Changes ahead: What is your vision for Folsom?

One of the most difficult tasks an elected official must face is addressing serious financial shortages affecting the day-to-day lives of residents. If you've been watching Folsom's City Council meetings, reading the local news or getting your info on social media, you're likely to be aware our city is facing a $3 million-plus budget shortfall. This means it costs $3 million more dollars to operate than what we are bringing in. On June 24, the council approved the 2025-2026 budget plan to reduce the shortfall by withdrawing monies from our emergency reserve funds. This is clearly not a sustainable solution and our City Manager, Bryan Whitemyer, subsequently proposed a plan for various departments to develop proposed reductions in their expenses by the fall to reduce the need tap into our emergency funds. During following council meetings, the shortage has been addressed by noting the "residents want us to live within our means," as evidenced by the failure of Measure G in November. One of the first steps in addressing budget changes to meet that goal took place on July 8 when the council was presented with a proposal to not hire eight firefighters in a first attempt to rein in city spending. That proposal entailed "browning out" (closing down) a fire station within the coming year. This proposal was met with widespread concern about the health and safety of our residents and continues to be a topic of conversation on social media. A plan was finally formulated, in light of upcoming retirements, to hire the eight new firefighters to fill vacancies that will be created by the end of the year. The answer to how the city can "live within its means" has subsequently required an across-the-board look at what each city department must do to prevent the city from dipping into our emergency reserve funds. While some changes have already taken place to improve efficiencies across all city departments is key, significant cuts are also in store. We are not the only city in the county or state facing budget shortages. Since June, our city manager has moved forward by taking some steps to change course, yet we will still be faced with proposed reductions or reorganizations for each department resulting in service changes and reductions in more areas. These reductions will impact many programs and services we have come to expect from our city. The bottom line is that Folsom's longstanding reputation for being a full-service city that provides excellent public safety, recreational and educational programs (think library, swim lessons and senior center) and other basic services is being challenged. While there are no defined next steps for changes in operations and services as of this writing, proposals are being formulated for presentation at our Sept. 23 City Council meeting. Some of the options being discussed to reduce costs include, but are not limited to, eliminating some programs or services, pursuing public/private partnerships, changes in service providers, and sale of city-owned properties. At the upcoming City Council meeting on Sept. 23 at 6:30 p.m., the proposed changes in each department and an adjusted budget for the 2025-2026 budget cycle will be presented for council and public review. The answer to what "living within our means" looks like will become made clear at that time. I foresee the process of balancing the budget as an ongoing challenge for many months and possibly years to come until we can come up with solutions to improve the city's income. My goal is to seek solutions that are sound, creative and provide the best and broadest services and that are sustainable. I strongly encourage Folsom residents who value the high quality of life we have appreciated for many years and want a safe, vibrant and unique Folsom community to attend this meeting. This meeting will be your opportunity to learn the facts and provide your input. Public participation is key to keeping Folsom on track to being the city we love now and for years to come. Barbara Leary is a Folsom City Councilmember. bleary@folsom.ca.us