CC 05-17-2023 Item No. 1 FY 2023-24 Proposed Budget_Written CommunicationsCC 05-17-2023
#1
FY 2023-24 Proposed
Budget
Written Communications
From:Kitty Moore
To:Kirsten Squarcia
Subject:Fw: Budget 5/17 Written Communications Apple Sheriff Donation RE Budget Question
Date:Tuesday, May 16, 2023 12:17:13 PM
Hi Kirsten,
I had the date of the meeting wrong, it is not 9/8/2018 but 9/18/2018 and have fixed it below.
Please submit the edited email instead, sorry I did not catch that!
Kitty Moore
Councilmember
City Council
Kmoore@cupertino.org
(408) 777-1389
From: Kitty Moore <Kmoore@cupertino.org>
Sent: Tuesday, May 16, 2023 11:11 AM
To: Kirsten Squarcia <KirstenS@cupertino.org>; City Clerk <CityClerk@cupertino.org>
Subject: Budget 5/17 Written Communications Apple Sheriff Donation RE Budget Question
Dear City Clerk,
Please include the following written communications for the Budget meeting 5/17/2023:
I appreciate that Apple makes a donation(s) to the City.
The Apple Sheriffs’ Donation seems like a complicated problem and it is in the Budget as
“Miscellaneous” Law Enforcement revenue. I had noticed it a while ago and brought it up at
the councilmember 1:1 Budget review last week. It was an excellent Budget review, by the
way, great to have the department directors to quickly go through it.
I rewatched item 15, Apple donation for Sheriffs, from the September 18, 2018 Cupertino City
Council meeting and reviewed the attachments from that meeting. That appears to be where
the donation topic first was made.
The Law Enforcement section of the Budget has included “Miscellaneous” which does not say
what it is for which would be more transparent and is now revenue over $1M. I have been told
that this is the money donated by Apple for extra Sheriffs as mentioned above.
The recording from the 2018 meeting seemed to indicate that the Council would discuss the
donation at the future Budget meetings, but we have not discussed it for the past two annual
Budget meetings.
I would like the Budget to state what the Miscellaneous Law Enforcement revenue is for along
with an update as to what the assignment of the Sheriffs entails since 5 years have passed with
no reports.
The 2018 agenda item included a table which said there would be 2,725 hours of Sheriff
service covered by the donation by Apple, this is quite a lot less than 40 hour weeks at 48
weeks per year for two sheriffs, so I am wondering how many hours per week have the two
Sheriffs assigned to Apple been historically serving? Is Apple donating more or less than they
should? Do they receive special treatment? Does the donation cover vehicles? How is extra
Sheriff support for Apple events paid for? Is it waived? Is that more Miscellaneous revenue
under Law Enforcement?
Staff on the recording spoke about beat C5 receiving the extra Sheriffs. I actually show up on
the recording as a member of the public mentioning break-ins at Vallco (which is gone) and
that the EIR might not have adequately addressed public safety if this Sheriff requirement is
the result of the new campus.
Do the Sheriffs visit all of the Apple buildings or just C5?
Should a different instrument than a Donation form typically for donating a bench or
something which may have a plaque with the donor’s name on it be drafted? It seems we are
still accepting donations from Apple for Sheriffs based on a 2018 donor form. Additionally, if
it’s really more of a contract, and now millions of dollars have passed through the City to the
Sheriffs, what are the terms for the City’s side? The Sheriffs? It is hard to understand this.
Lastly, does it muddy the waters to actually have a donation be to have Sheriff services (I
think of donations without that reciprocity element)? Should Apple make their donation
directly to the Sheriff instead? Do all in the City receive equal Sheriff service when two are
apparently assigned to a specific area paid for by a specific business? Please advise how this is
typically done by cities.
Thank you,
Kitty Moore
Kitty Moore
Councilmember
City Council
Kmoore@cupertino.org
(408) 777-1389
From:R W
To:City Clerk; City Council
Subject:City Council Agenda Item #1 Budget 5/17
Date:Monday, May 15, 2023 8:49:00 AM
Attachments:City Employment copy.pdf
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recognize the sender and know the content is safe.
