Hey Everybody-
Guess what? Our coaches positions have been eliminated by the City of Walnut Creek. This is not a joke. Of the Aquatics programs in the city, ours is the only one that operates in the black, and yet they are going to cut it.
If you could, would you shoot a brief e-mail, to the city council and let them know what a successful program this is across the country and in the world. All few hundred of us are doing what we can, but I think it's time to bring in the big guns- you.
Kerry has spent 30 years of his life building this program into what it is today, and helping many of you in the process, please help him and the program that he lives for.
The address is: mayor@walnut-creek.org
and ask them to respond to your e-mail.
Thanks,
Karen Duggan
BTW, the city has $20 million in reserves. I know these are used for emergencies. Hello, dozens of city employees are losing their jobs and their medical, it doesn't get worse than that! And if it does get worse than that, $20 million ain't gonna fix it!
Karen,
I looked at the city web site on the budget page (I've been a state budget writer, school finance director for most of the past 17 years so I get the numbers) and something does not make sense to me. I see the rec page where they are cutting about $122K in expenses, I presume that is staffing and some operating expenses you highlighted, but they project a revenue loss of about $257K from the current year, I presume that it is from the closing of the Larkey (but they claim that it will be picked up by the other pool). So where is the revenue going? or the explaination for the $250K drop. The question for the city is why would you trade a $122K in expenses for $250K in revenue?? - unless there are additional savings in another part of the budget that isn't showing on these pages like utilities which may be captured in another budget.
On your team, how many members do you have paying dues?? The splash charge of $4.50 is that a per person or per practice session?? I was trying to figure out the $150K in revenue; maybe that's part of the $250K reduction in their revenue - and again why would you shutter a program that on balance makes you money or at least covers its own expenses. What would the hit be to the WCM members if you had to pick up the coaches costs?
Of course it seems to me that they could use some of the reserve $20M to bridge the budget gap for the next couple of years until it things stabilize - that's a a pretty hefty reserve, not that they should just blaze it all away.
BTW, the city has $20 million in reserves. I know these are used for emergencies. Hello, dozens of city employees are losing their jobs and their medical, it doesn't get worse than that! And if it does get worse than that, $20 million ain't gonna fix it!
Karen,
I looked at the city web site on the budget page (I've been a state budget writer, school finance director for most of the past 17 years so I get the numbers) and something does not make sense to me. I see the rec page where they are cutting about $122K in expenses, I presume that is staffing and some operating expenses you highlighted, but they project a revenue loss of about $257K from the current year, I presume that it is from the closing of the Larkey (but they claim that it will be picked up by the other pool). So where is the revenue going? or the explaination for the $250K drop. The question for the city is why would you trade a $122K in expenses for $250K in revenue?? - unless there are additional savings in another part of the budget that isn't showing on these pages like utilities which may be captured in another budget.
On your team, how many members do you have paying dues?? The splash charge of $4.50 is that a per person or per practice session?? I was trying to figure out the $150K in revenue; maybe that's part of the $250K reduction in their revenue - and again why would you shutter a program that on balance makes you money or at least covers its own expenses. What would the hit be to the WCM members if you had to pick up the coaches costs?
Of course it seems to me that they could use some of the reserve $20M to bridge the budget gap for the next couple of years until it things stabilize - that's a a pretty hefty reserve, not that they should just blaze it all away.
