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CC 05-17-2023 Item No. 1 FY 2023-24 Proposed Budget_Written Communications (Updated 5-17-23)CC 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 CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you 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 CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. 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 CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. 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, 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 CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the 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, 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 CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the 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 CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. 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 From:pv_r959@yahoo.com To:City Clerk Subject:Re: City Budget issues Date:Wednesday, May 17, 2023 9:51:08 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. Hello: As a long time resident (over 25 years), this is the first occasion that I've heard of this city having budget woes. To be sure, I would not want the city to cut services. If any services that may be depriortized is any expenses related to supporting homeless especially if they are not originally from our city. The city is also a home to large corporations - why not increase taxes on these "most valuable company" in the world to help shore up the budget shortfall - when the campus was built in the city; hardly any of the tax base trickled down to the city. What will be good is if the city shares all the details of the shortfall in a newsletter (especially over the past two or three years) so that as a community we can size the problem! Please make sure this is posted in the meeting notes and if there is a response, I would welcome one. Rajeev Joshi From:Tessa Parish To:City Clerk; City Council Subject:Comment for Meeting May 17th (Item #1 Budget Study Session Date:Wednesday, May 17, 2023 12:09:47 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. The city is in a potentially dangerous situation. it is important to be viable WITHOUT the use of the City's savings. Savings are for a rainy day, such as an unexpected tax bill. On the subject of cutting expenses, assuming the idea is to be viable, the cuts need to reflect that. 1. There were proposed cuts to public grants but no cuts to the grant for the Historical Society. While I believe that preservation of historical items and history is important, I don’t think it should replace community grants that the community has become accustomed to and expecting. The Historical Society does not have a Director to perform or oversee the work paid for by the grant. My suggestion is hold back the funds back until such time as they are ready to use the funds. Another option is to cut both 50% so it’s fair to both. Please consider an option to pay funds that may not be used for several years. 2. I think that before cutting expenses from City events, we should consider cutting expenses by reduction of fee waivers, removing free rentals such as those provided to the Chamber of commerce. The chamber has money to pay for its fees. 2. I am thinking that if I can find these two items, there are others that could be found before the city uses of their savings or the sale of properties. Selling hard asses in my opinion should be a last resort. Are there other places where the city is giving away funds that may reduce the chance of cutting community programs. 3.Please consider tighter oversight of expenses. Adopt policies to prevent overspending such as: 0. Prior to spending, write a Purchase Order to be approved by the Dept Director. 1. if you spend it before it is approved by the Director you pay for it. Ex. 2 If it’s a last-minute item then somebody didn’t plan ahead, you pay for it. During the crash of 2010 our then manager talked to all the staff and ask them for a voluntary proposal on what they could do to help the company stay afloat. Everyone cut a little bit and we didn’t have to close. During times of distress, most companies have to lay off staff. It appears that the city is increasing the number of staff? Has the population grown proportionally? Lastly, if someone's income is being reduced and there is a potential of a large tax bill, I don't think one should buy a mansion. The city should consider earthquake retrofit instead of committing to a new City Hall that will likely incur additional costs, putting the city in a more serious situation. Tessa Parish Resident of Cupertino From:S B To:City Council Cc:City Clerk; Cupertino City Manager"s Office Subject:Cupertino Budget Date:Wednesday, May 17, 2023 2:22:13 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. Hello everyone, I have taken the budget survey and I want to reiterate the points about where we can save money. To start with why is the survey continuing for 2 more weeks if you have already received an update from the city staff, I hope it is a preliminary report and that you will receive a final report again. We don’t need a $100M city hall, we don’t have the money, we don’t need festivals or events, they raise money for the organizing group, and cost the city more than the revenue they bring in. We need to ensure that city property is not sold to fund crazy ideas and finally we need to ensure the monthly accounting reports are presented without delays Regards Sashi From:Kirsten Squarcia To:Santosh Rao Cc:City Clerk Subject:RE: Kindly see survey comments provided by the community enclosed below as input for your 05/17/23 city council meeting on the annual city budget. Date:Wednesday, May 17, 2023 2:17:36 PM Attachments:image009.png image029.png image030.png image031.png image032.png image033.png image034.png image035.png image036.png Good afternoon Santosh (Council moved to Bcc), your comments have been received for the May 17 City Council meeting and will be included with the written materials for the meeting. Regards, Kirsten Kirsten Squarcia​​​​ City Clerk City Manager's Office KirstenS@cupertino.org (408) 777-3225 From: Santosh Rao <santo_a_rao@yahoo.com> Sent: Wednesday, May 17, 2023 10:23 AM To: City Council <CityCouncil@cupertino.org>; Kirsten Squarcia <KirstenS@cupertino.org> Subject: Kindly see survey comments provided by the community enclosed below as input for your 05/17/23 city council meeting on the annual city budget. CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. Dear City Clerk, Please include the below as written communications for 05/17/23 city council meeting. —————————————————— Dear Mayor Wei, Vice-Mayor Mohan and city council, I am writing to you today on behalf of myself only. I would like to draw your attention to the community input sent via comments in response to the community budget survey. As you may have noticed the