TO: Mayor and Councilmembers
Gary Halbert, Interim City Manager
Shawn Hagerty, City Attorney
FROM: James Jeffries, City Clerk
DATE: June 11, 2025
SUBJ: Updated Council Meeting Materials – June 11, 2025 NEW BUSINESS:
(9) Review of the Proposed Operating Budget for Fiscal Year 2025-26. (City Manager/Finance – Halbert/Jennings)
The attached correspondence for above mentioned Item was received and is provided for your consideration.
From: SS DD
To: James Jeffries
Subject: Submitted Public Comments
Date: Tuesday, June 10, 2025 5:24:36 PM
Hello again. As I may not be able to attend tomorrow's meeting in person, I am requesting that the following comments are submitted both into the record, as well as distributed to each Council Member under the name "Truth", thank you.
Each comment is following each item number. There are a total of 4 separate comments (items: #2, #6, #8, #9).
If you have any questions, feel free to email me back.
Item 9: (Budget)
5 more Parks workers for park maintenance – I don’t how I feel about that kind of expense in comparison to the Expensive EMT needs.
Standby Duty Pay Increase going from $225 an assignment to $300 is a Big Jump – Why couldn’t that have been incrementally introduced over a couple of years? Why did the City Wait on that?
There’s the Predictable Salary Increases consisting of a 3% Cost Of Living Adjustment Plus a 2.5% Market adjustment – Because Only those in Government get Market-Based Bonuses – For a total of a 5.5% Salary Increase. I expect 5.5% More Work Achieved for that Cost to Every Resident.
In order to pay for stuff like That, I recommend Dropping membership to the League of CalCities. They offer No Solutions to Change the Downward Spiral of the State. A representative from CalCities spoke at a SANDAG meeting about RHNA Housing Quota numbers, and all he basically said was “Comply and Die”.
Leaving this Useless League would save the City travel reimbursements, mileage reimbursements, phone reimbursements, and paperwork.
I also recommend Charging Call Monsters facilities like Lantern Crest a LiftAssist Fee like El Cajon’s going to do. They charge $535 for Each Time they have to send out EMS to take care of a facilities’ Neglected Senior Citizens, as an Incentive to start taking Better Care of them, and to Ensure those services are available for the Rest of the City residents.
And I recommend No to Renting 6 Spy Cameras from Global-PrivacyMonopolists Flock.
Is a new swing at Woodglen Vista Really $50,000? Perhaps the City should’ve asked for donations.
The City has A Lot of different events – That’s an Easy place to Cut from if the budget requires.
For now, why doesn’t the City Partner with MTS to promote Events at Trolley Square? La Mesa does it – They have banners along the line promoting their Oktoberfest event.
Hopefully, the goal of “Diversifying event programming” can actually happen – I already suggested a Lunar New Year. El Cajon already took the Arts idea with their great Artival event. That’s the type of event that would’ve fit Perfectly in with the Arts & Entertainment District, but instead, there’s been the same old events featuring top 40 and country – Not to say anything about the events meant for children. But if the City’s serious about an Arts & Entertainment District, then innovative ideas need to come Sooner, not Later. The City of El Cajon has a Marketing Manager that does a great job of helping to create events and also promote the events.
Perhaps the City of Santee needs evaluate that type of direction.
Overall, I appreciate the clear listing of spending in the budget, with accomplishments and goals, it’s only missing showing the cost of Individual projects.