From Daily Republic // March 4
By Ian Thompson
SUISUN CITY – Suisun City is expected to climb out the its slough of red ink and into the black by June, according to a mid-year budget report that predicted the city will end the fiscal year with a surplus of almost $300,000.
That’s a big changem when the City Council first passed the budget – it included a deficit of $200,000.
The estimated $276,000 surplus is a conservative estimate, City Manager Suzanne Bragdon said. The council will discuss the positive report Tuesday.
Suisun City’s leaders have struggled for several years with a budget deficit despite a series of cuts to city workers and city services.
The city’s reserves are also expected to jump from $3.1 million to an estimated $3.7 million thanks to the recent sale of city property located on Twin Sisters.
Bragdon wants the council to consider several ideas for the upcoming 2006-07 budget, which include:
· Improving city income through new revenues and finding more way to cut costs.
· Streamlining how the city reviews and grants permits to encourage new commercial and residential developments.
· Retolling how much work city staff is expected to do, an issue employees raised after the city’s workforce was cut 15 percent during the past few years while workloads continued to rise.
· Changing city fees such as the development impact fees and those charges to residents using city services so the money better covers the cost of offering certain city services.
· Cracking down on business license enforcement because fewer than half the city’s businesses have licenses, the report said. Such a crackdown could bring in $200,000, Bragdon said.
Tuesday, March 7, 2006
Suisun expects year-end surplus
City Council to honor top cops
From Daily Republic // March 4, 2006
By Ian Thompson
SUISUN CITY - The best of Suisun City's law enforcement will be honored Tuesday when the city council recognizes Officer Andrew White and Reserve Officer Michael Urlaub.
Earlier this year, Police Chief Ron Forsythe announced White as the 2005 Officer of the Year and Urlaub as Reserve Officer of the Year. Communications Technician Amber Kent was named 2005 Dispatcher of the Year.
White was described as "a prime example of the enthusiasm and capabilities of our young police officers," by Forsythe, who said White was one of the department's top patrol officers.
White is also heavily involved with the department's community-oriented policing project, where he has organized meetings with residents in the Cedar Glen area.
Forsythe lauded Urlaub as "one of only two reserves in the department's history to be released for solo patrol work in the community."
Urlaub has also aggressively sought out and paid for an impressive range of training that ranged from traffic collision investigation to digital crimes investigation.
He is also a member of the countywide Driving Under the Influence enforcement team, assists the department's major crimes unit and works with the boat unit.
The two men will be honored at 7 p.m. Tuesday when the city council meets in the city council chamber at 701 Civic Center Blvd.
Reach Ian Thompson at 427-6976 or at ithompson@dailyrepublic.net.
By Ian Thompson
SUISUN CITY - The best of Suisun City's law enforcement will be honored Tuesday when the city council recognizes Officer Andrew White and Reserve Officer Michael Urlaub.
Earlier this year, Police Chief Ron Forsythe announced White as the 2005 Officer of the Year and Urlaub as Reserve Officer of the Year. Communications Technician Amber Kent was named 2005 Dispatcher of the Year.
White was described as "a prime example of the enthusiasm and capabilities of our young police officers," by Forsythe, who said White was one of the department's top patrol officers.
White is also heavily involved with the department's community-oriented policing project, where he has organized meetings with residents in the Cedar Glen area.
Forsythe lauded Urlaub as "one of only two reserves in the department's history to be released for solo patrol work in the community."
Urlaub has also aggressively sought out and paid for an impressive range of training that ranged from traffic collision investigation to digital crimes investigation.
He is also a member of the countywide Driving Under the Influence enforcement team, assists the department's major crimes unit and works with the boat unit.
The two men will be honored at 7 p.m. Tuesday when the city council meets in the city council chamber at 701 Civic Center Blvd.
Reach Ian Thompson at 427-6976 or at ithompson@dailyrepublic.net.
City to study what businesses to bring to Suisun
From Daily Republic // March 4, 2006
By Ian Thompson
SUISUN CITY - The Suisun City Council is expected to OK a study Tuesday to figure out what kinds of retail businesses will want to locate in Suisun City.
This is the latest step in City Hall's campaign to re-energize the city's business recruitment program. The program was jump-started last year after the city council vowed to raise sales tax revenue.
City Manager Suzanne Bragdon and interim Redevelopment Agency Director Al da Silva want to hire the Braxton Company to put together a study laying out which retailers would most likely be interested in locating their businesses in Suisun City.
"We are trying to recruit more retail to Suisun City," da Silva said. "One, to increase the shopping opportunities in Suisun and, two, to increase our sales tax. It is no secret that Suisun needs a strong increase in its sales tax."
At present, Suisun City sales tax revenue is one-third that of similar-sized cities.
That lack of revenue has forced the city to cut back spending with measures that include closing City Hall one day of the week and not granting employee salary increases.Da Silva stated the study will allow Suisun City to figure out which types of retail businesses the city has the best chance to attract and how best to court them.
"This will allow us to knock on more doors," da Silva said.
The Redevelopment Agency and Bragdon has taken their sales pitch for bringing business to Suisun City to several trade shows last year "and we are going to do that again this year," da Silva said.
City Hall hopes to create a list of businesses that are likely to move here.
"We don't have the leads yet to generate a list, but these things take time," da Silva said.
The Suisun City Council meets at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the Suisun City Council chamber at 701 Civic Center Blvd.
Reach Ian Thompson at 427-6976 or at ithompson@dailyrepublic.net.
By Ian Thompson
SUISUN CITY - The Suisun City Council is expected to OK a study Tuesday to figure out what kinds of retail businesses will want to locate in Suisun City.
This is the latest step in City Hall's campaign to re-energize the city's business recruitment program. The program was jump-started last year after the city council vowed to raise sales tax revenue.
City Manager Suzanne Bragdon and interim Redevelopment Agency Director Al da Silva want to hire the Braxton Company to put together a study laying out which retailers would most likely be interested in locating their businesses in Suisun City.
"We are trying to recruit more retail to Suisun City," da Silva said. "One, to increase the shopping opportunities in Suisun and, two, to increase our sales tax. It is no secret that Suisun needs a strong increase in its sales tax."
At present, Suisun City sales tax revenue is one-third that of similar-sized cities.
That lack of revenue has forced the city to cut back spending with measures that include closing City Hall one day of the week and not granting employee salary increases.Da Silva stated the study will allow Suisun City to figure out which types of retail businesses the city has the best chance to attract and how best to court them.
"This will allow us to knock on more doors," da Silva said.
The Redevelopment Agency and Bragdon has taken their sales pitch for bringing business to Suisun City to several trade shows last year "and we are going to do that again this year," da Silva said.
City Hall hopes to create a list of businesses that are likely to move here.
"We don't have the leads yet to generate a list, but these things take time," da Silva said.
The Suisun City Council meets at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the Suisun City Council chamber at 701 Civic Center Blvd.
Reach Ian Thompson at 427-6976 or at ithompson@dailyrepublic.net.
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