| | Published July 4th, 2012
| MOFD Approves Preliminary FY 2012/2013 Budget Board seats to be on the November ballot
| | By Lucy Amaral | | |
The options seem to go from bad to worse: dip heavily into reserves or make service level cuts. At the recent Moraga-Orinda Fire District's (MOFD) Board of Directors meeting, finding the nearly $1 million to balance next year's fiscal budget seemed a monumental task. MOFD Fire Chief Randy Bradley said in his opening statement that while he has made what he felt were all possible cuts without sacrificing service levels, revenues continue to decline, costs continue to increase and balancing the budget will require difficult decisions by the Board.
According to the staff report, MOFD's spending power has been reduced by more than $2 million in the last several fiscal years. Bradley said that a balanced budget was made possible for the last two years by eliminating administrative positions, renegotiating contracts and finding new revenue sources, all without cutting service levels in the District.
Going forward however, Bradley noted that while there are decreases in projected District spending, Contra Costa County Employee Retirement Association's (CCCERA) pension contribution and MOFD's pension obligation bond payments have risen substantially, and revenues continue to decline. Including the carryover from last year's deficit, and decreasing revenue and increased costs going forward, Bradley said MOFD's projected General Fund budget would be short $957,230.
Board members agreed that maintaining service levels is a priority. Finding options to balance the budget ranged from drawing money from MOFD's reserve fund, not filling the currently empty firefighter positions, and getting the scheduled rebuilding of Station 43 in Orinda to 'shovel-ready' then waiting to begin construction until the financial situation improves. The Board also mentioned that it is currently in labor negotiations that are likely have an effect on the budget as well.
In the end, the Board opted to approve the preliminary budget drawing the necessary funds from the reserve account. The final budget must be approved by September. It was noted that updated projections will be reviewed and the necessary budget adjustments can be made at any time.
The Board also approved a resolution to participate in the General Election on November 6 to fill the three seats that will be available on the MOFD Board. Currently, there are two empty seats, vacated by Richard Olsen and Brook Mancinelli who both resigned in February. Olsen represented Division 3, which encompasses parts of Moraga and Canyon. Mancinelli represented Division 5 in Orinda. Board president Fred Weil's tenure representing Division 2 in Moraga is also ending this year.
This election varies from previous years because of the differing lengths of time depending on the Division Seat. Both Weil's and Mancinelli's Board seat would be for the entire four-year term; the Division 3 successor would finish out Olsen's term which is scheduled to end in 2014.
Weil said later that he does plan on running for another term.
Candidates interested in running for a seat can pick up and file papers in the office of the County Elections Official between July 16 and August 10.
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA