From: Gene Bonino
To: info; Sebastopol Public Works; Mary Gourley
Subject: City of Sebastopol Proposed Budget
Date: Tuesday, June 21, 2022 10:39:24 AM
Subject: Requesting $89K in Public Tax Money go to Public Services instead of Transients
It seems that budget talks are in process. Item Number 10 of Tuesday’s meeting lists several departmental requests, including $89K in tax revenue going toward transient service including Safe Parking ($6K), Cooling/Heating Center (8K) and $75K for a homeless out reach coordinator I would like to remind the Council that Sebastopol does not need to support any more transient services because.
1. We have the highest per capita in Sonoma County.
2. The Council should work with the County to get funds for a homeless outreach coordinator and should be working with Santa Rosa and Petaluma on a joint plan.
3. The County should be providing heating/cooling center because these services bring transients into the area and then we as a community don’t have the resources to fully support them after center close.
4. We are a community with many outstanding needs such as funding our fire, police, and public works departments, parks, and road and sidewalk repair.
5. The Council has been unable to hire key positions for the City such as a City Engineer, which should take precedence over transient services, which service a niche population of under 100.
There has been zero data about how many transients live in Sebastopol and also,
1. What are the costs and data of current programs including Park Village.
2. What are the costs and data for;
The Sebastopol Inn (which costs over $1.3 Million to operate annually) Safe parking at Sebastopol Community Church
Horizons Shine, the RV safe parking camp.
There should be a public presentation with ancillary documentation on the use and outcomes of these existing tax funding programs.
What is the occupancy rate of the Sebastopol Inn?
How many people at Horizons Shine now have a Job?
Is the safe Parking at the Community Church fully occupied? What is the age, gender and employment break down?
Am totally against the Council hiring a grant writer to get more grants for transients services.
We do not need more transient services. Our City is radically under sourced and we need to start investing back into our infrastructure and public service, that has been apparent by the lack of investment in our Fire Department as we approach and a much more dangerous season ahead. This in it’s self is a critical community service Gene Bonino and Will Brown