By Robert Jordan, Contra Costa Times.
DUBLIN — When it comes to budgets and smoking, Dublin on Tuesday set itself apart from most Bay Area cities.
The Dublin City Council adopted a 2011-12 budget, that for the first time in three years, includes no cuts and contains plans for hiring new employees.
Also Tuesday, the council made it tougher for smokers, approving law changes that will require apartment complexes with 16 or more units to have 75 percent of their units smoke-free by January 2013. The council originally passed the ordinance in 2008, requiring complexes to be 50 percent smoke-free by Jan. 1 of this year.
Dublin’s smoking ordinance is one of the toughest in the East Bay behind Union City and Richmond, which have banned all smoking in apartment complexes.
“Dublin has always been ahead of the entire flock in terms of taking the risks and hits,” said Serena Chen, policy director for the American Lung Association. “After Dublin, eight cities have joined or surpassed” the 50 percent rule statewide, she said. “It’s always harder for the leader, but I am glad (it is) going up to 75 percent.”
A smoking ordinance progress report given to the council in February found that 69 percent, or 2,879 of 4,146 units that qualify in the city, already were designated smoke-free.
In budget news, the council approved a $70 million operating and capital improvement budget. For the first time in three years, the city passed a budget without having to make service cuts and instead will hire 4.5 full-time equivalent workers on two-year contracts. The new hires would primarily be in the community development department.
Dublin also is balancing its budget without having to utilize its economic stability reserve fund, established after a surplus from the 2006-07 and 2007-08 budgets.
In the past three years, Dublin has cut $4.5 million from its budget, including last year when it cut $1.5 million — which eliminated one police officer spot, cut library hours and canceled the annual Day on the Glen celebration.
A slight uptick in projected sales and property taxes and conservative financial planning from past and current councils were credited for the recently adopted budget.
“It would have been easy to let go of our fiscal prudence given the economic times,’ said Joni Pattillo, Dublin’s city manager. “But our staff and council maintained.”
In response to the scandal in the City of Bell, the State Controller issued new requirements for cities to file a Local Government Compensation Report. The Finance Staff completed compiling and filed the report prior to the October 1st, 2010 deadline. Although some of the information was similar to what has been provided in response to prior Newspaper information requests, this report will also include costs incurred by the City for certain benefits. The report does not include names of individuals and the information is listed by Job Title and Department. Data is provided for all positions including Temporary, Elected and Appointed positions.
The report provides data for Calendar Year 2009 and the compensation reported is the same as reported in Box 5 of the IRS W2. In addition to actual earnings the City was required to provide the Minimum and Maximum Salary in the adopted Salary Resolution. The new report also required Staff to identify for each position whether they were covered by PERS and the dollar amount of the Employee Share of PERS Retirement paid by the City or any City contribution to a Deferred Compensation. The report also includes the dollar amount of City Contributions towards the cost of Health, Dental, and Vision insurance. The report is now available on the State Controller’s website.
