As this story about the County's budget problems from Sunday’s Bee reminds us, the Parkway is likely going to continue to run short of money, continuing its slow, multi-year deterioration so saddening to the community.
When New York’s Central Park encountered this similar situation several years ago it contracted with the nonprofit Central Park Conservancy to provide management and with its tax deferred donation capability, also raise funds for the Park. Their current endowment is over $100 million.
As this management option has worked extremely well for New York, it has also worked for the Sacramento Zoo, for which the city has been contracting with the nonprofit Sacramento Zoological Society for similar reasons.
This type of partnership, between local government and public benefit nonprofit corporations has great benefit for all involved, and should be explored for our Parkway.
This is the type of arrangement we have been advocating for the Parkway, beginning with a Joint Powers Authority (JPA) to stabilize funding and management, while the move to nonprofit governance, with the land remaining in public ownership by the County, occurs.
Here is an excerpt.
County braces for future deficits
By Judy Lin -- Bee Staff Writer Published 2:15 am PST Sunday, January 29, 2006
Sacramento County's spending diet will help balance the budget next year, but that won't be enough to overcome projected deficits in the ensuing years.
According to the county's 2005-06 midyear budget report, which was released last week, the county will need to tap into its reserves to balance its $2 billion general fund budget for 2006-07. Meanwhile, upcoming pension obligation payments and growing labor costs are projected to trigger a $40.7 million deficit in 2007-08.
The funding gap is expected to continue for at least another three years unless departments start trimming. As one supervisor put it: "We won't be out of the woods for a long time."
County bookkeepers will present the report, which serves as a bellwether for the 2006-07 fiscal year, to the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday. The board also is expected to make critical budget decisions, including the expansion of the Sheriff's Department audit to include a wide-ranging probe of jail operations in response to allegations of brutality and abuse against inmates.
The 2006-07 fiscal year, which begins July 1, is expected to benefit from strong property tax growth. But the county still will have to use $6 million in reserves to balance the budget, according to the midyear report.
Supervisor Roberta MacGlashan said she's happy the county won't have to make cuts this year. However, a lot of factors can shake up those numbers.
"There are the unknowns," MacGlashan said. "There's the labor contracts - we're facing a steep increase in annual (debt) payments. But I'm glad to see that we're funding our pension obligation payments."
Hard times are fast becoming the norm in Sacramento County. In 2003, the county faced an initial $100 million shortfall. Departments slashed their budgets and vacancies went unfilled. To date, 1,800 of the county's 14,000 positions remain unfilled.
