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HomeMy WebLinkAbout3D - Public CommentJune 16, 2022 To: Palm Springs City Council RE: Proposed Budget We are happy to see that more programs and services for Residents and families were added to the Budget. During the pandemic lots of programs were cut with good reason, however as things return to normal we want to see programs come back. The proposed budget and measure J have a surplus of funds that can impact our community in a positive way. As usual our side of town seems to get overlooked, with less than 1% of the total budget allocated to benefit our neighborhood. We need investment in our Community for purposes of greater access to education and economic development diversity. As a community we have some ideas that we think will be beneficial to us. The Literacy Coordinator Position at James O. Jessie was eliminated in FY 2021-22. We would like to make sure that position returns. We want to provide the best educational opportunities for our children as they are our future. We would also like to see more youth and teen programs in our community as a way to give our young adults something positive to get involved in. Maybe vocational training programs or internships that are career driven. Affordable Housing has become a vision of the past in this city. As Palm Springs grows into a more tourist driven town, its residents are being pushed out due to rising housing market rates. We would like the city to invest in some self-help housing projects or rent to own opportunities with new developers. Listed below are some of the Positions and Programs we believe will be beneficial to our community Literacy Coordinator .5 FTE $48,355 Student Internship Program ($100,000 - $300,000) $300,000 Workforce Development ($1,000,000 - $2,000,000) $2,000,000 Affordable Housing Staff/Programs ($500,000-$1,000,000) $1,000,000 Recreation - Additional Youth & Team Programs ($50,000-$150,000) $150,000 Diversity Manager ($187,975) Respectfully Desert Highland Gateway Estates Community Action Association 6/16/2022 Public Comment Item 3D 1 Brent Rasi From:Celeste Brackley <celeste.brackley@acehotel.com> Sent:Thursday, June 16, 2022 6:42 PM To:City Clerk; Brent Rasi; Geoff Kors Subject:Palm Springs Fiscal Year 2023 Budget NOTICE: This message originated outside of The City of Palm Springs ‐‐ DO NOT CLICK on links or open attachments unless you are  sure the content is safe.    Hello, thank you for taking my comment. As Vice-Chair of PS Resorts and as an Executive Board member of the Palm Hospitality Association, on behalf of these groups I respectfully urge the City Council to approve an additional $2 million to be allocated to the Palm Springs Police Department 2023 budget. It is essential that this additional funding is set aside as a contingency for needed staffing and safety services as the need arises. This is not a minor request; however, we believe it is warranted and manageable by the City. Firstly, the City of Palm Springs has a budget surplus making the funds available. Secondly, it is known that the PSPD commonly has a half dozen officers out because of injuries or on leave for other reasons. Public safety is the number one goal of the PSPD and it always will be. However, these officer shortages do compromise service levels. The requested $2 million is a solution to this challenge. The set-aside funds will enable the PSPD to accomplish additional officer recruiting, and/or fund outside security services for specific events and projects as needed. Palm Springs has a reputation as a City and destination where confidence in public safety is a priority for our residents and visitors. We urge you to approve this request for additional PSPD funding so Palm Springs's public safety goals and standards may be maintained and enhanced. Thank you for your consideration.     CELESTE M. BRACKLEY  GENERAL MANAGER    ACE HOTEL & SWIM CLUB   701 E PALM CANYON DRIVE   PALM SPRINGS, CA 92264  O: 760.866.6186  T: 760.325.9900  ACEHOTEL.COM  READER.ACEHOTEL.COM