Survey on City Budget Woes

It wasn’t that long ago that the City was hosting a series of budget meetings to gather input for citizens on the topic of budget cuts. At the time, there were no plans for any sort of online survey of constituents.

That changed a few weeks ago, when Councilmember Pierluigi Oliverio invited citizens to express their opinion through a new online survey:

Below, please find a budget survey I put together comprised of 100 questions:

The survey includes various items, some of which I agree and some that I don’t, with regards to which services or other items should be reduced or eliminated in an effort to balance the budget for 2009-2010 year. …

Regards,
Councilmember Pierluigi Oliverio

The survey asks a lot of questions about specific budget cuts that the City is considering:

• Elimination of six community centers (including the nearby Alma Community Center)
• Anti-Graffiti services
• Fountain cleaning at city parks
• Park Maintenance
• Monday open times for staffed Regional Parks
• Various Police and Fire positions
• SJPD School Crossing Guard Program
• SJ Police Mounted Unit

Spoiler Alert: The survey includes lots of other budget choices — some symbolic with little fiscal impact and others with significant political support. And the survey ends with the councilmember’s spin on some of the topics:

Personally I don’t believe we should lay off city employees that provide city services to the residents. Instead we should make structural changes on pensions and compensation so that we may serve our customers; San Jose residents and business owners.

Hey! How much did the survey cost? … kidding …

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By the way, don’t be surprised if someone finds a way to save the SJPD Mounted Unit (the last item on the list above, but certainly among the threatened City programs). Oliverio’s Chief of Staff is Denelle Fedor, of course … who was the original founder of the Friends of the San Jose Mounted Unit.