Latest news with #ChristianClegg
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
‘We've used everything': Bakersfield city councilmembers discuss Measure N funds
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — The city of Bakersfield is facing a multi-million dollar reduction in budget for the next fiscal year. A presentation from city staff to the council last night sparked debate over the use of the public service and vital services fund. The proposed city budget is just over $850 million for the fiscal year. In reality, it's a $46 million reduction from 2024. To balance the city's general fund, the council had to take $12 million from the Public Service and Vital Services Fund or Measure N funds. Voters approved Measure N in 2017: A 1% sales tax to fund enhancements to public safety, reduce homelessness and promote economic opportunity. At the city council meeting Wednesday night, Ward 3 councilman Ken Weir said in this proposed budget, the measure money isn't going to what taxpayers voted for. 'The point of this, is we would not go over a certain amount and this year we've used everything…it's all used,' said Weir. Weir says that Measure N funds aren't supposed to cover the general fund. Ward 6 councilmember Zack Bashirtash was critical with how the funds were used to fight homelessness. 'I don't believe that homeless has gotten better or stayed the same, I see the tents regularly. I count them on my way to work. In my opinion, it's gotten worse,' said Bashirtash. City manager, Christian Clegg, and other councilmembers defended the use of Measure N funds. Clegg said that the city homeless shelter has housed 1,000 people per year, and before PSVS passed, it could only shelter up to 500. 'By the numbers, it is better,' said Clegg. 'I would also be transparent that many members of our community are frustrated that visually they don't see some of that improvement.' Ward 2 councilmember, Andrae Gonzales, said the funding has allowed the city to hire roughly 80 police officers and helped make other improvements across Bakersfield. 'It was to preserve and enhance vital services. We knew we had experienced two decades worth of cut after cut, after cut, cutting services to the bare bone in this city,' said Gonzales. The budget will be formally presented on the next city council meeting on June 11. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Our View: Is Measure N living up to its campaign promise?
Again, the question is being asked: Are Bakersfield residents getting what they were promised by Measure N — the 1% sales tax hike voters approved in 2018? Last month, Bakersfield city officials told the Public Safety Vital Services Measure Oversight Committee that much of the money this year will have to be spent on nondiscretionary things, including personnel expenses and transfers to the city's general fund to cover 'operational needs.' Additional money is being reserved for capital projects, such as $4 million for street improvements along 18th and 19th streets, and $3 million for improvements on H Street. 'We've seen increases in insurance; we've seen increases in workers' compensation; we've seen in vehicle equipment, other equipment and technology,' City Manager Christian Clegg told the committee. The oversight committee was established as part of Measure N to assure voters that the 1% tax hike would be spent as promised, rather than absorbed into the city's general fund. The committee is advisory only, with the final spending decisions left to Bakersfield's elected City Council. Committee recommendations, which are developed during public meetings, do not have to be followed by council members. Committee member Cathy Abernathy responded that she is concerned that Measure N money is being spent on a whole lot of staff that includes obligations to pay for such things as health care and pensions. Two years ago, when the city realized a large unexpected increase in sales tax money, committee member Abernathy expressed the same concern about the city's proposed surplus spending. 'Let's honor what it was supposed to be about, which is police,' Abernathy said in response to the city's spending proposal that included animal shelter improvements. 'What we wanted to see was what can the money be spent on to make our town safer and to make it a more attractive community for business growth. That's generally neighborhoods, roads, streets, that kind of work, not enhancing animal care,' Abernathy said. The Public Safety and Vital Services ballot measure that barely passed in 2018 read: "To prevent cuts/improve 911 emergency response, police/fire protection, anti-gang/drug units, neighborhood police patrols; rapid response to assaults, robberies, gang violence, home burglaries; crime prevention; address homelessness; retain, attract jobs/businesses; unrestricted general revenue purposes; shall the measure be adopted approving an ordinance establishing a one-cent sales tax providing $50,000,000 until ended by voters, requiring independent audits, citizens oversight, all funds for Bakersfield?" Since passage, oversight committee members repeatedly have expressed concern that PSVS dollars were not being used as advertised to voters. Even the Kern County grand jury expressed concerns. But according to the city, staffing funded by PSVS dollars has included 189 positions in the police department; 27 in the fire department; 46 in development services, including code enforcement and homeless encampment clean up; 21 rangers to provide park security; 22 in technology services; 16 in economic and community development; 13 in public works; 12 in the city manager's office; five in human resources; and two in finance. The Parks Department ranger force, which is separate from the Police Department, was established in 2023, when the city enjoyed a sales tax surplus. Startup of the program was estimated to cost $1 million, with the predicted annual cost of $2.4 million paid out of Measure N enhanced sales tax revenues. Today, the city's sales tax revenues have remained either flat or declined across several industries, Bakersfield Finance Director Randy McKeegan told PVSV oversight committee members last month. Bakersfield also is expecting a $6.5 million decrease in sales tax revenues because some county residents were being incorrectly charged the city's higher tax rate for the past two years. How City Council members ultimately decide to spend these decreasing tax revenues will determine public confidence in and support for the 1% tax hike voters approved in 2018. Measure N was crafted to avoid 'sunsetting' — a common requirement that voters must approve the continuance of a taxing measure every few years. Instead, Measure N specified it would continue until 'ended by voters.' This leaves Measure N vulnerable to discontented voters, who may conclude that the money is not being spent as advertised.
