{"id":1438,"date":"2012-03-08T23:46:52","date_gmt":"2012-03-08T23:46:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thesecretnewsonline.com\/?p=1438"},"modified":"2012-03-16T23:07:20","modified_gmt":"2012-03-16T23:07:20","slug":"emeryville-in-the-post-redevelopment-agency-era","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.thesecretnewsonline.com\/?p=1438","title":{"rendered":"Emeryville in the Post Redevelopment Agency Era"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"The city\u2019s Finance Advisory Committee met on Monday, Feb. 27.\u00a0 Some of its business was routine, some not.<\/p>\n

First, some good news:\u00a0 Revenue for the second quarter was up $1,512,843 over the same period last year, a gain of about 15%, and expenditures for the quarter were down $356,958.\u00a0 That\u2019s encouraging, and we hope these figures represent continuing positive trends, not just circumstantial or temporary budgetary adjustments.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s about it for the good news.\u00a0 On the grimmer side, consider the pending fate of the City\u2019s Community Promotion Grant Program, which spent $94,500 last year to support artists, art organizations, art exhibits, access to local art, library programs, nutritional programs, low income legal assistance, and other worthy activities.\u00a0 Between $91,000 and $92,000 of this funding came from our Redevelopment Agency.\u00a0 And now that money is gone.\u00a0 Should the General Fund be tapped to keep things going?\u00a0 Should the list be pared?\u00a0 Should a cap be put on the Grant Program and have entities compete for a slice of what\u2019s still there?<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The Committee, wisely I think, deferred judgment on what to do.\u00a0 We need to think carefully about our options, hear more from the community, and consider other possible sources for funding.\u00a0 To give fellow citizens a sense of what\u2019s at stake, here\u2019s a partial list of the entities that get such promotional grants:<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

45th<\/sup> Street Artist Cooperative<\/p>\n

East Bay Community Law Center<\/p>\n

Emeryville Taiko<\/p>\n

Kala Art Institute<\/p>\n

Mercy Retirement and Care Center<\/p>\n

New Arts Foundation<\/p>\n

Add to the list support for the annual Emeryville Celebration of the Arts Exhibition, for the Emeryville Historical Society, and for our newly created Poet Laureate Program.<\/p>\n

Basic city services are a must, of course.\u00a0 We can\u2019t neglect public safety or fail to keep our physical infrastructure intact.\u00a0 There are, by the way, plenty of advocates for these essentials, and their voices will be heard.\u00a0 But can we meet these fundamental needs and still keep our city a vibrant and livable place?\u00a0 I hope so, and I hope my fellow citizens will weigh in with ideas about how we might do it.<\/p>\n

One final report, again on the grim side:\u00a0 I asked City Manager Patrick O\u2019Keefe if the disappearance of redevelopment agency funding would require letting some city staffers go.\u00a0 His answer was a simple \u201cYes\u201d.\u00a0 What this might mean for city services down the road is an open question.\u00a0 These are indeed hard times.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Bill Reuter<\/strong> is a resident member of Emeryville’s Finance Advisory Committee.<\/em><\/p>\n

(To comment on this post, click on the headline to go to the story page, then scroll to the bottom.)<\/em><\/p>\n