EngageRoseville

During the recession and as the economy began to recover, Roseville’s strong fiscal management allowed the City to maintain quality-of-life services while minimizing cuts.

We reduced staffing, implemented pension reforms, cut hours at city facilities and cut community events to maintain a balanced budget and level of services. In addition, the City borrowed from other funds that now need to be replenished.

In the time since, we’ve conducted performance audits to ensure our staffing levels and structure provide efficiency and effectiveness. And we have partnered with our labor groups to slow payroll growth, reduce post-retirement benefits, and reduce salaries.

All the while, a constantly changing legislative and regulatory environment continues to add unfunded mandates and significant costs to the City’s operations, such as the State moving responsibility for stormwater management from the State to local government, adding $1 million annually to city expenses.

These realities, in addition to a slowing and shifting economy, have led to a budget gap that is projected to widen in the years ahead.

We achieved a break-even budget in FY 2016-17, where operational expenses matched operational revenues without borrowing from other funds. While the City’s fiscal position has been improving, costs are growing faster than revenues.

In addition, we have deferred maintenance costs and other long-term liabilities that are coming due. If the City were to maintain its current levels of service while also fully funding its long-term liabilities and deferred maintenance, the general fund budget would realize a $14 million structural deficit per year, resulting in a fiscally unsustainable position moving forward.

To learn more about the City's budgeting process, please watch this 90-second video:

In response to this fiscal reality, the Council directed staff at its February 2nd goals workshop to initiate a process involving the community aimed at evaluating the City’s general fund operations and revenues.

The goal is to find a way to balance the City’s obligation to maintain fiscal stability while continuing to provide high-quality essential services and addressing long-term liabilities.

Public safety:

• Maintaining 9-1-1 emergency medical response services and response times;
• Maintaining police crime suppression and investigation units;
• Preventing and investigating property-related crimes like theft and burglary; and
• Maintaining the number of Police officers on neighborhood patrols.

Streets and roads:

• Maintaining city infrastructure such as storm drains, bridges, and facilities; and
• Maintaining city streets, roads and repairing potholes.

Parks, Recreation, and Libraries:

• Maintaining city parks, recreation facilities, trees, and landscape corridors;
• Maintaining community centers, aquatic facilities, and event programming; and
• Maintaining library services and ensuring public access.

Local economy and jobs creation:

• Maintaining programs to improve the local economy and job creation; and
• Attracting and retaining local businesses.

The City has been making cuts to the budget since 2007, when the economy first began to shift. This 10 Year Reduction document summarizes more than 10 years of cuts that departments have made to the budget.

As a service organization, our biggest expense is people. We have 37 percent fewer employees per capita than in 2007, A big portion of cuts has been to employee cots, as we’ve been working to make cuts that aren’t necessarily noticeable to the public.  Our salaries are set to median in the market, our employees now pay 100 percent of our share of pension costs, and new salary schedules have slowed the growth of salaries by doubling the time it takes to reach the top step in a pay range.  

• Continue to check this webpage for updates.
• Subscribe to the City’s bi-weekly e-newsletter: City of Roseville News at www.roseville.ca.us/connect
• Watch meetings of the Community Priorities Advisory Committee online
• Attend meetings of the Community Priorities Advisory Committee
• Participate in digital democracy via surveys, online town halls, community meetings and events as publicized in City of Roseville News e-newsletter and the City’s dedicated webpage.

For inquiries related to the Community Priorities Advisory Committee:

Mike Isom, misom@roseville.ca.us, 916-774-5527

Kathy Pease, kpease@roseville.ca.us, 916-774-5434

For inquiries related to public engagement:

Megan MacPherson, mmacpherson@roseville.ca.us, 916-775-5455