Where to spend $70 million? Hmmmm.... I have an idea!
Sacramento council wants to know: How do we spend $70 million?
By Terri Hardy -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:34 pm PST Wednesday, December 14, 2005
After several years of belt-tightening and budget cuts, the Sacramento City Council has a happy problem: how to best spend $70 million for city improvements.
At Tuesday night's packed meeting, Mayor Heather Fargo asked the public to dream a bit and share ideas on how to spend the funds, but cautioned there was only so much money to go around.
"There are a lot of things on the wish list," Fargo said. "We already have more ideas than we have money."
Staff members had prepared a preliminary list, including a 311 call center for non-emergency calls; a fire station replacement; regional parks; and partial funding for a transportation station in the downtown Union Pacific railyard.
Several nonprofit groups greatly expanded the list, with the focus on arts and cultural facilities. Requests ranged from new bathrooms for Fairytale Town to a $25 million contribution to a large expansion of Crocker Art Museum.
City finance officials will revise the list and present it to the council in late January or early February, said Cassandra Jennings, assistant city manager.
The $70 million general fund bond will be split equally between citywide and neighborhood projects. The debt will be repaid with property tax dollars once funneled away by the state.
In fiscal year 2004-05 and again in 2005-06 the state took property tax dollars from cities, including $6 million from Sacramento, to balance its budget.
The property tax stream will be returned to the city in fiscal year 2006-07 and will be more than enough to pay the yearly debt on a $70 million bond, said city Treasurer Tom Friery.
There are strict rules for the use of the bond funds - work must be for capital improvements, not operating expenses, and it must be completed in three years.
About 50 people attended to support the Crocker project. Marcy Friedman of the Crocker Art Museum Association reminded the council the building was city-owned and Crocker supporters already have $49 million committed to the $75 million expansion.
"We are on global view," Friedman said. "Shouldn't Sacramento be the cultural standard bearer of California?"
Preservationists made the case that $10.4 million should be spent for repairs to the deteriorating Memorial Auditorium. In the 1980s, the city promised to spend $40 million on the auditorium, but in the end, spent only $10.8 million.
"If we had gotten all the money we were supposed to receive, we wouldn’t be here today," said Bob Rakela, president of Friends of Memorial Auditorium.
Other requests included $3.1 million for Sacramento Zoo improvements; $500,000 to update exhibits at the Discovery Museum of Sacramento; $5 million for designs for Community Center Theater improvements; $3 million toward a new Children’s Theatre of California; $2 million to help build a Sacramento Children’s Museum; and $2 million to construct a interactive learning and exhibition Unity Center.
Requests also were made to fund libraries and to build a downtown performing arts rehearsal center and an interpretive environmental center in Natomas, but no specific contribution amounts were given.