(June 10, 2009) -- A taxpayer damaging $40-$50 million gap between projected City Hall FY10 spending and revenue isn't just another budget. It's a hemorrhaging deficit.

Taxpayers are the victims in this, not officials who offer cliches about "tough choices" after they and/or their predecessors steered our city into debt, deficits and incipient insolvency.

For officials to pursue business-as-usual in such circumstances would be the height of irresponsibility.

LBReport.com urges the following two measures:

1. Mayor Bob Foster should release city management's proposed budget immediately. The City Charter doesn't require a delay until August. It directs the Mayor to present the budget to the Council (and the public) "[n]ot later than sixty days prior to the beginning of the fiscal year..." Releasing the budget immediately effectively challenges the Council to get to work immediately...which is exactly what it should do.

2. Councilmembers should put aside all non-time-sensitive agenda matters and devote their prime-time Council meetings to dealing with City Hall's spending exceeding revenue. We favor holding at least two Council meetings a week to deal with City Hall's FY10 deficit hemorrhage...with no happy holiday August "dark week off."

We support exceptions for routine items, time sensitive or required hearing matters, but that's about all until the Council deals with City Hall's gaping FY10 budget deficit.

If some Councilmembers persist in pursuing politically self-serving items instead of the budget, we urge taxpayer-friendly Councilmembers to move/second substitute motions to "receive and file" or "hold over until after October 1" on each and every non-time-sensitive item until work on the FY10 budget is completed.

No lengthy debate will be required on these substitute motions. They will force recorded votes that will speak for themselves. They will be understood by LB taxpayers...and voters citywide.

We favor agendizing budget items to allow voted Council actions, not simply eye-glazing "study sessions."

We favor taking up the $3 million Art Museum debt-bond for Council voted action; the time behind-closed-door talks is over.

We favor discussing City Hall's contract with the LB Police Officers Association. (The City Attorney will have to advise on how much can be discussed while the city negotiates/bargains with that union). In 2007, with the support of Mayor Foster, the Council voluntarily reopened the LBPOA contract to grant raises on grounds that these were needed to stem a tide of departures.

LBReport.com separately calls on the LB Police Officers Association to level with taxpayers and release its recording of what it asked then-Council candidate Robert Garcia in late 2008, and what Garcia said, to merit that group's endorsement before the candidate filing period had even opened. (As a candidate, Garcia told us he doesn't oppose release of the recording; LBPOA President Lt. Steve James told us at the time that he would "never" release the recording.)

On Tuesday, July 14 at 3 p.m., city management has agendized an open Special Meeting to "receive and file preview of Fiscal year 2010 Budget Approach; and...receive and file schedule for Workshops and Hearings on Fiscal Year."