Guest column by Jimmy Forbis: City outlines budget plans for the next two fiscal years

“The budget adoption allocates millions of taxpayer dollars, but it also provides residents with the city’s roadmap on how the city plans to achieve its goals and priorities.”

By Jimmy Forbis

Jimmy Forbis

The Gilroy City Council adopted the fiscal year 2022 and fiscal year 2023 budget June 7, which completed a five-month process that began in February with Council’s Strategic Planning Workshop and included several council and community workshops and meetings (all conducted virtually).  Those workshops and meetings culminated with the passage of the city’s two-year spending plan of $187 million in FY22 and $155 million in FY 23.

The two-year budget cycle was conducted in the middle of a very challenging time — the COVID-19 pandemic. As the city has experienced significant revenue losses due to the pandemic, the challenge for council and city staff was to create a spending plan that maintained services levels that Gilroyans have come to expect in their community. The FY22 and FY23 budget assumes the economy will recover quickly from the economic downturn and that economically we will return to pre-pandemic levels in FY23.

There are many decisions the city councilmembers makes during the course of their duties as your elected representatives, but it could be argued that the adoption of the city’s budget is the most significant financial and policy document council approves.  The budget not only clearly identifies what the city would like to achieve, it allocates funds to various programs and activities that significantly impact the quality of life here in Gilroy.

Yes, the budget adoption allocates millions of taxpayer dollars, but it also provides residents with the city’s roadmap on how the city plans to achieve its goals and priorities which include:

• Develop a financially resilient organization that relies on local revenues and resources.
• Maintain and improve city infrastructure including streets, facilities, and incorporated green energy practices.
• Promote economic development activities that create opportunities for quality employment and increase the city’s tax base.
• Ensure neighborhood equity from city services including public safety, streets, parks, and recreation.
• Promote availability of safe, affordable housing for all Gilroy residents.

As the city council has formally adopted its goals and priorities, each city department (police, fire, admin/finance, community development, and public works) is responsible for ensuring that the council-adopted goals and priorities above are reflected in the daily work performed by city employees. Each departmental workplan highlights non-routine activities (those above and beyond the typical, daily tasks) that both the city council and city staff will be working on during the next two years.

Some of the significant projects the city will be undertaking during the next several years include:

• Update the General Plan Housing Element
• Develop a five-year street repair program
• Increase trust building efforts between the community and the police department
• Implement Santa Teresa temporary/permanent fire station
• Implement Family Resource Center at San Ysidro Cultural Center
• Cybersecurity assessment, plan, and implementation
• Implementation of council homeless ad hoc committee recommendations
• Create Gourmet Alley stakeholder working group
• Pursue opportunities for the city-owned 536 acres at Hecker Pass and Sports Park

Residents can expect to hear and read about many of the projects above in the coming months — many of them are already in progress.

As these projects move forward, please take the opportunity to participate in your local government through attending city council meetings, community workshops, and/or serving on a board or commission.

Despite all the challenges the city has faced, there is great enthusiasm and momentum for the future as the city continues to focus on improving the quality of life for all Gilroy residents while doing so in a fiscally responsible manner.

If you would like to learn more about the city’s goals, priorities, and work plan for FY22 and FY23, please visit the city’s website at www.cityofgilroy.org/346/Council-Goals.

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Gilroy’s city administrator Jimmy Forbis wrote this column for Gilroy Life.

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