San Diego mayor’s budget gives Rancho Bernardo rec center more hours

Rancho Bernardo-Glassman Recreation Center’s hours would increase from 45 to 60 hours per week if Mayor Kevin Faulconer’s proposed budget passes the City Council in June as presented.

Faulconer released his proposed $3.2 billion fiscal year 2016 budget on Monday. A final version of the budget will go into effect on July 1.

“This budget is ‘One San Diego’ in action,” Faulconer said. “It funds services that give more San Diegans in more communities the opportunity to succeed. San Diegans will see more street repairs, better parks and more equality to neighborhood services, so your community is thriving no matter where you live.”

With a heavy emphasis on making streets the city’s top infrastructure priority — it allots funding to fix more than 300 miles of streets citywide, double the amount repaired annually when the mayor took office — Faulconer’s proposed budget also looks to reverse some of the cuts made several years ago when the Great Recession hit and San Diego’s economic situation became extremely tight due to pension problems.

One of the main cuts Faulconer seeks to reverse is the cuts made to the city’s recreation centers. The 16 largest — including Rancho Bernardo and Canyonside in Rancho Penasquitos — are to gain 15 extra operating hours per week. Carmel Mountain Ranch Community Park is slated for playground equipment repair.

Library patrons could also see the Internet speed at their local branch triple if the allocated funding remains in place. Last year library hours were increased.

“It’s a balanced, fiscally responsible budget that builds upon my commitment to fiscal reform,” Faulconer said. “When I ran for mayor, I promised to dedicate half of all major revenue growth to efforts to repair our aging infrastructure and neighborhoods. That’s exactly what I did last year and I’m doing it again this year.”

“The Mayor’s proposed budget reflects the priorities of all San Diegans by making a serious investment in infrastructure, public safety and community engagement,” said City Councilman Mark Kersey, who represents Rancho Bernardo. “From critically needed neighborhood repairs to enhanced city services, we are united in our commitment to rebuild San Diego and make it a better place to live and work.”

Kersey said he commends Faulconer’s funding proposal for more general fund dollars to go to streets, sidewalks and street lights — almost 60 percent of new revenue earmarked for infrastructure and neighborhood repairs. The councilman, who chairs the infrastructure committee, said he plans to push for those repairs to include District 5.

“This budget invests heavily in community engagement efforts,” Kersey said. “In particular, the addition of an open data coordinator and customer service coordinator will help improve our citizens’ ability to interact and do business with the city. The customer service coordinator will help implement a user-focused customer service delivery model much like the 3-1-1 system I proposed earlier this year.”

While supportive of the budget, Kersey said he also plans to propose changes to increase safety before it is approved by the council.

“Because of District 5’s unique landscape, fire prevention and safety is critical,” Kersey said. “I am pleased to see that brush management efforts continue to be a priority. In my budget memo, I also proposed we expand the Fast Response Squad program to the San Pasqual Valley as well as additional funding for brush management and I will continue to advocate for those.”

Currently, Fire Station No. 33 personnel in Rancho Bernardo also cover the San Pasqual Valley since that area does not have its own fire station.

Money to cover the budget increase is to come from projected tax revenue growth, including 4.25 percent from property tax, 4 percent from sales tax, 5.5 percent from transient occupancy tax and 2 percent from franchise fees. The mayor said the budget is balanced and will allow for a fully-funded annual pension payment plus maintain targets for reserve funds.

Among features in Faulconer’s proposed budget:

• $41 million (out of $67.3 million) is dedicated to infrastructure and neighborhood repair efforts. The amount is more than 50 percent of major General Fund revenue growth.

• $7 million (debt payment on a $120 million bond) is to fund library, fire station, facility, street and storm water improvements.

• $3.7 million is for new street lights and improvements.

• $4.2 million is for sidewalk repair.

• $8.6 million is for facility improvements.

• $1 million to increase hours at 16 recreation centers and expanded programs for preschoolers, teens and seniors.

• $2.3 million is for park improvements, including security lighting and playground upgrades.

• $98,000 is to triple Internet speeds at branch libraries.

• $1.6 million (out of $2.4 million total funding) is to increase annual maintenance and trimming of 25,000 right-of-way trees plus 39,700 palm trees once every two years.

• $11.1 million is for funding of a new police contract.

• $2 million is to add 22 police civilian positions.

• $1.6 million is for five new sworn police officer positions and equipment for police academies (four academies with around 43 recruits each).

• $35,000 is for police recruitment efforts.

• $5.6 million is to upgrade San Diego Police Department’s antiquated Computer Aided Dispatch system.

• $1.1 million is for two additional fire academies (for a total of three).

To view the mayor’s entire proposed budget, go to tinyurl.com/SDproposedFY16.