Redwood City saves Fire Engine 9

While reductions were proposed in many departments, largely by instituting a hiring freeze which places increased workloads on city staff, cuts to the Redwood City Fire Department were also proposed in the form of a yearlong brownout of Engine 9. In total, the department would have experienced a 5.6% reduction to its budget under the original proposal.  

To retain the fire engine, after strong community resistance to the proposal, city staff is tasked with developing alternative approaches to reducing expenditures, potentially by reducing administrative costs or modifying staffing and scheduling practices. Until staff returns early next year with revised recommendations, $2.05 million of reserves will be used to offset the department costs while a fire training captain position remains vacant. 

Councilmembers applauded the recommendation changes before unanimously approving the revised budget. Reflecting on his time as a member of the council during the Great Recession, Councilman Ian Bain noted the city worked hard to bring back Engine 9 which was also browned out then to reduce expenditures. 

“It was very painful for the community and I personally felt that we were taking a risk by doing so. So I’m really glad to see that’s not part of the recommendation anymore,” said Bain. “I would encourage our staff to dig a bit deeper into reserves until we have a clearer picture of what the economy will look like.” 

Echoing dozens of public speakers, councilmembers cited increased fire risks and historic wildfires experienced in August as a reason to not remove the engine. Councilwoman Diana Reddy noted Redwood City firefighter strike teams have frequently been deployed to respond to wildfires within San Mateo County and in neighboring jurisdictions. She also raved about the city staff’s nimble approach to COVID-19 recovery. 

“Redwood City is flexible because of its leadership and extraordinary staff that serves our community,” said Reddy, defending the pay of city staff, specifically that of City Manager Melissa Stevenson Diaz and City Attorney Veronica Ramirez. “Redwood City deserves the best and we have the best.” 

Police cuts

Police department budget reductions are also captured within the revised city budget, totaling $2.5 million. Nine police officer positions will remain vacant, resulting in reduced sizes of patrol teams, decreased proactive enforcement and likely increased officer response times to “quality of life” service calls, said Stevenson Diaz. 

Public safety services, 24/7 operations as noted by Stevenson Diaz, account for more than 60% of the city’s general fund expenditures. Reducing the resources will force the city to reimagine how services are provided to residents, said Stevenson Diaz, a request that’s been made by community members for months following civil unrest over the police killings of Black Americans. 

Roughly $200,000 in reserves has been set aside to contribute to a pilot program between the county and several neighboring cities which will contract mental health clinicians on emergency calls alongside police officers. Funds have also been reserved to finance the city’s push toward equity which includes hiring an equity coordinator and developing an equity workplan. 

“There’s a lot of pride, justifiably so, in tradition and history. So when you talk about changing how we do things that’s not necessarily something that happens fast. And it’s not necessarily something that is immediately obvious that change needs to happen or something different can be better,” said Stevenson Diaz on redeveloping services. 

Other reductions

Additionally, budget reduction will include $853,000 for Public Works, $422,000 in Parks and Recreation and $418,000 within the library, $888,000 for Community Development and Transportation and $780,000 for administrative services, the City Manager’s Office, the City Attorney’s Office and Human Resources.  

To balance the budget, a one-time contribution of $3 million from reserves was pulled to match the city’s $151 million revenue with its $154 million in expenditures, not including the additional reserves being used to save Engine 9. The funds will go toward paying down growing pension liabilities, a continued COVID-19 response, operating the RV Safe Parking Program, climate adaptation initiatives and the city’s commitment to an Americans with Disabilities Act plan. The city is required to maintain a reserves of 15% of the following year’s projected revenue and currently has reserves of 21% or $32 million. 

sierra@smdailyjournal.com 

(650) 344-5200 ext. 106