The Santa Maria City Council on Tuesday allocated more than $140 million for projects and improvements over the next two years that range from a new 19-acre sports complex to the expansion of Fire Station No. 1.
The council approved the biennial budget for fiscal years 2022-24 in a 3-2 vote, with council members Carlos Escobedo and Gloria Soto dissenting over a debate regarding Spanish translation services at City Council meetings.
The balanced budget includes over $258.4 million in total appropriations in the first-year alone — up nearly 20% from the year prior — and calls for the addition of 36 full-time city employees and funding for 151 approved projects.
Over the last several months, the city has prepared the draft budget using the council’s priorities identified during its Feb. 11 goal setting meeting: completing the General Plan update, bringing more recreation to families, continuing to focus on public safety and streamlining permits for small business owners.
City of Santa Maria regular City Council meeting of June 21, 2022.
One of the largest projects in the budget sets aside $8.8 million for a new 19-acre sports complex. The project is slated to go across Depot Street from the Minami Center, stretching from Stowell Road to Battles Road. The project is mostly funded by a $6 million state grant that the city was awarded in December, as well as contributions from the city and the county Board of Supervisors.
Plans for the complex call for four large fields, suitable for soccer or rugby, as well as smaller fields, walking trails and exercise stations. City staff estimate the complex will be able to serve thousands each month.
According to Dennis Smitherman, recreation services manager, the city is in the early stage of the potential land purchase from Acquistipace Farms Inc., and because the project is largely grant-funded, there will are additional steps and documentation required. Smitherman noted the grant carries a deadline of two to three years out, meaning work on the project would have to begin before that time.
A state grant of $6.1 million, along with matching funds from the city of Santa Maria and the County Board of Supervisors will help build a 19-acre sports complex across from the Minami Community Center. Currently occupied by farm land, the city is in the early stages of purchasing the property.
During the budget hearing, Escobedo noted a $2.3 million structural assessment of the Town Center Mall parking lot, suggesting it was a good opportunity to look into bringing more recreation downtown.
“One idea we’ve been discussing about is the possibility of making a better use of [the parking structure’s top level]. It’s a little underutilized,” he suggested to staff. “We could utilize the top floor for sports, where the community could play soccer or baseball, all sorts of stuff.”
Councilman Mike Cordero liked the idea, and City Manager Jason Stilwell took up the suggestion, noting the city would have to look into its feasibility.
“For the record, I like the idea of utilizing the top level of the mall for activities for the community,” Stilwell said. “As part of [the structural assessment], we can look at load factor … and that will allow us to know what type of events we can have up on the roof.”
With the council naming public safety as one of its top priorities, the city’s General Fund budget sets aside 62 cents on the dollar to be spent on the Police and Fire departments.
The Santa Maria City Council approved renovations to Fire Station No. 1 to help the department keep up with growing demand for services. In 2021, the department exceeded 10,000 calls for the first time ever.
The budget sets aside a combined $7.5 million for the creation of a new fire training facility and upgrades to Fire Station No. 1, located at 314 W. Cook. Both facility updates were called for in the fire department’s first-ever strategic plan, which was presented to the council in February. The station is set to expand its crew quarters and other facilities to meet increased staffing demand.
“The building for the Fire Department is long overdue. It’s just amazing that they’ve been able to survive this long,” Cordero said. “We certainly owe it to the men and women of the Fire Department to move into a more modern and technologically updated facility.”
Calls to renovate the station first were made in 2020 when the department added another truck to its force. Officials continue to see a need for growth as the department exceeded 10,000 calls for the first time in 2021.
The Fire Department also has added aircraft and GPS tracking to combat the hundreds of fireworks complaints it receives each year.
Besides growth at the Fire Department, the Santa Maria Police Department will be adding nine support staff positions, like a digital forensics examiner and a business systems analyst position that will free up more manpower for patrol officers.
The SMPD also committed more than $1 million to purchase body and vehicle cameras.
Santa Maria city officials plan to turn 19 acres of farmland across from the Minami Community Center into a sports complex that could host thousands each month. Funding for the project comes largely from a $6.1 million state grant.
The city has committed more than $8 million per year over the next two years for roadway maintenance and repairs, which represents nearly double the previous annual commitment of $4.25 million in 2021-22.
“We are funding an extra $15 million over the next two years in enhanced local roadway maintenance. We have heard from the council and the community that roadway maintenance is important,” Stilwell said.
The increased funding largely comes from Senate Bill 1, the California Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017, and increased gas tax revenue.
Although the city estimates it will be able to work on up to 30 center-line miles in 2022-23 and has nearly doubled its spending, the budget is still not enough to maintain the current road quality long term. City staff estimated that the budget would need to increase by an additional $4.5 million to maintain the current pavement quality index score throughout the city.
Some other highlights from the budget presentation include:
— $22.8 million over two years to transition the Santa Maria Regional Transit fleet to electric buses, and other modernization projects.
— Full restoration of the Santa Maria Public Library’s Sunday hours and expansion of Bookmobile operations.
— Recommended initiation of in-house animal control, in preparation of the potential termination of the contract with Santa Barbara County due to cost increases.
