Saratoga News

City continues to struggle with downsizing's fallout

Mayor fears employees will suffer burnout

By Sarah Lombardo

Budget hearings may have ended last year, but the city is still struggling with the effects of downsizing, according to City Manager Larry Perlin.

"In my view, the No. 1 issue still facing this city is the restructuring that needs to occur at City Hall," he said. "We have some organizational issues that need to be addressed."

Last April, the City Council approved a reduction in the city's staff by almost seven full-time positions. The move was in response to the elimination of the city's utility-users tax in the November 1996 election, and the more than $1 million shortfall it caused in the budget. At that time, City Councilmembers and staffers concluded that the vote was a sign that Saratogans wanted a smaller government, one that got back to the city's minimum-services roots.

"They expect us to meet the fiscal reality," Councilmember Paul Jacobs told residents at a budget hearing last February.

So the staff was cut back and departments were reorganized. But, staffers said, the process is far from over.

Perlin said he believes the organization is stretched too thin. "There is no capacity for back-up in the case of a resignation or an illness," he added.

Or a promotion. With Perlin's appointment to the position of city manager last November, the city has yet to find another director of the Community Development Department to replace him. But the department may be reorganized again before a replacement is sought.

Perlin said he fears the city could be missing out on other projects as it continues to deal with staffing problems.

"I'm just concerned that in the long run, I just don't think we can continue to operate in this vein. Not only are we going to burn out the employees we have left here, but we are going to miss out on opportunities," he said. "We can't take on stuff that the City Council wants us or the commissions to work on."

According to a study conducted by Municipal Resource Consultants in November 1996, before the staff cuts, Saratoga had the lowest employee/resident ratio among West Valley cities, with one city employee for every 540 residents. Campbell had one employee for every 450 residents; Los Gatos had one employee for every 387 residents; and Cupertino had one employee for every 369 residents.

However, Mayor Don Wolfe said he believes the city would remain relatively quiet until candidacy filings later this year for November council elections. And that's the way it should be, he said.

"I think what's characteristic in a town like Saratoga is that changes don't take place," he said--"rural residential means just that."

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