January 31, 2003
Dear Co-Sponsored Club President:
You are no doubt aware of the serious financial situation facing the City of Sunnyvale as a result of the State budget crisis, the poor economy (reduced revenues) and higher-than-anticipated costs of doing business.
As communicated to the City Council by the City Manager recently, “All cities, counties, and school districts in Silicon Valley are facing similar budget crises. Some are much more severe than ours. Our planning and financial management system gives us two tools that many other cities and counties do not have---cash reserves and time. Both tools will allow us to develop and implement our response to the crisis in a planned, phased manner. We did not create this crisis, yet we are required to solve the problems that have been created. We do not have to totally solve this crisis within the next six months. However, we must begin working now to cut costs, increase revenues, and take steps to reshape our services, levels of service, and workforce. If we can begin this work now, we can avoid the more drastic steps that other nearby cities and counties are being forced to implement immediately.”
On the evening of January 28, 2003, the City Manager shared with City Council his proposed strategy for dealing with this crisis, the overall intent of which will be to “establish a set of City services that are provided by a workforce that is sustainable for the foreseeable future.” Several steps are planned to minimize the impact of the crisis on the public, but it is the intent of the City Manager to explore reductions in services provided by the City, to reset the levels of service for remaining City services, and to reshape and reduce the City’s workforce.
You can help. City staff will attempt to leave no stone unturned in its exploration of possible ways to reduce costs and increase revenues. While our primary focus will be on those services City staff provides directly to the public, staff will also look at those expenses and revenues related to contracts, agreements, and co-sponsored groups. One way to decrease costs, of course, is to decrease or eliminate services. If you have thoughts or ideas about services which your group has been provided by the City in the past, but which your group could live without, please let this office know. If you have thoughts or ideas regarding ways in which existing services could be left intact, but at a lower cost, staff would love to hear those as well. If your group would be willing to pay for services or facilities previously provided at little or no cost, rather than see them disappear, this too will be useful information.
As you prepare your application for co-sponsorship this year, please keep these thoughts in mind. Please also bear in mind that many of the benefits afforded the City’s various co-sponsored clubs are not guaranteed by co-sponsorship status, but are instead a reflection of operational practices implemented at the staff level by this Department. (Free equipment or materials and free use of fields or facilities are good examples.) There is little doubt that these types of benefits will need to be reduced.
The budget crisis and the City’s response are expected to affect our residents, visitors, businesses and community groups. The City Manager and City Council are committed to keeping the community informed and providing opportunities for the public to participate as policy issues are decided. Responding to this letter is simply one way to participate. If you have ideas, you can contact us in any of the following ways:
| BY PHONE: |
Contact your staff liaison (list attached)
or Cathy Merrill, Assistant to the Director, at (408) 730-7531
or Robert Walker, Director, at (408) 730-7516 |
| BY FAX |
(408) 737-4946 |
| BY EMAIL |
Cathy Merrill, Assistant to the Director, at cmerrill@ci.sunnyvale.ca.us
or Robert Walker, Director, at rwalker@ci.sunnyvale.ca.us |
| BY MAIL |
Parks & Recreation Department
Administration
P. O. Box 3707
Sunnyvale, CA 94088-3707 |
| IN PERSON |
If you prefer to meet in person, please contact Karen Smith at (408) 730-2709 or ksmith@ci.sunnyvale.ca.us , who will arrange a meeting with you and staff to discuss your ideas, questions and/or concerns. |
Thank you very much for the time and energy you devote to our community. Being a co-sponsored club president is not an easy task during the best of times. While this is a painful process for us all, our best solutions will no doubt come from a collaborative approach. Please join us in exploring ways we might reduce the costs and/or raise revenues associated with co-sponsored groups.
Sincerely,
Robert A. Walker, Director
Department of Parks and Recreation
RAW/ks
Attachment: Staff Liaison List
cc: Mayor and City Councilmembers
City Manager
Assistant City Manager
Deputy City Manager
Director of Finance
Parks and Recreation Managers
Staff Liaisons to Co-Sponsored Clubs
Parks and Recreation Commission
Arts Commission