City to Consider Service Cuts, Card Room Gambling at Wednesday Meeting

City Council will begin to implement cost saving and revenue generating ideas with decisions it makes at their meeting Wednesday at 6 p.m.

The city needs to come up with at least $350,000 for the 2012-13 fiscal year through cost reductions or revenue increases, City Manager Gary Brown said.

Before the meeting begins, City Manager Gary Brown will meet with a labor negotiator, city employee unions and unrepresented employees. No further details have been provided.

Toward the end of the meeting, council will weigh various options to reduce costs and services in the future. More than 20 short and long term actions have been listed on the council agenda. Council is being asked to decide which ideas to pursue in the short term.

Among them:

- evaluate health insurance options for city employees
- cancel Fourth of July Big Bay Boom fireworks show
- reduce staff
- increase franchise fees for EDCO and California American Water
- sell advertising on lifeguard towers
- allow card room gambling establishments
- allow vacation rentals in residential areas
- eliminate Sports Park and Recreation Center and Senior Center services and staff
- reduce staff or staff hours
- promote local economy
-
- consider parcel and utility users tax increases

These conversations will continue talks about reductions in costs and services .

This is agenda item 6.2.

Two presentations will be made to City Council at the start of the 6 p.m. meeting.

For agenda item 1.1, council will receive a report on the importance of the results of the San Diego Regional Quality of Life Dashboard which was compiled by the Equinox Center to look at the city and region's vision for the future especially to help citizens identify what they feel priorities should be.

Lisa Hazard with the Southern California Coastal Ocean Observing System (SCCOOS) will make a presentation to council about the sorts of services the collaborative effort provides, including plume tracking to trace the flow of the Tijuana River.

This is agenda item 1.2.

The city will vote on a resolution in support of the Bayfront Master Plan, a longstanding concept for development along the San Diego Bay in Chula Vista.

This is agenda item 2.4.

Council will also vote whether or not to apply for a grant that would give 13th Street a Class B bike lane to allow bike and car traffic to share the road. This would make the street a main thoroughfare for bicyclists who decide to take a detour off the Bayshore Bikeway and into IB. It would also compliment plans for an through IB.