnut
- El Camino Real Medians
- Vista/Carlsbad Interceptor and Agua Hedionda Lift Station Replacement
- Water and Wastewater Infrastructure
- Hydroelectric Pressure Reducing Station at Maerkle Reservoir
- Pavement Management
- Concrete Repair – curbs, gutters, and sidewalks
And absolutely no skateboard parks. Follow the jump for the entire press release.
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by Richard J. Riehl on May 8, 2009
I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry when I heard Keith Blackburn’s robo-call to action. While other North County cities struggle with budget cuts threatening vital services, Carlsbad’s rookie city councilman was asking for our help to keep his campaign promise to bring a second swimming pool to the city. I wondered if he’d been inspired by Congressman Bilbray’s recent onslaught of irritating electronic invitations to his “teletown meetings.” Was this just the beginning of year-round campaigning by our local politicos?
Although I didn’t attend the council meeting, I did watch the videotape of it several days later on the city’s Web site. To my surprise, I found myself in total agreement with Blackburn’s argument in favor of starting work now on the Alga Norte Park and Aquatic Center. [click to continue…]
by The Editors on April 24, 2009
At City Council last Tuesday night April 21, 2009 we got so caught up in the Stallga Norte Park spectacle that we forgot about the State of the Carlsbad Economy presented by City Finance Director Lisa Irvine. Though we took notes, we never wrote anything up. Luckily, the City of Carlsbad did it for us in a release sent out yesterday.
The city has developed a number of strategies for managing its budget that allow the city to adapt to the changing economy while minimizing effects on city services. In January 2009, to maintain a balanced budget, the City Council reduced total general fund revenue by $4.6 million, and reduced general fund expenditures by $5.3 million. Based on projected revenues, the city will likely make additional reductions in the fiscal year 2009-2010 budget, which goes into effect July 1.
The most interesting bits were about how much our City depends on Car Country Carlsbad and how poorly they are doing. There was also mention of how poorly Plaza Camino Real is doing compared to The Forum and Carlsbad Premium Outlets, but we already knew that.
For the rest of the details (minus any snide comments from us) follow the jump.
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