More than 120 Roseville residents attended our Community Conversation on February 26, 2018. There they discussed their city service priorities in small groups and took real-time online surveys. The focus of the evening was on the services provided by our Police, Fire and Parks, Recreation & Libraries Departments.
The Community Conversation is another leg of our EngageRoseville effort, an effort to educate our residents about our budget challenges and to get input on what matters to you.
You can see the feedback and results of the surveys here.
Download the Fact Sheets provided to the participants of the Community Conversation.
See a report on the event from CBS13.
The Roseville Press-Tribune published this story about the evening.
Questions and Answers from the Community Conversation:
General Questions
What happened?
Roseville is facing the same budget challenges being faced by all California cities. Simply stated, higher costs and declining revenues. Changing consumer habits (buying more online and more services than taxable items) reduces our sales tax revenue by about $4 million a year – and that is growing.
We also deferred maintenance projects during the recession which now need to be completed. The combination of these rising costs and declining revenues have caused this budget gap. The city has reduced costs where we can, including in salaries and benefits.
Any casino revenue coming in?
The City receives no revenue from Thunder Valley Casino.
Why can’t we stop the growth and take care of the people and services we have? How do we keep up with the growth if we can’t afford it?
First, we have to understand the dynamics of growth. Growth, which is dictated by market conditions, is an important component of a healthy local economy. In Roseville, new residential and commercial growth must pay its own way. This ensures that new residential and commercial areas pay for the additional services required, including police and fire, as well as construction and ongoing maintenance costs for new roads, parks, and utility infrastructure. Growth also increases the local tax base.
The City’s fiscal challenges are due to increasing costs of current expenses and slowing revenue growth. Costs include deferred maintenance, cost of business, and pension costs. Slowing revenue is due to changes in consumer behavior. This includes the shift to online shopping, resulting in a $3-4 million annual loss in sales tax revenue to the City. It also includes the shift to purchasing more services—which aren’t taxed in California, than goods—which are taxed.
Is there a way to collect the local portion of sales tax from online shopping?
Not under current state law. All tax collected from online sales goes directly to the State, which then uses a different formula than the one used at cash-register sales, to re-distribute it to the various recipients, such as state, counties, cities, schools, etc. The shift to online sales costs the City an estimated $3-4 million annual loss in sales tax revenue.
Can we look at smaller buses or moving to a dial-a-ride system? Empty buses burn fuel, cause pollution and damage roads.
Roseville Transit provides nearly 400,000 trips a year on Local, Dial-A-Ride, Paratransit, Commuter, and Game Day Express services. These services are not part of our General Fund. Transit is paid for by passenger fares, advertising revenue, and restricted funds that can only be used for transportation.
Roseville Transit’s fleet ranges in size from vans to 40-foot buses. The vehicles are designed to accommodate peak passenger loads. This is similar to how roadways are designed to meet traffic demands during the busiest commute hours.
Police
Department
Can you use more volunteers?
We can always use more good volunteers. They work in every area of our department, and we could not maintain our current level of service without them. The application and selection process is lengthy, because prospective police volunteers must be thoroughly vetted, just like regular police employees. Those interested should contact police volunteer coordinator Traci West,
[email protected].
Fire Department
Any thought to trying to recover costs creatively?
Yes, the department has explored different cost recovery efforts with implementation of some of these opportunities. Some program areas with potential cost recovery that are being explored or a potential for increased costs recovery are DUI responses, increased plans check and inspection fees, increased Haz-Mat inspection fees, Haz-Mat incident response cost recovery, Master Mutual Aid reimbursement, First Responder Fees, and chronic false alarm fines.
How does a response time of 7.5 minutes compare to other areas/cities?
Our response times compared to agencies in the surrounding areas are comparable to moderately better.
Does the Fire Dept provide help for seniors to check fire and carbon monoxide alarms?
The Roseville Fire Department does respond to calls for assistance when a resident is experiencing problems with their fire or carbon monoxide alarms. When the resident is experiencing a problem with the unit, they need to contact the non-emergency dispatch center at 916-774-5000 x1 and the appropriate resource will be dispatched.
Parks, Recreation & Libraries
What is the revenue from tournaments?
Parks, Recreation & Libraries collects approximately $82,000 annually in pool/field rental revenue from events and tournaments. This is in addition to the revenue collected through user group contracts such as California Capital Aquatics and Woodcreek High School, which use the Roseville Aquatics Complex; and the Youth Sports Coalition, which uses sports fields throughout the city.
In addition to revenue collected directly, sports tourism benefits the community’s economy on a wider scale. It brings people to the area who shop, eat at our restaurants, and stay in our hotels, which results in the collection of sales tax and Transit Occupancy Tax (hotel rooms) from people visiting during tournaments.
What is the long term future of libraries?
Libraries have shifted focus from “what the library has, to what the library does.” We see this occurring both nationally and in Roseville as libraries evolve to meet the changing needs of the communities they serve. We provide flexible spaces for people to gather to enjoy quiet time, play games or join in one of our childhood literacy programs such as storytime. We also offer help with resumes and a resource center for military veterans in our libraries, funded by grants.
The libraries also reaches people where they are both physically and virtually. You may find the mobile library visiting underserved groups at a park or senior center. You may also be one of our many customers who primarily use online services such as eBooks or research help. In Roseville our annual usage, whether from visitors, materials borrowed or program attendance, continues to rise. Libraries will continue to evolve to meet the needs of the communities they serve.
The information shared showed the library budget as being 21% of Parks, Recreation & Libraries General Fund budget. What is the total library budget and how much is cost recovered?
The Library Division budget includes $4,113,768 in expenses and $372,800 in revenue for a net cost of $3,740,968. The Library Division is comprised of the three libraries as well as Maidu Museum & Historic Site.
What is the most expensive single line item on parks?
After salaries, the largest single line in parks is contract maintenance. We use contract maintenance for many maintenance tasks, which allows us to staff up and down more easily based on need, while also lowering staff-related legacy costs. Following contract maintenance, the next largest expense is utilities.
Any way to utilize more volunteers?
Parks, Recreation & Libraries Department uses more volunteer time than all other City departments. Volunteers are crucial to how we operate. We have an average of nearly 1,000 volunteers a year spending more than 16,000 hours with us annually. While volunteers are a valuable resource, there are still costs related to volunteer use including recruiting, training and supervising.
Is there a way to generate revenue for programs offered like the kids camps and swimming lessons do currently?
We have a pricing policy, which was adopted by City Council, regarding program pricing. For the most part, kids camps cover their costs with the exception of those camps designed for at-risk youth. Swim lessons are an important component of public safety and we are continually working to find a balance between charging an appropriate price for the market and making sure everyone has access. Having said that, pricing for all programs and swim lessons is evaluated seasonally with adjustments made based on capacity and demand.