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Pacifica City Council Approves Funding for Fairmont Park Restrooms and Taranova Tennis Court Lights

The Pacifica City Council discussed several budget priorities during its June 22nd meeting, including replacing the lights at the Taranova High School tennis courts and funding restrooms at Fairmont Park.

During public comment, resident Joy Hitsman urged the council to replace the aging tennis court lights, saying they have been a problem for years and will prevent community members from using the courts after dark once daylight hours become shorter. She said the courts, which are also used for the growing pickleball community, provide an important sense of community.

Vice Mayor Greg Wright proposed using money from the Roy Davies Fund to pay for the lighting project. City Manager Sean Charpentier said doing so would require a four-fifths vote by the council and would be contingent on the city's Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Jefferson Union High School District.

Parks, Beaches, and Recreation Commissioner Cindy Abbott also encouraged the council to use the Roy Davies Fund to help pay for restrooms at Fairmont Park, and questioned how the city plans to fund the facility in the future.

Mayor Christine Boles noted that replacing the tennis court lights is a $125,000 project because the fixtures, not just the bulbs, must be replaced. Parks, Beaches and Recreation Director Scott Leslie confirmed that the city is responsible for maintaining the lights under the current MOU. He added that grants or community fundraising could also help support the project.

Councilmember Mayra Espinosa emphasized the importance of improving Fairmont Park, noting that the Roy Davies Fund was established to support parks and that the park is home to the Roy Davies Memorial Playground. She also raised concerns about deteriorating turf in the park that poses a safety hazard to children playing.

The council unanimously approved using $79,110 from the Roy Davies Fund for the Fairmont Park restroom project. Members then voted 4-1 to approve funding for the tennis court lights, contingent on the MOU and remaining budget funds, with Espinosa casting the lone dissenting vote.

Pacifica City Council meetings are held on the second and fourth Mondays of each month, giving residents an opportunity to comment on local issues. Watch the rest of the meeting at pacificcoast.tv.

The video above will provide some factual information about Pacifica’s Budget, Measure Y, and the upcoming Municipal Election on Nov 8.

This information, and more, is available on the City’s website at cityofpacifica.org

First, some budget information:

•Pacifica has a $47 Million dollar General Fund annual budget that funds most of the city’s day-to-day general services, such as Police, Fire, Public Works, Parks Beaches & Recreation, Planning, and Administration

•86% of this funding is spent on the personnel (65%) or contract services (21%) that provide these day-to-day general services.

•70% of this funding comes from taxes such as property tax, sales tax, hotel tax, utility tax, business license tax, cannabis tax and more

•But as this chart of revenues and expenditures shows, the rising cost of providing general services is currently projected to outpace revenues by approximately $2.7 million dollars per year into the future

•This is known as a structural budget deficit, and presents a financial challenge in sustaining the City’s current level of essential services into the future.

In response to the budget challenges just summarized, and following community input on City priorities, in June the City Council unanimously approved placing Measure Y on the November 8, 2022 ballot to address community priorities such as public safety, jobs and business attraction, and protecting local resources, parks, and beaches, and maintaining fiscal stability by generating locally controlled funding that will stay in Pacifica and cannot be taken by the State.

Here’s the official Measure Y Ballot Question.

In summary, Measure Y, if passed by the voters, would establish a ½ cent sales tax, called a transactions and use tax, and would generate approximately $2.6 million annually for 9 years, for general government use to maintain vital services such as:

Police, fire, medical 911 emergency response, keeping pollution and trash off beaches, attracting and retaining jobs and businesses, street paving, storm drain maintenance to prevent flooding, and preventing coastal erosion. Measure Y funding would be subject to regular financial audits and independent citizens’ oversight.

budget (2)

Pacifica City Council Approves Funding For..

Measure Y Sales Tax Info PSA

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