Where are we going in – <strong>2015</strong>? – By Paso Robles City Manager Jim App In the Spring of 2013, as the economy began to stabilize, the City Council established three recovery goals: enhance public safety; begin restoring maintenance services; and, further economic development. Given the depth of cutbacks necessitated by the recession, coupled with rising costs and a very modest, slow moving “recovery,” much remains to be done. The recession claimed 35% of the City workforce – and with them the capacity to provide the normal array of public services. The bleeding has stopped. In the Police Department, a couple of vacant positions have been filled so patrol operations now provide broad basic service on all shifts, and a special enforcement team is again combating drugs and the gangs. Similarly, basic public facility maintenance is coagulating with the filling of a number of vacant staff positions, along with new supplemental tax revenue for road maintenance. But, today it would cost more than $6 million per year to replace all the lost staff and the services they provided, with an additional $4 million needed to complete public facility repairs (other than roads) that were deferred due to the recession. Only $1 million per year is forecast (in excess of expenses). So, the million dollar question is, what is most important? Do I asked several community leaders to give me their thoughts, from their unique perspectives, on where we are going as a City and as a County in the new year. Last month we heard from newly elected Mayor Steven W. Martin, the new President of the Paso Robles Association of Realtors Cody Wilcoxson, and Part 1 of my interview with newly hired Superintendent of Schools Chris Williams. This month, we’ll get new year perspectives from Supervisor Frank Mecham, Paso Robles City Manager Jim App, and more from Williams. ...Bob Chute What to expect in the new year TO THE FUTURE, AND BEYOND! we spend even more on roads, or repair parks, or add back more police, or paramedics, or do we reopen Centennial pool? Or, do we protect investments in public facilities by attending to deferred maintenance? These are the questions the City Council will debate this Spring (when they convene their next biennial goal setting). On the economic front, significant new investment in hotels and attractions are being made, Paso Robles was named the 2014 international wine region of the year, and core industrial companies are growing. The High School is completing new academic facilities, and Cuesta College gained voter approval to repair and replace obsolete North County campus buildings. These facilities are central to increasing education and training for the community’s labor force. An educated and well trained labor force is the foundation for growing industry and commerce. But what else is important to increase private business investment and spur job growth? Certainly, support for established businesses is vital; fortunately it can be provided by organizations like the Chamber of Commerce, Main Street, Economic Vitality Corporation, and the Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance. Attraction of new businesses is also important. Our history suggests that private investors and business owners were attracted to the Paso Robles lifestyle, and once hooked on the appeal of the Paso Robles area, they invested…building businesses and creating jobs. This continues to be the most promising path to business attraction. Preservation, enhancement and promotion of the Paso Robles lifestyle are, therefore, key to growing new business and jobs. How? By show-casing our setting, natural assets, and agriculture. Wine, olive oil, artisan food production, and dining - all attract interest and visitors. And, by taking care that built places are of good design and quality, and are well maintained – from streets to public parks, to buildings and neighborhoods, visitors, once in the area, will get hooked. And over time, they will invest (as have many others). It will be economic growth built on an appreciation for the unique place that is Paso Robles. Above and beyond the continuing work to recover services and intensify economic activity, considerable energy must be spent to address concerns about the sustainability of the Paso Robles Groundwater Basin. This issue will involve complex technical, legal and financial questions, as well as close cooperation with many, many stake holders, each with differing perspectives. The basic question is “will there be enough water, year in and year out, for all to grow and thrive as in the past?” Recent studies suggest the groundwater basin is being pumped more than it can replenish each year. And while its deeper aqueous layers “hold” considerable water, and big rain years can recharge it, recurring and protracted droughts coupled with increasing demands can impact access to the more accessible (shallower) water (in some areas). This has the attention of farmers and rural residents that rely on groundwater. The City too is alert as we use groundwater basin water to supply residences and businesses. In summary, when faced with complex choices, people can prioritize their needs, cooperate to moderate use and/or look for more (of whatever is in short supply). Such is the challenge ahead - finding ways to balance demands and increase resources. The ways are varied; the tricky part is that opinions about each vary even more. <strong>2015</strong> will be a year for such choices. The community’s capacity to invigorate investment, economic activity, and recovery depends on it. 20 Paso Robles <strong>Magazine</strong>, <strong>February</strong> <strong>2015</strong>
JUST $25 For Shampoo, Cut & Style <strong>February</strong> only for first time clients! <strong>February</strong> <strong>2015</strong>, Paso Robles <strong>Magazine</strong> 21
- Page 1 and 2: WHAT A YEAR! Quasquicentennial Wrap
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