Budget help

In 1997, Apple Computer asked the world to “Think different.”

This is an idea Vallejo could use for its city budgets and services.

For decades we have not had the resources to have full staffing in all departments. Maintenance has been cut so drastically that volunteers have formed the Pothole Brigade to fix streets.

Rather than raising taxes and/or gouging citizens with high fees, the city needs to make our existing budgets go further.

Here are some key concepts: Innovate. Outsource where possible. Hire temps.

The ideas below are too late for the budget vote on Tuesday, June 14 — but maybe by the mid-year budget review, Vallejo could adopt some reforms.

For example, police and fire consume 71% of the General Fund, leaving little left over for other departments. And even then, with the average loaded cost for a police officer at $310,000/year, and for a firefighter at $320,000/year, we simply cannot afford enough staffing in police and fire.

Since we cannot afford extra police officers, why not fill in with security guards for preventive safety? For the cost of a single police officer, we could have 5-6 security guards who could provide extra eyes and feet on the street. Also, code enforcement does not belong in the police department, and contractors can surely tow abandoned cars.

Relative to the fire department, right now, 70% of the calls for emergency services are for ambulances and paramedics. Yet we send a fire truck, firefighters and an ambulance and paramedics. This is a clear case where we should streamline, and send only the appropriate medical help.

All through the pandemic city department heads have been crying for staff. Why not use temps, and make it a priority to hire Vallejoans? Surely extra administrative help could offload some of the work from overworked professionals. Also, there are temp agencies that place contract professionals. It's faster than hiring a permanent staff, and more affordable.

One way to tell where we need extra resources is to see where volunteers are picking up the slack, e.g., the Pothole Brigade, the volunteers doing trash cleanup at homeless encampments, and the weekend litter clean-ups in the neighborhoods. Why not create a Vallejo Work Corps for part-time work and pay these people? It would be a doublewin: we'd get services the city needs at a cost we can afford, and unemployed and underemployed Vallejoans could get work and income. Some cities have hired the homeless as day workers for litter pick-up, offering destitute people a chance to gain both self-esteem and some income. You could also have young adults for office work/job training, and a grey corps of seniors who want part-time work.

Street repairs have been ignored for too long. Why not have contractors perform this work, and pay the Pothole Brigadiers? Also how about committing to improve our pavement score every year until we're at least on par with the rest of Solano County?

Vallejo needs to become creative about “how” to solve its problems. For example, we have a desperate situation with homeless encampments, which initially was to be helped by a Homeless Navigation Center. After seven years with still no Center, why not reassign the funds to a tent and RV campsite? This would be both more affordable, and faster to implement, and might actually eliminate some of the encampments around the city.

Contractors could help offload work from a burdened staff. However, we need more discipline in our processes for contracts and real estate. Any sizable contract should be solicited via RFP, and not solesourced. This ensures we get the best deal, and also helps prevent corruption.

Instead of giving the lion's share to police and fire, and starving all other functions, figure out approximate percentages each department should get, and budget accordingly.

In sum, Vallejo needs to figure out how to make its budgets work harder. Listening to residents could help, but in the end, management should be smarter and more creative about budgets.

— Anne Carr/Vallejo