Money talk doesn't create much of a stir during town budget review
By Gloria I. Wang
Running an organization with an annual budget of approximately $20 million isn't always easy. Trying to figure out which groups get how much is even harder. For the town of Los Gatos, however, this year's budgeting process seemed relatively painless and conflict-free.
At the May 21 Los Gatos Town Council meeting, council members discussed the proposed apportionment of the $23.3 million budget for July through June 2002. Of the budgeted amount, 35 percent will go to the Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Police Department, and 20 percent to Los Gatos Parks and Public Works.
The town has projected $23.8 million in revenue for the upcoming fiscal year. This money comes from sales and use taxes, property taxes, license and permit fees, service charges and interest income, along with small percentages of other sources.
Discussion at the council meeting was primarily limited to questions and explanations. A minor controversy arose when the community services department presented its budget and allocations. The department gives out community grants annually to nonprofit organizations that apply for funding at the beginning of the year.
A Place for Teens, a local nonprofit youth organization, did not turn its application in until well after the deadline. As a result, the group did not receive the $14,000 that it applied for; nor did it receive a similar $10,460 it had gotten for 2000-2001. Instead, the town set aside $2,000 for A Place for Teens, despite not receiving its application.
Asha Shivaji, a Los Gatos High School student who is the secretary of A Place for Teens, asked town council to increase the funding up to $10,000. Shivaji said that the money is necessary to fund the weekly concert series that draws 150 to 200 students, CPR-training courses, tours of colleges and KCAT internships for students who want to pursue a career in television.
Council members, however, had mixed reactions to the request. "I'm disappointed," Councilman Randy Attaway said. "You know it was the adults who forgot to turn in the application. And I was very disappointed tonight that the adults weren't here ... [they] put teenagers up here to raise our emotions for the case." Attaway said that A Place for Teens should have increased funding, but not the full requested amount.
Mayor Joe Pirzynski agreed, saying, "I, too, am impressed by the level of the astute presentation that the young people made to us today." Pirzynski said that because the money is budgeted under community services, the town council could not make the allocation. But Pirzynski said that town council should recommend to the department to increase the funding, though not to $10,000.
Councilman Steve Blanton wanted to send the request back to community services, but "without bias"--asking the department to reconsider the funding, without recommending an increase.
"I am saddened by A Place for Teens. This is an indication that something went wrong," said Councilwoman Sandy Decker. In addition to favoring a funding increase, Decker suggested that community services reexamine the funding request process and find out how A Place for Teens neglected to turn in its application on time.
Councilman Steve Glickman echoed Blanton's comments about not sending an "implied direction" to community services. Glickman said that, though the programs offered by A Place for Teens were good, the truth of the matter was that, of the 1,450-student population at Los Gatos High School, only 30 to 50 used the center on a daily basis. "That they attract relatively so few of their peers I find to be troubling, and, so I would encourage them to ... look to themselves and to how they can improve what they're doing to help their peers," Glickman said.
Highlights of budget increases include:
* $56,000 to the police department for two new motorcycles. Police Chief Larry Todd said that there are currently four motorcycles being used by officers, one of whom is Sgt. John Jennings, who retires in June. A replacement officer is being trained; policemen on motorcycles are effective in different ways than those in patrol cars, according to Todd. Only after the four vacancies in the police department are filled, Todd said, will the two motorcycles be purchased and used;
* $20,000 to the community services department for "improved public information communications to residents." Improvement and outreach steps include giving a facelift to the town newsletter and updating the town's website;
* $128,000, also to the community services department, for senior services. Of that amount, $48,000 was budgeted for senior case management services, which began May 1, and $80,000 goes to a town senior coordinator who, according to community services Director Regina Falkner, starts work in June;
* $15,000 to Leadership Los Gatos, a program still in the works, meant to draw in volunteers from the community, to serve in various town capacities.
Town staff will review council members' comments and return with answers to their questions before the budget is adopted at the June 18 town council meeting.
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Los Gatos, California Since 1881
