11-28-08, An
Open Letter to the Glendale City Council by Bruce Philpott
On November 3rd, a community commentary was
published in the GNP, titled, Some
Kudos to those who pay attention. The author, who is a member of your
very own Audit Committee, gave kudos to one of those who has spoken out, for
his advocacy regarding more accountability and transparency in the city’s
financial condition. In his article, he identified several areas of importance
regarding the budget. At the top of his list were the big-ticket items:
“increasing costs and increasing staff and salaries”. As a member of the audit
committee he is in a unique position in understanding the financial realities the
city is facing and, by writing this community commentary, he is encouraging
more public participation.
The day following that article, the GNP published an article
that gave kudos to Mr. Borucki, our city treasurer.
No doubt Mr. Borucki has done a fine job as the
steward of the city’s investments, but contrary to some of the public’s
understanding, Mr. Borucki’s only function is to
invest the money the city gives him. He does not engage in or attempt to
influence the city’s fiscal policies. That rests entirely with the city manager
and city council. The title of the article, Treasurer:
In an effort to trump the citizens’ warnings that the
city is in dire financial straits, Councilman Quintero, wondering what all of
the fuss was about, stated on the dais that the city had over $500 million in
reserves. Perhaps Mr. Quintero is unaware that the unrestricted reserves are
less than 15% of the total amount in the city’s investment portfolio and well
under the amount that is considered prudent.
The community commentary written by the member of the
audit committee is a clear warning of things to come. Few people are aware that
the city has spent $197 million more than it received in revenues over the past
six years.
I, once again, call upon this body to begin an intense
review of the budget and take the necessary belt tightening measures required.
This process should be conducted in an open and transparent environment and
presented in such a way that the public can understand the severity of the
problem. A top to bottom review of the city’s finances would be the first step,
followed by a zero-based performance review of programs and services.
Let me cite one example where the budget can be
reduced without cutting services: the city can save $120,000 annually by canceling
the quarterly publication, titled City Views. It is perceived by most as
just a PR marketing scheme, and during hard fiscal times, the 42 highly paid
city employees that give many hours each quarter to producing this newsletter,
can redirect those hours to their primary job function and be more productive.
The public must wonder, how many more of these kinds of excess spending
activities can be cut in an effort to restore fiscal solvency?
Bruce Philpott
818.240.8949
Email: brcphilpott1@aol.com/