This is the time of year that some users of San Diego's libraries, swimming pools and recreation centers have come to dread because the City Council has slashed operating hours at these spots to balance its budget since 2003.
In a departure, Park and Recreation Director Ted Medina expects folks to “all collectively heave a giant sigh of relief” today.
The city's two largest departments other than public safety – the Park and Recreation and Library departments – won't suffer cuts in a proposal to be presented this morning by Mayor Jerry Sanders for the fiscal year that starts July 1.
Under Sanders' plan for next year, the city would spend about $108.1 million on park and recreation, up from the current $105.2 million, and about $38.7 million on its libraries, up from $36.6 million.
Sanders will announce his plans for the two departments and for the cultural programs funded through the city's hotel room tax revenue at a news conference scheduled for 11:45 a.m. in the Civic Theatre.
As part of his proposal, he will ask the City Council to suspend an ordinance that mandates San Diego spend 6 percent of its general fund on libraries.
That ordinance, which took effect five years ago, has been waived by the council for three straight years.
Sanders called the municipal code requirement “overly ambitious” and said he would review it over the next year and consider asking the council to eliminate it. The law allows the council to suspend the requirement each year.
“I really don't care for earmarks,” said Sanders, adding that they “tie the hands” in bad times and are “easy to disregard” in good times.
The library budget would have grown another $19 million if Sanders had chosen to honor the library spending ordinance. Given that possibility, Library Director Anna Tatar had requested more money to buy new books, computers and cataloging technology and to hire new staff.
As it stands, the Library Department will list 416 employees next year, up from 397 this year. The Park and Recreation Department will list 944 employees next year, up from 927. The Mayor's Office said yesterday that most of these additional employees are longtime city workers who were intentionally omitted from previous San Diego budgets but will be reflected in Sanders'. His budget also includes new workers hired to staff new branch libraries.
Over the past four years, the library system's hours of operation have dropped from 1,896 a week to 1,466, and the department's book and materials budget has dropped from $3.6 million to $1.8 million.
At the same time, operating hours at the city's recreation centers have been reduced from a high of 68 hours a week four years ago to 40 in some locations today. Meanwhile, city swimming pools now are closed during winter.
Sanders was elected in November over Councilwoman Donna Frye on promises to cut city costs without raising taxes. He said his first budget would focus more on the city's long-term problems than on restoring recent service cuts.
“Everybody would like to see more funding, but I just don't think that's responsible at this point,” he said.
In an interview, Sanders said his “stabilization budget” is possible largely because of the city worker salary freezes negotiated by the City Council a year ago that freed up $25 million to $30 million for fiscal 2007.
Sanders said San Diego is not “out of the woods” because 4 percent increases the following year for nonpublic safety employees could lead to more difficult budget decisions and a resumption of service cuts.
Sanders will release his entire fiscal 2007 budget proposal Friday. The City Council has until June 30 to adopt a budget.
Sanders said he expects the council to commit to his funding priorities because in discussions with the members, “Most of them understood this is really a year where we have to hold the line.”
Matthew Hall: (619) 542-4599; matthew.hall@uniontrib.com
