Mike Killebrew, Acting Dana Point City Manager
The Mayor’s article last week where she said we spent $11 million per year was an interpretation of a document we have produced that shows over 15 years worth of capital investments, into both existing capital assets and new assets (like the PCH bridge, medians, salt creek water treatment facility, new parks, etc…)
I have boiled this discussion down to what I believe to be truly meaningful to the readers if one looks at the actual 10 years of financial data associated with our capital investments (and there are a lot of them):
Fiscal Year 2006-07 through 2015-16
– Rehabilitation of Existing Infrastructure: $29 million ($2.9 million per year)
– New Infrastructure: $42 million ($7.1 million per year)
– Total Investment (new and rehabilitation): $71 million ($7.1 million per year)
If you want to assess the city’s fiscal health going forward, the more relevant number is what it costs to take care of what you have, which on average the past 10 years has been $2.9 million per year.
To build new capital assets that bump up the annual spending to anywhere near $7.1 million per year, we would have to raise revenues and/or cut costs/services. If that is the communities’ and thus the Council’s direction, that is what staff will work towards.
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