community budget survey places options to raise revenues, cut community programs but does not offer any survey questions to allow the community to provide you input on cutting expenses such as staff headcount, $100M city hall, administrative expense, study projects and under utilized CIP. I sincerely hope you are as curious as us residents on why staff would create a one-sided budget survey with no options provided for cutting staff headcount, cutting administrative headcount, cutting expenses, cutting study projects, cutting CIP projects and ending the $100M city hall and ongoing studies on golf course and memorial park. Why would you accept a survey that places all the burdens on residents with no options that involves cutting expenses. I sincerely hope that these questions come from all of you. However we have one of the most intelligent community resident population in the world here in Silicon Valley. A biased survey did not prevent the community from providing you their real input. It appears the community residents wrote in their comments at the end of the survey for the question that allowed for additional comments. You can see the sentiment of the community in the comments that I point to below. Note that these are not my comments but l am pointing to the community input to the survey available for everyone to read. You can see the comments first hand for yourself at the link below. You can click on the link for word cloud at the bottom of the page and read public comments for yourself. Open City Hall communityfeedback.opengov.com To make it even easier for you, I took snapshots of the comments from the survey results posted above and am including directly below for your reading. Thank you for your patience reading the community input from the survey as shared above. I sincerely hope you will factor this input into your deliberations today at the city council meeting to discuss the annual city budget. Thank you for working on behalf of residents. Thanks, Santosh Rao From: Sharon Blaine <1sjeba@gmail.com> Date: Wednesday, May 17, 2023 at 3:04 PM To: City Council <CityCouncil@cupertino.org>, Pamela Wu <PamelaW@cupertino.org> Subject: Fwd: Regarding the grant for Historic Society CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. Hello City Manager, Mayor Wei and Councilmembers, Yesterday I received an e-mail from Councilmember Liang Chao regarding the contract between the Cupertino Historical Society and the City of Cupertino. Below please find the e-mail from Councilmember Chao and my answer to her. I hope that my answer explains some of our activities since receiving the grant monies. These activities are by no means the only ways in which the grant money is being spent. I know that you have a very important meeting tonight to discuss the City's budget. Unfortunately our board members will not be able to attend as we are holding a fundraising event (this evening) at Paul & Eddie's Monta Vista Tavern. Wish you were able to attend. Please let me know if there is anything else you would like to know about the CHSM grant. Sincerely, Sharon Blaine, Past Pres. CHSM -------- Forwarded Message -------- Subject: Re: Regarding the grant for Historic Society Date: Tue, 16 May 2023 20:47:15 -0700 From: Sharon Blaine <seblaine@comcast.net> Reply-To: seb@theblaines.net Organization: Blaine Family To: Liang Chao <LiangChao@cupertino.org> Hi Liang, Hope you are well. I received your e-mail and want to assure you that the Cupertino Historical Society is very aware of our obligations under our contract with the City. We have been keeping a detailed and complete financial accounting which will be forwarded to the City by or before the due date which I believe is July 15, 2023. Just a few of the community activities we have participated in this year are: An open house at the museum during the City's Tree Lighting and Holiday celebration; Greeting the public and assisting at the presentations at the Blacksmith's Shop in McClellan Ranch Park; A program celebrating the Cherry Blossom Festival in conjunction with the Toyokawa Sister City Committee and the San Jose Kimono Club (over 2,000 visitors in 2 days)! Our Traveling Trunk presentations at local schools and senior citizens facilities is up and running. An on-going project which started in the autumn, is curating our collection, making sure we have accurate documentation for all items. We have also continued collecting oral histories from people who have been instrumental in Cupertino's history. The latest person interviewed is Barbara Rogers, Cupertino's 1st woman mayor. These are just some of the things CHSM has been doing in the past few months. Liang, I thank you for your past support for CHSM. I hope we can continue to count on your support in the future. Sharon On 5/16/2023 1:29 AM, Liang Chao wrote: Sharon and Darryl, I have sent the following questions to Pamela. Perhaps information is already provided to the City or perhaps CHS could help to provide more information. Jon. FYI, since we spoke about this. Liang ============== 1. 1. Request for information for the May 17 Budget Study Session Chris confirmed that "my understanding is that the Grant Funding and License Agreement with the Cupertino Historic Society (CHS) can be terminated with 30 days’ notice, so this is something Council could consider as a cost reduction measure." Given that the city is cutting the subsidies, grants and services in many areas, please include the grant to the Historic Society and any other similar grants or agreements with community organizations for the May 17 Budget Study Session for consideration. 2. Request for Information on Operational Item: As I have brought up at my 1:1 with the City Manager and she requested that I sent it in writing, I wonder whether is any report in terms of activities or financial accountings for the FY 2022-23 from Historic Society? I have been supportive of the CHS since I value their services and also because their Executive Director Jennifer Furlough has demonstrated her ability to deliver wonderful programs, which I have not seen before with CHS. So, I feel responsible and wish to be accountable to Cupertino taxpayers. I just wish to ensure that a grant recipient has delivered on their promises per the agreement, and they will deliver the promised services despite staffing changes. I am not sure who or how this is done by the City. More information for transparency and accountability on our tax dollars is appreciated. Thanks, Liang Liang Chao Council Member City Council LiangChao@cupertino.org 408-777-3192 The linked image cannot be displayed. The file may have been moved, renamed, or deleted. Verify that the link points to the correct file and location. The linked image cannot be displayed. The linked image cannot be displayed. The linked image cannot be displayed. The linked image cannot be displayed. The linked image cannot be displayed. The linked image cannot be displayed. The linked image cannot be displayed.