March 3, 2011
CONTACT: Chris Cate
619-234-6423 or chris@sdcta.org
Gayle Lynn Falkenthal, APR
619-997-2495 or gayle@falconvalleygroup.com
DeMaio “Roadmap” Receives Favorable Review from SDCTA
Plan aligns with over two-thirds of SDCTA’s Budget Reform Principles
(San Diego) – A comparison evaluation of San Diego City Councilmember Carl DeMaio’s “Roadmap to Recovery” budget reform proposal for the City of San Diego finds the proposal conforms with a majority of the San Diego County Taxpayers Association’s (SDCTA) Budget Reform Principles.
Chris Cate, Senior Director of Policy & Operations for SDCTA, says the DeMaio proposal was examined and compared to the Association’s recently adopted Budget Reform Principles. The Principles will be used to 1) evaluate various budget proposals presented to the public; and 2) outline the reform areas and items SDCTA believes should be included in any budget proposal that is adopted by San Diego’s Mayor and City Council.
Of the 37 elements adopted within SDCTA’s Budget Reform Principles, the DeMaio proposal aligns with 27, or 73%. Many of the elements within SDCTA’s “Transparent Budget Proposal” principle that encourage openness in the budget process are not currently included in the DeMaio Roadmap plan. Cate says these elements should be considered for inclusion within any budget proposal as a way to ensure maximum transparency for San Diego voters.
The Roadmap does include various reforms that are not specifically outlined by SDCTA, but could potentially generate additional savings to help alleviate the City’s current budget deficit, implement programs to attract and retain employees, and expand transparency and open government. These include conducting various revenue audits, creating a bonus program for employees that shares savings from pension reform and making government more accessible to citizens.
Councilmember DeMaio’s Roadmap also includes several ballot measures that would be put before voters as a means to impose reforms on the City of San Diego. The proposed ballot measure language is not included in the Roadmap plan. Any recommendation from SDCTA regarding the ballot measures would require its customary analysis and review by SDCTA committees and vote by the SDCTA Board of Directors before offering a public assessment or endorsement of these measures.
SDCTA’s Budget Reform Principles includes reforms including:
- Proper calculation of “structural” budget deficit
- Implementation of a General Fund spending cap
- Reduction in City pension costs
- Reform of retiree health care liability
- Employee Compensation Reform
- Reform of City operations
- Adoption of a transparent budget proposal to enable informed public debate
“We applaud Councilmember DeMaio for submitting his plan, which no other elected or appointed official within the City of San Diego has been able to accomplish to date,” said Cate. “He has answered our questions and proved himself open to this review process.
“SDCTA will gladly provide the same analysis for any other plan presented to it, in the hopes the plans can be improved and offer reforms that will in the end benefit the citizens of San Diego through improved fiscal management and cost savings that result in improved services,” added Cate.
SDCTA’s full report on the “Roadmap to Recovery” budget reform proposal is available at www.sdcta.org.
The San Diego County Taxpayers Association is a non-profit, non-partisan organization, dedicated to promoting accountable, cost-effective and efficient government and opposing unnecessary new taxes and fees. Founded in 1945, SDCTA has spent the past 66 years saving the region’s taxpayers millions of dollars, as well as generating information to help educate the public.
