Burlingame Brainstorms "Green Projects"

Burlingame brainstorms "green projects (by Diana Samuels, San Mateo County Times) Burlingame's wish list of environmental projects is very dependent on another kind of green the economy. The city's "green ribbon" environmental task force created a list of 26 proposed steps the city can take to help reduce energy emissions, and it presented them for feedback during a community workshop Saturday. Faced with a tight city budget, many of the proposed steps aim to make a change without much spending. Go with your heart, City Councilwoman Terry Nagel urged community members as they began to brainstorm greening ideas, but "also go with your head and what is most reasonable for the city to do, in our situation." One proposal listed in Burlingame's Climate Action Plan is an ordinance that would require new residential construction to include a minimum number of green building elements. Another would create a volunteer program to run free energy audits at homes, since PG&E offers free audits for businesses, but not residences. Another proposal would create a financing program for green building improvements. A resident who wanted to put solar panels on his or her home, for example, could get financing for the project and pay for it gradually with a charge added to his or her property taxes. Other proposed changes include: prioritized parking for hybrids or other alternative-fuel cars in city streets, garages and lots; encouraging higher-density and mixed-use development so people could walk to stores or work instead of driving; and offering recycling pickup every week instead of every other week. About 20 people attended Saturday's meeting, providing feedback on the task force's proposals. One man said he was concerned that too many of the proposals were mandatory, making them too expensive. Others stressed the importance of hiring a part-time sustainability coordinator. "When you mandate something, you have to enforce it, and when you enforce it, you have to hire someone," one man said. Nagel replied that Burlingame has to balance economic concerns while also preparing for 2020, when the state mandates that greenhouse gas emissions must be cut by 15 percent. "If we wait until the last year, it's going to be a huge change in practices," she said. With the completion of the proposed action plan, the green task force will be disbanded and funding will end for the city's green consultant, Kathleen Gallagher. Nagel said the city plans to form another group of community members to tackle environmental issues, but it might also be able to find grants to fund a part-time consultant. The City Council is scheduled to hold a study session on the proposals May 18, and the climate action plan is tentatively scheduled to come before the council June 1. More information about Burlingame's environmental goals is available on the "Sustainable Burlingame" page at www.burlingame.org.

- Written by Fiona

Comments

[holy roller]

These objectives are very important to the future of Burlingame.
However, this is ONLY window dressing.
There are many "GROUND ZERO" issues in the pipeline now.That will effect the everyday life of us who live here. Why would any City Elder spend any time with other issues when this City is on the verge of collapse?
The City is desperatly attemppting to renogatiate labor contracts with every single barganing unit.
Regardless of the outcome of those meetings, there is going to be a MAJOR reduction of services across the board.
So..
With all this verifiable info I have shared, why are we reading anything about "green things?"
Lets demand from our elected Elders to share with us what is going on with employee lay offs (07/01/09)
and the restructuring of every single department that serves us.( From top to Bottom)
Lets not forget the information that was published in "The Daily Journal" a few weeks ago regarding the salary paid to upper and mid managers, who really do not produce a product.
Nevertheless, they do provide an important position.

Holy Roller, what are YOU doing to try to make the world a better place?

[JD]

WOW,
That is a really unusual responce from any elected offical.
How about a solution?
Or a comment on what YOU are doing regarding the mess(on your watch) the city is in?

[visitor]

Terry- Please explain how the initiatives proposed in the above article help reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 15%. Especially since the Burlingame Daily news reported last week that 70% of greenhouse gas emissions in Burlingame are from the highway. Hopefully any City Council member who is overburdened by both their responsibilities to the city and a full time job should make some choices as to which path they should follow. Why did you change your original post? Did your head overrule your heart?

[Ron Fulderon]

The city of Burlingame should renegotiate all retirement contracts and commitments, to bring them in to alignment with private industry 401K's. The funding of overly generous and guaranteed retirement/pension/healthcare is the one line item that is unbalancing the budget. It is the one item that makes all the other city services that used to be affordable now unaffordable.

We don't need more taxes, we need a better run government that doesn't allow city employees to retire on pensions far more generous than what the private sector offers.

The city of Burlingame may need to become insolvent to allow for these changes.

[Mike]

In today's SM Daily Journal I see this article that seems so much like BLACKMAIL by those in favor of these new fees:

"Burlingame looks to educating public about cuts

Closing a fire station, eliminating five police officer positions, imposing 24 unpaid days off on city employees over the next year, increasing field fees and reducing planning and street maintenance staff are among the cuts Burlingame may impose if property owners do not pass an annual storm drain fee, the City Council discussed last night.

