A Tale of Three Cities – Burlingame, Foster City and San Carlos

March 31, 2008

Interesting comparisons between Burlingame, Foster City and San Carlos. The populations are similar but some of the other numbers are not! We need to be careful that we are comparing apples to apples and the general funds do/do not include other funds???

FOSTER CITY (Map, News) – As most cities on the Peninsula are considering layoffs and tax increases to keep from sinking into the red, Foster City's is afloat with green. The city of about 30,000 will be completely debt-free by 2010, according to a budget report that will be presented to the City Council today.
Even rosier, the city has about $17 million in reserves more than 50 percent of its general fund budget, Assistant City Manager Kristi Chappelle said. On top of that, the city is spending millions on a new teen center and adding expensive artificial turf to many of its athletic fields, she said.
In comparison, the similar-sized city of Burlingame, with less than $10 million in reserves, is contending with more than $200 million in necessary infrastructure improvements after being forced to neglect them in recent belt-tightening years, City Manager Jim Nantell said.

Full article in Examiner

– Written by Fiona

Posted in City Finances, General

2 responses to “A Tale of Three Cities – Burlingame, Foster City and San Carlos”

jean

April 1, 2008

Well, either our city council/manager or the examiner should look into that apple cart and report back to the taxpayers/voters.

If the comparative cities general funds include different stuff…let us know. At this point in the thread, the info will stand as stated…something need explaining…
Lorne

April 1, 2008

From the article:
Chappelle admitted Foster City has it easier than many other cities in the county because it’s much younger built mostly in the ’60s and ’70s so it doesn’t have to cope with hole-ridden sewage and water lines and aging parks and buildings that other cities do.

And unlike many other San Mateo cities, Foster City doesn’t have a train line or major commercial corridors like El Camino Real, which can cause expensive safety and infrastructure problems, Mayor Pam Frisella said.

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