POSITION PAPER 2014

By Nancy Johnson

The following position statements deal with fiscal responsibility and reserves, police and fire, the water crisis, the sewer plant, and developing tourism and fishing in Morro Bay.

We must repay the money to our City reserves that were so severely depleted with frivolous spending. This cannot be done on the backs of the City staff or residents. City government must offer incentives to local business owners and attract new businesses to boost our economy. Our major source of revenue is the sales tax; we need to increase the amount we collect by helping our business community prosper. One important issue within the City is a current up-to-date Local Coastal Plan and the re-structure of our planning department to help business owners get through the process quickly and efficiently.

Police and Fire

The citizens of Morro Bay know the importance of having fully-staffed and equipped Fire and Police Departments. While we currently lack the funds to raise salaries substantially for either department, we can act to show support at an administrative level. A greater emphasis should be placed on researching and securing grant money. Measure Q money, which was to be used primarily for fire and police, needs to be re-dedicated to that purpose.

Water Crisis

Those of us who live on the Central Coast are subject to periodic droughts, such as the current one. It is critical that we plan ahead for years like this one and practice water conservation on a regular basis. It is equally critical that we encourage citizens and government alike to save what water we receive in any rainy seasons. Offering incentives to conserve water on a regular basis, such as smaller lawns and gardens with drought-tolerant plants, should be considered.

Sewer Plant

We must address the wastewater plant in the most financially responsible way. While we need the best plant Morro Bay citizens can afford, the important part of this is AFFORD. We cannot burden our community with bills we cannot pay. Probably the majority of the financing of the plant needs to be through grants. Those can be hard to find. We should engage some community volunteers or interns to help research and write grants. While reclaimed water for irrigation is a worthwhile goal, we must develop a workable plan to accomplish this goal.

Tourism and Fishing

While our once-vibrant fishing community has waned somewhat in recent years, commercial fishing in Morro Bay is still the fifth-largest agricultural driver in the County and we need to help people recognize this. It is important that we develop the link between tourism and sport fishing. We should improve our sport fishing industry so that people will fill our motels and eat and shop in our town. City government must work closely with our local Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Business Improvement District to help strengthen and add to the retail base in town.