How bad are the city’s finances, really?
That’s something Bakersfield fire and police unions wonder as budget season looms, contract negotiations crawl and jobs hang in the balance.
They even hired an accounting firm, a roughly $12,000 endeavor, to get a clear picture of what’s up with Bakersfield’s pocketbook.
“We spent the money because we believe city finances are being misrepresented,” said Derek Tisinger, a veteran city firefighter and president of the union.
City Manager Alan Tandy says the fiscal drama is real.
“We’re not overstating it,” Tandy said of tightening purse strings amid declining sales and property tax revenues. “I’m concerned that we’re understating it.”
The city has said $3 million in additional cuts are needed to balance the budget in the upcoming fiscal year, which starts July 1. The city’s operating budget for the current year is about $391 million.
The analysis by San Francisco-based Bachecki, Crom & Co. LLP looked at seven years worth of annual financial reports published by the city. There were no bombshells in the report, but it helped the unions understand financial trends in the city’s complicated financial statements.
Story by Bakersfield.com
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