1 minute read
Impact
Public Safety
— Benicians rely on local taxes to fund crime and fire response, landscaping and infrastructure maintenance, disaster response, open space maintenance, and more.
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— With a reduction in workforce and lack of funds, public safety response will be negatively impacted.
Quality of Life
— In Benicia, we are used to a certain quality of life provided by the City.
— City-funded quality of life services include public library access, public pool access, historical preservation, open space preservation, parks maintenance and more.
— Without new funding, we will lose access to these existing services.
2013 2023
Benicia has 2046 acres of open space making up 25% of our total land area.
Parks and open spaces require maintenance by the City or by City-funded contractors.
Benicia has 28 parks that's one park per 1,000 people, over twice the national average."
Mario says, “Our city’s budgetary issues are serious, but we are taking the necessary steps to address them. My task is to inform the community of these budgetary issues and offer clear choices for residents. I am keenly aware of the high cost of living in the Bay Area and the challenge for residents anytime a city raises taxes and fees. Yet, we cannot continue to function as a municipal corporation based on a funding structure that is more than 30 years old. There are a variety of actions to take and there is always nuance, but ultimately it comes down to a choice to either increase local revenue and continue to provide the services we enjoy today or reduce the type and number of services we offer. This choice is not meant to be punitive, but pragmatic.” www.ci.benicia.ca.us/BudgetChallenge
Each Tuesday, Interim City Manager Mario Giuliani is visiting a local coffee house from 7:15 am to 8:15 am, to meet with residents, drink a hot beverage and discuss how best we can meet the needs of our community. We will publish the coffee house information in Benicia Magazine, in our newsletter and on our website. You can also find out by signing up for Mario’s weekly newsletter at www.ci.benicia.ca.us/cobtw.
