Feb 4, 2007

Council to focus on climate, budget

By Kristina Peterson / Daily News Staff Writer

The Palo Alto City Council said it would focus on creating sustainable environmental and financial policies in the next 12 months at its annual retreat Saturday.

Climate protection headed the list of the top four priorities the council set for 2007, receiving unanimous support from the nine council members. Creating a "sustainable budget," working with the community to prepare for emergencies and developing plans for city libraries and a public safety building rounded out the list of council commitments.

"I am thrilled that the city and community are taking leadership on climate action," Mayor Yoriko Kishimoto said at the retreat. "It will become the banner agenda for the city."

For the City Council and staff, the climate protection priority largely means figuring out ways to implement the 240 recommendations made by the city's Green Ribbon Task Force.

"That is not a small amount of work," Assistant City Manager Emily Harrison said.

Addressing the current and future sustainability of Palo Alto's finances will likely involve balancing the services the city can provide with its long-term commitments, said Carl Yeats, the city's administrative services director.

"The budget is balanced for the next five years," Yeats said. The challenges will be in finding "adequate reserves for emergencies and to fund the city's long-term liabilities" such as its retiree medical benefits and building repairs and upgrades.

Council Member Bern Beecham likened the city's financial responsibilities to "owning a house and falling behind in the mortgage payments." He said the city may be forced to choose between infrastructure and services when making future budgetary decisions.

Emergency planning and the public safety building and libraries priorities were carry-overs from last year's list of priorities. City Manager Frank Benest said the city was on track to complete those objectives, but council members asked to keep them on the list until they are met.

"We have to maintain the public safety/ library building (issue) as a high priority to build community support," Council Member John Barton said.

Though it did not rank among the top four priorities, sustainable land use surfaced as an important issue for several council members.

"We will be dealing with land use issues," Council Member Dena Mossar said, referring to upcoming major expansion projects at Stanford University.

Council Member LaDoris Cordell asked city staff to focus on completing a study of the city's clerical workers after Phil Plymale, chapter chairman of Service Employees International Union, Local 715, said workers have been waiting on the results for more than 2 1/2 years.

Benest said staff would prepare an update on the study next week.


E-mail Kristina Peterson at kpeterson@dailynewsgroup.com.