Unfortunately the cuts that are coming will impact the Parkway, among others, the hardest, as it has already been receiving less than it needs for several years.
To resolve this continual funding shortage for the Parkway, we advocate creating a Joint Powers Authority (JPA) of the Parkway stakeholder communities, and through the JPA contracting with a nonprofit organization to provide daily management and the fund development capability, through philanthropy, to provide the supplemental funding that will carry it through the periodic shortage coming from its government funding base.
This strategy has worked with Central Park in New York and the Sacramento Zoo and could be adopted for the Parkway.
County starts work to shrink rising deficit
Staff to draw up plan to close $16 million gap and a bigger one expected next year.
By Ed Fletcher - efletcher@sacbee.com
Published 12:00 am PST Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Faced with a $16 million budget deficit, Sacramento County's supervisors took the easy step Tuesday – asking departments to cut spending. The hard part will come in the coming months as departments try to make the spending plan work.
The $16 million hole in the county's current budget is projected to grow to $40 million to $60 million in the budget year that begins July 1.
County supervisors voted 4-0 on Tuesday to accept the staff's recommendation to use $5.3 million in contingency funds and $11 million in budget cuts to solve this year's budget gap.
On Tuesday, the board also accepted an action plan that hopes to solve the 2008-09 budget shortfall without layoffs. The plan calls for eliminating funding for vacant positions, increasing user fees, delaying projects and selling surplus county properties.
But Supervisor Jimmie Yee added that tough decisions might have to be made. "There may be some services reduced down the line," said Yee, who is serving as the board's chairman.
A $60 million shortfall next fiscal year would require a spending cut of 10 percent.
