On August 14, 2018, the City Council introduced an Ordinance amending the Arroyo Grande Municipal Code to disband three of the eight City advisory bodies: the Traffic Commission, Parks & Recreation Commission and Historical Resources Committee in order to streamline City practices, re-prioritize work and conduct business more efficiently.
The City of Arroyo Grande has been taking a proactive approach to quickly reach a fiscally sustainable position in the face of a forecasted ten-year period of expenses outpacing City revenues. This year’s budget includes four significant actions to reduce expenses and reach a balanced budget for years to come. These actions include: 1) decreasing department discretionary budgets for non-core efforts, 2) increasing fees to achieve full cost recovery, 3) paying down high interest debt from pension obligations, and 4) reducing staff in multiple departments. Disbanding these three advisory bodies will result in an annual savings of $30,000 and more importantly, will allow the re-prioritization of 30 hours of staff time per month to provide core services for the community.
The City Council acknowledged their deep appreciation of the significant service, commitment, and engagement of representatives on each of the affected advisory bodies.
The City is committed to remain effective in public engagement, transparent in decision-making and close to the community and its needs. A second reading of the Ordinance will occur on August 28, 2018 and the Ordinance will take effect on September 27, 2018.
# # #
Contact Information:
Jim Bergman, City Manager
(805) 473-5400
agcity@arroyogrande.org