City’s shuffle saves funds, fits change mode
Shuffling in two city departments will save more than $100,000
annually, while it comes at a good time with transition already
occurring and continued bleeding from Hollister’s general fund
reserve.
City leaders have approved the moves in two departments,
planning and information systems. Veteran Planning Manager Mary
Paxton takes on the vacant position as manager of the Hollister
Redevelopment Agency, and Assistant Planner Abraham Prado received
a promotion to associate planner.
City’s shuffle saves funds, fits change mode
Shuffling in two city departments will save more than $100,000 annually, while it comes at a good time with transition already occurring and continued bleeding from Hollister’s general fund reserve.
City leaders have approved the moves in two departments, planning and information systems. Veteran Planning Manager Mary Paxton takes on the vacant position as manager of the Hollister Redevelopment Agency, and Assistant Planner Abraham Prado received a promotion to associate planner.
Over in the information systems division, an analyst will fill the part-time manager’s job – which gets converted to full time – while the analyst position will remain open until the end of the fiscal year. The council approved both moves at a meeting two weeks ago.
They are crafty fixes to the city’s multi-million-dollar structural deficit and come at an appropriate time considering Hollister leaders are examining other, major organizational changes such as pushing for the election of an at-large mayor and consolidating law enforcement services with San Benito County.
There also isn’t a lot of activity these days in the planning department, with fairly stagnant growth, and Paxton can use her knowledge and experience in the community to execute some crucial projects on the RDA’s plate, such as construction of a new fire station, beautification on the west side and various affordable housing endeavors.
Most important in the short term, though, is that the moves save the city about $150,000 for the year and provide a mechanism to help chip away at the deficit. And there’s a lot of chipping to do. Incidentally, the Measure T Oversight Committee reported on Monday how $3.5 million out of $3.9 million from the special sales tax revenue last fiscal year went toward the city’s deficit.
If city officials hope for a voter renewal of the 1-percent local tax after its expiration in 2013 – it passed on the ballot in November 2007 – they are best off by continuing to show a commitment to frugality and creative solutions.
