Tag Archives: Jeff Gee

Jeff Gee Says “Yes on 22″

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Earlier this year, all of us on the City Council debated on how we would balance our City budget. While there may be some disagreements on what and how we balanced the budget, all of us were in agreement that we need to live within our means. We cannot print money like the Federal government, and we cannot put off dealing with our finances as our state. At the local level, we can only spend what we have.

While we have balanced our budget, one fear remains as we enter our fourth month without a state-budget. Will the state take away more money from our City to balance the state budget?

On November 2, we have a chance to protect local funds that were approved by voters for use by local government. Proposition 22 was put on the November ballot by the California League of Cities. The City Council is an active supporter of Proposition 22 and supports this measure. To balance last year’s budget, the State took nearly $6 million in local revenue to balance the state-budget. We cannot afford to keep balancing the state budget by reducing local services.

By voting Yes on Proposition 22, we can stop state lawmakers in Sacramento from raiding funds that don’t belong to them. Prop. 22 will…

* STOP the State from taking or borrowing local tax dollars dedicated to cities and counties to fund vital local services.

* STOP the State from taking or diverting gas taxes we pay at the pump which voters have dedicated for transportation purposes.

Prop. 22 is a straightforward measure that simply ensures that our existing local tax dollars and existing gas taxes cannot be taken away by the state politicians again. It requires State Legislators to stop raiding funds that don’t belong to them. And most important during these tough economic times, Prop 22 will not increase taxes

I need your help in keeping local revenues at the local level. Please join me on November 2 and vote Yes on Proposition 22.

— Jeff Gee, Redwood City Councilperson

A Vision of Transporation

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In early-August, the California High Speed Rail Authority released the Supplemental Alternative Analysis (SAA) on the alignment of high-speed rail through the peninsula. This report is a continuation of the process of refining the manner in which high-speed rail will travel through the peninsula.

The SAA report indicated that the preferred alignment through Redwood City is an aerial structure, four-tracks-wide. The arguments for this alignment include: CalTrain operations would be least impacted, reduced need to purchase additional properties, avoidance of creeks (Redwood Creek, Cordelleras Creek), and less cost.

I appreciate the fact that CHSRA has narrowed the list of potential alternatives that they are willing to review. Until recently, there were just too many moving parts to be able to commit resources to explore, examine, review, estimate and engineer.

However, now it is our turn. As a community, we need to develop a vision of what we want regional and state-wide transportation to look like in 2025/35. If San Mateo County and the peninsula cities could have resolved BART in the 1960’s, we would not be having a conversation about high-speed rail today. BART would ring the entire Bay Area. BART would have been far less expensive to build then, than it will be today, there would be greater frequency in trips, greater reliability, and high-speed rail would be stopping at a multi-modal station somewhere in the South Bay.

I think it is a safe to predict that the world in 2025 will be different than it is today. Our challenge is to create a vision and a plan for regional and state-wide transportation, and to define Redwood City’s role.

This Fall, there will be a series of meetings in Redwood City. Some of these meetings will be hosted by CHSRA and the Peninsula Rail Board and will discuss the potential of a high-speed rail station in Redwood City. Other meetings will be hosted by the City, and will work on developing a transportation vision for Redwood City. Our efforts will involve a detailed examination of the aerial alignment proposed by CHSRA, the impacts and consequences of being aerial, examine “Redwood City-centric” solutions to high-speed rail and discuss whether we should have a high-speed rail station in our downtown.

I hope to see you at these meetings!

— Jeff Gee, Redwood City Councilperson

Highlights of the 2010-2011 Redwood City Budget Meeting

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After over thirteen hours of presentations, public comment, council conversations, and hours of studying the proposed budget, the Council approved our 2010-11 budget. While we were fiscally responsible by approving a balanced budget without the use of reserves, I do not believe that anyone is happy with what we had to do.

Here are the highlights of the 2010-11 Budget:

  • General Fund Budget: $75 million
  • Balanced budget without the use of Reserves
  • Overall 8% reduction
  • Department reductions ranged from 1% to 13%
  • No layoffs of sworn police officers
  • No layoffs of firefighters
  • No pay cuts, reduction in benefits or furloughs
  • Elimination of over 40 staff positions
  • Layoffs of 15 – 20 staff

We also increased parking meter rates downtown, will be charging for annual fire department inspections of commercial properties and apartment buildings, and will be developing a new tree preservation ordinance with associated fees for tree removals.

Even though were able to approve a balanced budget, the hard work ahead will be implementing the changes that we made. What is even worse is that we are already looking at annual multi-million deficits for the foreseeable future.

The BIG questions that what we need to answer regarding our Quality of Life in Redwood City are:

  • What are the services that we need Redwood City to provide?
  • What are we willing to pay for these services?

If we are able to answer these two questions as a community, we might be able to establish a more sound financial foundation for our City. I look forward to hearing from you regarding your thoughts and answers.

— Councilperson Jeff Gee,

Councilman’s Message

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Spring is upon us! Redwood Shores is always a beautiful part of our community as lawns are green, our trees are in blossom, and the flowers are blooming. What a great time to be outdoors enjoying our lagoon, parks and trails.

Spring also means that the end of our City’s fiscal year is coming to a close, and that it is budget time. Our economy is still struggling to regain a footing, and our State budget remains a mess with a projected deficit of $18 – $20 billion.

As a City, we are not immune to these economic realities. Ten years ago, our revenue from sales tax was $21 million. Today, it is projected to be $14 million. In addition, revenue from property taxes will decline — dropping by $650,000 for the new fiscal year. Sales tax and property taxes are our two largest revenue sources for our general fund.

With the potential for the State to “borrow’ monies from local government, we are faced with making some very difficult decisions. As a council, we will need to decide on what our core services are, and how we can live within our budget. At a recent Council meeting, we decided that our core services are: public safety, fiscal stability, legal/regulatory compliance, and public infrastructure. To deliver in these core service areas, we may need to reduce our budget by as much as $6 million. Several budget hearings are scheduled in the month of June, and your input is wanted.

Census 2010

Everyone should have received their US Census form in the mail. Completing and returning your census information is critical, especially during this economic time. The census is completed every 10 years, and is a major data point in the distribution of a variety of federal funds. On average, Redwood City receives $2,200 per person, per year in federal dollars — our tax dollars coming back to us. However, if our census :undercounts” our community by 100 individuals, this equals a loss of $220,000/year, or $2.2 million over ten years. Completing the census takes only a few minutes, and the information is confidential. Help our community and our City by being counted!