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
‘We don't need another nail in the coffin': City of Bakersfield says it will rescind proposed sewer rate increase
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — The city of Bakersfield said they are rescinding the decision to increase the sewer and water usage rate. Multiple Bakersfield residents attended the city council meeting on April 23 to comment on the sewer rate proposal, which would increase the rate up to 300% over the next five years. The current sewer rate in Bakersfield is $239 per year, or $19.92 per month. The proposed rate calls for $950 per year, or $79.17 per month over the next five years. Bakersfield sewer rates set to skyrocket over the next 5 years According to the city, the money from this increase would be used to fix an old sewer plant off of East Planz Road. This change would affect around 165,000 people in Bakersfield. 'We already have a problem with housing,' a member of the public said during the public comment segment. 'We don't need another nail in the coffin.' Before Mayor Karen Goh opened up public comments, Bakersfield City Manager Christian Clegg said the city will rescind Proposition 218. Proposition 218 is a state law passed in 1996 that requires government entities to notify property owners of any property-related tax hike. The law also allows property owners to protest the hike to stop it. Never miss a story: Make your homepage The city sent out the notice when the sewage and water usage rate proposals were approved. 'We are pausing and reevaluating the proposed rate and increase, and as vice mayor, I'd like to tell the public we hear you,' Bakersfield Vice Mayor Manpreet Kaur said. The city will formally rescind the notice in a vote at the next city council meeting set for May 14. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
20-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
City tells committee PSVS money increasingly dedicated to personnel
Bakersfield city leaders are looking at a harsh reality: More and more of the city's annual Public Safety and Vital Services dollars are going to dedicated costs each year, leaving the city with less money to spend on discretionary items. On Thursday, city staff presented a recommended $114.9 million budget to the Public Safety Vital Services Measure Oversight Committee, noting that amount of dollars in the budget was allocated to pre-dedicated costs. "We've seen increases in insurance, we've seen increases in workers' compensation. We've seen increases in vehicle equipment, other equipment and technology," City Manager Christian Clegg told the committee. "We've seen dramatic increases that are actually many instances greater than the typical (Consumer Price Index) percentage that is driving costs in a way that's becoming a challenge for us." Personnel expenses make up 54% of the budget at $62.2 million. Other expenses include $9.6 million in non-discretionary costs, $22.9 in discretionary expenses, $1.2 million for capital projects and $11.9 in transfers to the General Fund to cover operational needs. At the meeting, several committee members expressed concern about the use of the PSVS money, saying the city should be more conservative with the tax dollars. Members said PSVS dollars weren't being used as advertised in the ballot language and expressed particular concern about the amount of non-public-safety staff the city had hired. "Then you're talking about new parks and all this. It just seems like the concern about tightening up, it's got to be broad-based," said member for Ward 6, Cathy Abernathy. "I'm concerned that there's a whole lot of staff; that's staff, that's health care, that's pensions." Clegg told the committee hiring freezes were implemented in several departments and the city was investing in better data analytics tools to identify efficiencies. Staff did reduce discretionary spending by 14%, mainly from economic and community development. The proposed budget also includes an additional $7.8 million reserved for capital projects to be approved by the Bakersfield City Council. The total discretionary allotment for the PSVS money, including the amount for capital projects, represents just 26.7% of the PSVS budget. Ward 3 member Clayton Campbell said that because Measure N's ballot language stated the purpose of the tax was to raise $50 million, particularly for public safety, any additional PSVS tax collected by the city should be moved to savings. Meeting materials said 374 staff positions were funded by PSVS dollars, the majority of which were in public safety. When