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Monterey County, CA November 4, 2008 Election
Smart Voter

KEEPING PACIFIC GROVE IN THE BLACK

By Ken E. Cuneo

Candidate for Member, City Council; City of Pacific Grove

This information is provided by the candidate
Pacific Grove in order operate smoothly and to accomplish anything must have the financial ability to achieve this. The major expense to the city is the cost of Labor. We have to monitor this carefully.
It is no secret that Pacific Grove just recently got its budget under control and now it is in the black. Credit has to be given to the Mayor Dan Cort and the present council for getting us there. We however are still in a precarious state. Services have been reduced. There are virtually no reserves for any emergency or for a rainy day. Also, we must recognize that the recent tax hike will evaporate in about three years due to the recent salary increases to our Police. I believe that every department should have a staffing level or chart to show how many authorized positions, at what grade and at what title. This should look like a triangle with the point facing up. These staffing tables should be used by the city when determining what positions need to be filled. The only way a position could be filled is when it becomes vacant due to retirement, resignation, or alas death. This will keep the departments staffed correctly with no overages or under staffing. The avoidance of excess cost will keep us in the black.

Another issue to keep in mind is to avoid relassifications that do nothing for the organization. This is done when a supervisor desires to reward a good employee by raising his or her pay. The supervisor simply uses some semantical jargon on the job description to change a Mechanic to a Mechanic Assistant Supervisor. The work being done does not effectively change, however we pay more for the same work. Grade Creep is a budget buster and has to be challenged and avoided.

These are some ways for Pacific Grove to keep its budget in check and in the black. We cannot permit our city finances to get way out of solvency. Look At the City of Vallejo to see what landscape lies ahead if we get careless.

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ca/mnt Created from information supplied by the candidate: October 7, 2008 22:32
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