Over the next two weeks, the city of Costa Mesa will be considering a series of actions in adoption of the coming year's budget that will impact everyone in this community.
I was encouraged to submit my thoughts on this important subject to the Daily Pilot in the hope of engaging the broader Costa Mesa community in the important decisions ahead. Irrespective of whether one is of the perspective that the issue is one of a "spending problem" versus a "revenue problem," everyone should understand that there is a problem that demands attention.
The coming year's budget is the third in succession in which we face declining revenues — a situation familiar to most businesses and households in these recessionary times. The city has steadily reduced operating expenses, trimmed payroll, reduced reserves and deferred capital purchases while doing our best to limit their impact on direct service to the public.