Pacific Progressive

OCTA Cutting Our Chances of Economic Recovery - Pt 1

OCTA http://www.octa.net/ is making severe, deep cuts to balance a budget.  These cuts are severe and will impact our local economy.  These cuts make it difficult to get to school, work, medical care, government facilities, other transportation, and recreational opportunities.  This will impact our recovery from the current economic crisis.  How can you hold a job you can't get to?  How can you go to college when you can't afford to get to classes?  How do you get to a doctor's appointment if you don't have a car or can't drive?

And, the cuts to service to transit connectors like Park & Rides and Metrolink stations mean no more saving money and energy with public transportation for some people.  If you can't get from the station to where you need to go, why take the train or carpool?

Where are the cuts and who will they hurt? 

• 78 Schools and Colleges have reduced service 
• 27 Shopping Centers, Malls, and Shopping Districts have less transit service
• 14 Hospitals and Medical Facilities have fewer buses available
• 17 Employers and Office Parks have fewer trips to bring employees to work
• 27 Civic Centers, Senior Centers and Libraries have fewer buses to get residents to city  services
• 22 Park & Rides and Transit Connectors have fewer ways to move people to and from the sites
• 13 Parks and Beaches have fewer trips to bring people to recreational opportunities

This is Part 1 of a series. The other stories in the series will examine the impact of the cuts starting June 14 and the proposed September 2009 cuts.

Trip Frequency and Service Reductions Starting June 14, 2009

$7 a Month More for Water

The Santa Margarita Water District (SMWD)  is proposing a rate increase.  SMWD's rate structure includes rates for water based on water meter size and tiered consumption level and power charges.  When you use more water, the cost per unit increases.  SMWD says the average residential water bill will go up by $7/month ($84/year).

Details of the proposed rate increase are here http://www.smwd.com/publications/rate%20incrs%20notice%20051209.pdf

A public hearing will be held on Wednesday, July 8, 2009 at 7 PM at the Santa Margarita Water District Headquarters, 26111 Antonio Parkway, Rancho Santa Margarita, CA.  

If you cannot attend the public hearing, you can submit comments or a written protest of the rate increase.  Any customer or property owner within the SMWD service area can file a protest by sending a letter to SMWD, Attention: General Manager, PO Box 7005, Mission Viejo, CA 92690 or 26111 Antonio Parkway, Rancho Santa Margarita, CA 92688.  A valid protest letter must include your name, the address at which service is received from SMWD, a statement of protest, and your original signature.  Protest letters must be received by the end of the public hearing.  The letters will be tabulated and presented to the Board of Directors at the meeting.  Email protests are not valid and cannot be accepted.  Phone calls do not count either.

Rancho Santa Margarita FY 2008/09 Budget in Review

Rancho Santa Margarita (RSM) is a very new city and very dependent on revenues related to the Property Tax.  About 36% of Total Revenue comes from Property Tax, Transfer Tax, and Property Tax in-Lieu.  Sales Tax is about 22% of Total Revenues.  

Police take almost 35% of the Total Expenditures. RSM contracts with the Orange County Fire Authority for fire protection, so those charges don't show up on the city budget.  The city is "just built" and heavily controlled by HOA's, so it's not surprising Public Works is only about 5% of the budget.

The RSM budget can be found here  http://www.cityofrsm.org/depts/finance/budget.asp

A spreadsheet of the FY 2008/09 budget follows.