Candidate for
Council Member; City of Cloverdale

Dear Friends,

I have lived and raised my family in Sonoma County since April 1976, moving to Cloverdale in 2001. Like you, I have concerns over our ability to fund and maintain "quality of life" services. As you know, California remains in the midst of an economic crisis. Though things are starting to improve, prior State revenue take-a-ways have reduced the amount of revenue available to fund city services. At the same time, city Property Tax and Sales Tax revenues remain weak. Over the last 6-years, City staff has been reduced over 20%. Positions in Public Works, Parks, and Police have gone unfilled and services have been reduced accordingly.

Even with all those cuts, the city cannot maintain basic service levels unless revenues are increase. The City does not have a General Fund Emergency Reserve.

I remain committed to working through the financial challenges we face and remain committed to finding real long-term solutions. The challenge within our General Fund is not a spending issue. It is a reduced revenue issue. Simply put, we do not have enough revenue coming in to fund essential "quality of life" services.

I will continue to support and promote federal, state and local investment in transportation, water, sewer, redevelopment and other critical infrastructure projects that will support the retention and creation of new jobs in Cloverdale. I'm dedicated to moving our city forward in a positive and progressive manner. I deeply appreciate your friendship, your support, and your vote. Thank you!

Sincerely,

Joe Palla