Alongside City Manager Pat West and other officials, Mayor Bob Foster this morning outlined his plan for a massive city infrastructure overhaul in the form of a $570 million bond for voters to decide on in the November 2008 ballot. The plan, which the Mayor referred to as an “investment in the city”, is broken down into five main categories, listed below:
$159M for Streets, Sidewalks & Alleys
$151M for Public Safety Facilities
$174M for Coastal Water Quality Upgrades
$61M for Parks & Recreational Facilities
$24M for Libraries & Health Facilities
Click here to download the project overview.
Click here to download a map showing proposed street improvements.
If approved by the voters, the measure would be paid for with a $10 per month ($120/year) increase in residential property taxes.
“It has literally been decades since the city of Long Beach has invested in its infrastructure,” Foster said at the press conference this morning at Long Beach Main Library downtown. “This bond will allow the city to embark on a 10-year plan for improvement.”
For the bond to reach the voting booth in November, it must first pass the City Council. Councilmembers will decide on the measure at their July 22 meeting, and must approve it unanimously. If it is successful, the plan will be presented to the County for inclusion on the ballot by August 1. Once on the general election ballot, a majority plus-one count will pass the measure.
Should the measure make it to the November election, a passionate Foster promised an all-efforts campaign in favor of the measure. He also estimated that if approved, voters could expect to see changes begin as soon as February of 2009.
“I live here. I see every day things that should be improved,” he said. “The city deserves better, and it’s time to act.”
Foster made clear that the bond acts separately from the upcoming city 2009 fiscal year budget, which – by the way, he added – has been balanced and finished, and will be presented to the City Council shortly. This, after a worrisome announcement that the city would face a $17 million deficit in 2009.
City Manager Pat West called the proposal, “City Building 101,” and likened it to similar plans in Chicago and New York that have proved effective. West spoke at length about improving perceptions of the city through appearance, and is eager to put the plan to use. West is referring to the “broken window theory,” in which small appearance problems in a city must be fixed before they turn into larger problems.
“We won’t let you down,” he said. “In fact, I think we’ll knock your socks off.”
Some of the main improvements stressed by Foster and West include major overhauls of streets and storm drains, an improved pothole-fixing campaign, the improvement and creation of several recreational parks, nine new firehouses, and the acquisition and/or restoration of local waterways and wetlands. West pointed particularly to renovations planned for the Los Cerritos Wetlands.
“There is great need in every district, and every district will benefit,” Mayor Foster explained. “We’re all in this together. We’ll either rise together, or fall together.”
By Ryan ZumMallen, Managing Editor