In a landmark first-ever study, the city’s Finance Advisory Committee has issued a Benchmark Study that compares Culver City to seven similar cities in California in a wide variety of areas ranging from programs to finances.
The results were startling, said Göran Eriksson, who chairs the Committee and pushed for the study.
For example, the study shows that according to FBI crime statistics, Culver City has the highest crime rate among the cities studied in both violent crimes and property crimes (page 32 of the study).
“We need to do a better job of providing the tools and resources necessary for our Police Dept. to do its job more effectively,” said Mr. Eriksson, a candidate for the City Council in April. “We need to look at better technology, better training and better communication with the community. While we enjoy an excellent reputation, the FBI statistics say cities like Santa Monica and Beverly Hills have lower crime rates than we do. That simply should not happen.”
Mr. Eriksson said he would support an enhanced emergency dispatch system that would help reduce response times in emergency situations. He pledged to aggressively advocate for the use of new technology that provides the city’s first- responders with more detailed information before they arrive at the scene of an emergency.
Turning up Pressure
Mr. Eriksson is a proponent of a more robust Neighborhood Watch program that helps residents more effectively communicate with police to provide information about crimes in and around their neighborhoods.
It is vital, said Mr. Eriksson, that the public has easy access to the city’s finances. In addition to the work done to put the city’s financial information on the web, the benchmark study offers additional information for the public to compare and contrast how the city is doing.
“Transparency is important, especially when we’re talking about our tax dollars,” said the international businessman. “I am glad that the City Council listened to the Finance Advisory Committee. That made it easier for all of us to see how they are spending our tax dollars.”
Still, more should be done, Mr. Eriksson said.
Being More Conservative
On the positive side, Culver City requires the highest percentage General Fund reserve of any of the cities studied. The city must maintain a reserve fund equal to or greater than 30 percent of its General Fund for use in emergency situations (page 36 of the study). In comparison, Beverly Hills’ policy requires saving only 25 percent in reserves and Brea’s threshold is merely 10 percent.
“Reserve funds are critical as we saw in the 2008 recession,” said Mr. Eriksson. “The city currently has well above the 30 percent reserve requirement. It is important that we maintain and even grow these reserves so that we can weather the downturns in the economy and the surprise expenses that are inevitable. As in our own lives, we need to put money away for a rainy day.”
That rainy day may be coming. It could pack an El Niño-like punch.
From rapidly increasing pension and medical costs for city employees to expenses associated with the federally mandated remediation of storm water/urban runoff that will cost Culver City upwards of $150 million, the city needs to be prepared for some major expenditures in the next few years.
“A 30 percent reserve looks good, but it represents just around $30 million,” said Mr. Eriksson. “That is a fraction of the expenses we are facing even if the economy continues to improve.”
Overall, Mr. Eriksson hopes the Benchmarking Study, which will be reviewed by the City Council at this evening’s 7 o’clock meeting, will be a starting point to evaluate how it spends its precious resources.
“Now is the time for us to be serious about our financial future,” Mr. Eriksson said. “We can continue to kick the can down the road or we can dig deeper and make the tough financial decisions that will put us in an even better position 10 years from now. Smart financial management is a cornerstone of my campaign. I hope everyone can agree that putting Culver City on firm financial footing should be one of our highest priorities. That is what allows us to do everything else we want to do.”
Former City Treasurer Crystal Alexander, who serves as the Finance Advisory Committee’s vice chair, touts the leadership Mr. Eriksson provided the committee.
“Göran encouraged all of us to use our financial skills to get this study, a landmark deliverable, into the hands of the City Council,” she said. “The study brings the numbers to life. It provides the vital link between the finances and city programs our community relies on.”
The full Benchmarking Study also may be found on the city’s website at:
http://www.culvercity.org/city-hall/information/view-public-notifications/-folder-267
Mr. Maleman may be contacted at gmaleman@aol.com