Dear City Council,
One of the largest opportunities to balance the budget comes from staffing. There seems to be minimal talk
about reduction in workforce and reduction in open head count, yet there seems to be a lot of discussion
about cutting programs.
The city not only has spending problem along with a budget shortfall, but also an accountability problem.
These issues should have been raised by a competent city staff earlier than later.
Now, we are spending time talking about selling or leasing out public lands, wasting millions on a City Hall
we can’t afford, and cutting programs and services the residents expect.
Let’s apply some basic business principles to local government. The largest portion of the budget is in
headcount. Why are we not starting there?
According to the City’s own data of FTE counts for the past decade, in 2022 we saw massive increases in
staffing for
Administration - up 36.1%
Community development - up 31.6%
Administrative services - up 18.8%
Over the past 10 years, the public works headcount has also exploded by 27.8%
Our population has reminded fairly consistent over time, yet we keep adding FTE’s. Why is that?
The questions that the resisdents expect council to address are:
1. How do you plan to balance the budget without dipping into savings? Dipping into savings is not
balancing the budget.
2. What FTE’s will you cut to meet the budget? We have an explosion in FTE’s. Other than innovation and
technology, why the sharp increases in administration, community development, and administrative
services?
3. Given the potential millions in tax shortfall from the Apple issue, what is being done about 10 years of
negative budgets in the plan?
4. Why has the city continued to fail to meet its state reporting requirements on accounting and budgets?
5. Why have we waited so long to address this issue if city staff is doing such a good job.
6. Where is the oversight on city staff on spending and what have you done to deliver on this oversight?
7. Why are so many projects over budget and over time? What is being done to reign in the spending?
Warmest regards
R “Ray” Wang
Former two-time Chair of the Planning Commission
Cupertino Resident
From:Peggy Griffin
To:Thomas Leung; Kristina Alfaro; City Council
Cc:City Clerk
Subject:2023-05-17 City Council Meeting Agenda Item #1-Budget Study Session-BREAKOUT FUNDS FOR VISIBILITY
Date:Monday, May 15, 2023 3:35:23 AM
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PLEASE INCLUDE THIS EMAIL AS PART OF WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS FOR THE ABOVE CITY
COUNCIL MEETING AGENDA.
Dear Budget Manager Leung, Director Alfaro and City Council,
There are several general budget information items that would help make the budget more
transparent and easier to follow the money from one year to the next.
REQUESTS/SUGGESTIONS:
1. Breakout any restricted funds that are currently held in the General Fund; identify them
specifically.
2. List the special government revenue funds such as
a. SB1
b. Measure B 2016
c. Via Shuttle
3. List the individual Special Projects and CIP projects
4. Add 2 Enterprise Funds
a. Senior Center – this is critical! There are many financial activities going on there that
need to be transparent. I have several Sunnyvale friends that say they use our services
because they are cheaper, even for non-residents!
i. Tours – they occur almost every month
ii. Hidden Treasurers
iii. Bingo
iv. Memberships
v. Cost for meals, supplies, etc.
vi. Staff support
b. Blackberry Farm picnic and pools
4. For ALL the funds
a. Show the actual end-of-year balances/carry-overs – this would give clear visibility of
what is left in the funds.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Peggy Griffin
From:Peggy Griffin
To:Thomas Leung; Kristina Alfaro; City Council
Cc:City Clerk
Subject:2023-05-17 City Council Meeting Agenda Item #1-Budget Study Session-CONTINGENCY AMTS?
Date:Monday, May 15, 2023 2:46:01 AM
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COUNCIL MEETING AGENDA.
Dear Budget Manager Leung, Director Alfaro and City Council,
Q: Referring to the paragraph below, all contracts I’ve seen seem to have a 10-15% contingency
amount. Is this proposed budget a change from this convention?
Attachment D, Page 5 of 12
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Peggy Griffin
From:Peggy Griffin
To:Kristina Alfaro; City Council
Cc:City Clerk
Subject:2023-05-17 City Council Meeting, Agenda Item #1 FY 2023-24 Budget Study Session-LAW ENFORCEMENT-Apple Deputies
Date:Monday, May 15, 2023 2:40:08 AM
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sender and know the content is safe.