Facing $3.47 million in cuts to a $42 million budget, Burlingame officials once again reviewed anticipated cuts needed to fund capital improvement needs if a May 5 ballot measure does not pass. The proposed fee anywhere from $116 to $2,060 with an average of $150 per household is slated to raise $39 million for capital improvements. If the measure does not receive a simple majority, city officials are posed to make a number of cuts to services to fund the capital improvement projects. Review of these cuts was held last night the day ballots were mailed to property owners...blah, blah, blah"

Really, not need to cut services or even employees, just an across the board (temporary)10% reduction in pay and banefits for all city employees and we save over $4 MILION dollars a year...budget crisis solved!

Maybe this is what we get with amatures in city government.

[JD]

Ron,
I understand your complaint about the Bonanza Retirement benifits paid to City employees. However, are you aware that 62-71% of the entire City budget is spent on Police and Fire?
That is the group who have brought this City to its knees. After 9/11 they got whatever they wanted.
As far as 401,s go. i would not wish that retirement system on an labor group public or private.
What I would like to see the City gey behind is some way to bring attention to the monster medical costs everyone is paying for, one place or another.
PS
All City of Burlingame Council members receive the same retirement benefits. all all all ar

[JD]

With the exception of Police and FireI bet most employees who work for the City do not live here.
It sounds like whenever a finacial problem occurs the easy victims is the City employee.
I am no cheer leader for them.
They do maintain this City in a special way. They do clean public bathrooms for our children to use at sporting events. They clean up the raw sewage that comes up on our streets, rain or shine. They keep water going tp our homes, and look at all the trees. Look at the reason we live here in Burlingame. It is a special small town. The cost of maintaining that level of sevice is expensive.
Do you think you could get that living in San Mateo,Millbrae, San Bruno, or Belmont.
These people come when you call. I am not talking about Police and Fire. I am talking about sewer backups, lights that are supposed to be on at a girls soccer game, a tree branch that is blocking the sidewalk. Try that is Daly City or SSF, twicw the size of Burlingame, and lots more money.
I bet there are NO 2 bedroom/1 bath homes there for 1,000,000.00+
You get what you pay for.

[Elizabeth]

With the Police and Fire Unions accounting for nearly 60% plus of the budget, there is really nothing else the City can do but make drastic cuts in all other services as both Police and Fire are Unions that are unwilling to make ANY cuts. I am told that when the City Manager asked Police and Fire unions to just give up the raise they were scheduled to get in the next year, that they were hesitant and unwilling to do so. I'm sorry, but when private industry and all other services are making drastic cuts, not getting raises etc., to have our Police and Fire Unions refuse to not take a scheduled raise at a time of extreme financial crisis is amazing! Until the citizens get upset about this, nothing will be done to change this. Next time your sewer backs up and no one is there to respond, but yet our over weight police officers are sitting at the donut shop, just know that your tax dollars are hard at work! Not saying that they don't do vital work, but to not consider helping out during these drastic times, is amazing...

[Ron Fulderon]

Citizens are not going to get upset about this because they have no idea what the police and fire departments make - salaries, full disclosure of overtime policy, benefits and retirement and pension benefits.

I feel that the newspapers are at fault for not revealing this information to us. They have the power to do so but they don't choose to do so. When a significant amount of people become aware of the salaries they are paying for their local, state and federal government there might be an opportunity for a change. As it is right now it is all very hush hush.

[Elizabeth]

Agree 100%! The media is at fault for a lot of what we are going through now. They no longer report the news backed with facts. They only report their own slanted opinions of their take on the news. It's a shame!

Regarding the Fire and Police.. I think most Government unions are at fault. Where in the private sector can you retire after 25 to 30 years of service at the age of 51 with 90 to 95% of your salary and 100% medical benefits!?! Not any private sector job I know.. Most of us have to wait until we get Medicare insurance at the age of 65 to leave our jobs as the insurance is too expensive for us to carry on our own after retiring. Yet, these employees can retire at the age of 51 with 100% medical and 90 to 95% of their salary! Can't tell you how many people I know doing this and we are fitting the bill for it!

Yesterday, the freebie the Post had whole page spreads of city workers salaries (and overtime) for Menlo Park (I think) which included the tree trimmers etc. Does anyone have a copy?

I wish it was online because it was interesting reading.

Perhaps it is time for Burlingame to do the same?

[JD]

The Post has been putting the salaries of the Public Employees in their newpaper for at least 3 years.
Two weeks ago they had put all the City of Burlingame Employees name, position, and earnings.
I agree with the public information regarding pay.
But putting the names of the people is wrong.

[JD]

Fiona, I noticed you mentioned tree trimmers.
Is there something intresting about Menlo Park tree trimmers?

No, I didn't have time to read the whole list and tree trimmers jumped out from the list!

The Daily Post dated Tuesday March 17, 2009 ran Burlingame City salaries for the Year 2008 with their names, positions, overtime and salaries. I have been given a copy of the first part of the list and, as far as I can gather, it is not available on line.

I believe the list will be coming out shortly in another local paper.