asked by committee members at the meeting, staff estimated about 175 of those positions, only 46%, were in public safety. "We've consistently spent almost all of that money every year, transferred some to the general fund because the general fund couldn't be balanced otherwise, hired a huge number of people," Campbell said to Clegg. "So, the majority of the $62 million that is, as you term, non-discretionary, using the PSVS money, that's money that we're hiring other people that are not public safety." The city later provided staffing information to the Californian which said 216 positions funded by PSVS were in either the police or fire departments. According to the city, staffing positions covered with PSVS dollars include 189 positions in the police department; 27 in the fire department; 46 in development services, including code enforcement and homeless encampment clean up; 40 in parks, including 21 park rangers; 22 in technology services; 16 in economic and community development; 13 in public works; 12 in the City Manager's office; five in human resources and two in finance. Committee members repeatedly expressed concern that PSVS dollars were not being used as advertised to voters. The text of the 2018 Measure N ballot measure read: "To prevent cuts/improve 911 emergency response, police/fire protection, anti-gang/drug units, neighborhood police patrols; rapid response to assaults, robberies, gang violence, home burglaries; crime prevention; address homelessness; retain, attract jobs/businesses; unrestricted general revenue purposes; shall the measure be adopted approving an ordinance establishing a one-cent sales tax providing $50,000,000 until ended by voters, requiring independent audits, citizens oversight, all funds for Bakersfield?" Major capital projects on staff's recommended budget include $4 million for street improvements along 18th and 19th streets and $3 million for improvements on H Street. Several other smaller projects are recommended at several city parks and fire stations. This year's recommended budget is a 1% increase from last year, even as the actual share of sales and use tax money going to the fund went down. The increase in the budget is due to a $17 million savings rollover from prior years being allocated for budget expenditures, Finance Director Randy McKeegan said. Revenues from sales tax have either remained flat or declined across several industries, McKeegan said, and the city was looking at a roughly $6.5 million decrease in tax revenues as a result of county residents incorrectly paying taxes to the city for the past two years. The budget will ultimately be approved by the city council, but the oversight committee will have the opportunity to give its own recommendations at its next meeting Thursday.
Yahoo
15-02-2025
- Yahoo
Bakersfield sees a decrease in gun violence for 2024
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — Launched in 2022, the Gun Violence Reduction Strategy has lowered violent incidents in Bakersfield every year. The results for 2024 were no different, with 26 homicide cases, and 44 non-fatal shootings. '2024 was the safest year that we have seen since before the start of the pandemic, and it's also worth noting that burglaries, robberies, car break-ins, and other property crimes are down as well, but not to that same levels,' said Christian Clegg, City of Bakersfield Manager. A challenging job for police is maintaining these trends. 'Oftentimes, when it comes to gang violence, these are generational wars, issues that have occurred and it's tough to be able to get in…be able to intervene to prevent those type of things from happening,' said Assistant Police Chief Brent Stratton. Meet the babies born on Valentine's Day 2025 in Bakersfield This strategy was funded through a grant from the California Violence Intervention and Prevention Program, along with the city's Public Safety & Vital Services Measure. One vital part the city and police work with to bring results is community partnerships…just like they have with Garden Pathways. 'Some of the individuals that we work with are at the highest risk of becoming victims of violence but it's not sometimes the victim that suffers, it's also the family members,' said Juan Avila, from Garden Pathways. To continue a decreasing trend for the 2025 results, the city said it focuses on data and individuals at a very high risk of being involved in gun violence. The city focuses on engaging directly with them, offering a way out and warning them of the consequences with law enforcement. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