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AGENDA.
Dear Director Alfaro and City Council,
I have several questions related to the information in “Attachment J – Law Enforcement”.
Number of Deputies
Q1: How many deputies does this SCC Sheriff’s contract include for FY2023-24?
Q1a: Is this the same number as in FY2021-22 and FY2022-23?
Response Time Worsening
Q2: Why is the projected performance measures for Priority 1 calls predicted to be 6.98 minutes, almost 2 minutes
above the targeted time? This is a significant increase from the numbers shown in the ACFR Report.
PDF Page 5 of 12
Dedicated 2 Apple Deputies
Apple has an agreement with the City of Cupertino that Apple will pay for 2 deputies and their patrol cars per year to
only patrol the C5 beat (Apple Park area). Apple pays the city each year for this service.
Q3: Why is the cost of these 2 Apple deputies listed as “Miscellaneous Revenue” when it is dedicated funds for a
specific purpose?
Q3a: If “Miscellaneous Revenue” includes other stuff, too, then why isn’t the Apple amount identified separately since
it’s dedicated?
Attachment J – Law Enforcement
PDF Page 9 of 12
PDF Page 10-11 of 12
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Peggy Griffin
From:Peggy Griffin
To:Kristina Alfaro; City Council
Cc:City Clerk
Subject:2023-05-17 City Council Meeting, Agenda Item #1 FY 2023-24 Budget Study Session-LAW ENFORCEMENT-ERROR??
Date:Monday, May 15, 2023 2:14:55 AM
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sender and know the content is safe.
PLEASE INCLUDE THIS EMAIL AS PART OF WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS FOR THE ABOVE CITY COUNCIL
MEETING AGENDA.
Dear Director Alfaro and City Council,
This question is related to the information in “Attachment J – Law Enforcement”.
CORRECTION NEEDED: There appears to be 2 conflicting paragraphs – see below.
Q: Which is correct?
Sincerely,
Peggy Griffin
PDF Page 6 of 12 says
PDF Page 9 of 12 says
From:Raman Kapur
To:City Clerk
Subject:Regarding Blackberry Golf course
Date:Friday, May 12, 2023 3:41:57 PM
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Dear Members of the City Council,
I hope this letter finds you in good health and high spirits. I am writing to express my strong support for keeping the Blackberry Golf Course golf course open in our city.
As an avid golfer and a resident of this community, I have personally experienced the tremendous benefits that the golf course brings to our city. It serves as a hub for recreational activities, fosters a sense of community, and contributes to the overall well-being of residents. The golf course is not just a place to play golf; it is a cherished recreational asset that enhances the quality of life for individuals of all ages.
The golf course provides an opportunity for individuals to engage in outdoor physical activity, promoting a healthy and active lifestyle. It serves as a gathering place where friends, families, and colleagues can come together, enjoy the beautiful surroundings, and participate in a sport that brings joy and relaxation.
Moreover, the golf course has a positive impact on our local economy. It attracts visitors from outside the city, who contribute to the local businesses, restaurants, and hotels, thereby stimulating economic growth. Additionally, the golf course creates employment opportunities, supporting the livelihoods of individuals directly and indirectly associated with its operations.
I understand that there may be considerations regarding budget constraints and other competing interests. However, I firmly believe that the value provided by the golf course outweighs the associated costs. The benefits it brings to our community in terms of physical health, mental well-being, social cohesion, and economic vitality cannot be understated.
In light of these reasons, I kindly request that the City Council carefully consider all available options to ensure the continued operation and maintenance of our beloved golf course. I encourage you to explore partnerships, seek sponsorships, and actively engage with the community to explore creative solutions that can help sustain this valuable asset.
Thank you for your time, consideration, and dedication to serving our community. I trust that you will make a decision that reflects the best interests of our residents and the long-term prosperity of our city.
Yours sincerely,
Raman Kapur
23255 Eastbrook Ct., Los Altos, CA 94024. P 6509069398