Message from the City Manager
This past year, I was honored to have been selected by the City Council to serve as Pasadena’s new City Manager. I am grateful to the residents of Pasadena; members of the educational, faith and business communities; those in elected office and our wonderful City employees who have supported me and worked with me since I first started here in 1989.
My new duties as City Manager are a tremendous responsibility that I take on with humility and sincerity. I am also proud to lead a dedicated team of highly qualified municipal employees who provide a wide range of outstanding programs and customer service. During the past 27 years, I have developed a deep appreciation for the City’s history and unique character and now, as City Manager, I remain committed to ensuring Pasadena continues its proud tradition as a world-class city with excellent services, quality of life and as a premier destination for business, culture and tourism.
This Annual Report provides a brief summary of many—but not all—of our accomplishments in 2016. It includes snapshots of key data points and performance measurements that chart how the City’s resources are allocated and the types of programs and services provided to our community. In this year’s report we are also including a special highlight on the City’s unique Public Art Program.
Looking forward, 2017 is expected to be another successful year for the City, but there will be challenges. While the local economy remains strong, revenue growth, particularly sales tax, remains largely fl at, while the cost of providing city services continues to escalate, most notably as a result of rising employee pension costs. This problem is not unique to Pasadena; virtually every municipal government in California is feeling such impacts.
In order to ensure Pasadena’s financial stability, it will be necessary to make both short and long-term budget adjustments. This past October, the City Council took the fiscally prudent step to approve more than $2 million in budget reductions to the City’s General Fund. Our current projections indicate additional reductions of about $3 million are needed to ensure the Fiscal Year 2017-18 General Fund Operating Budget is balanced. I am convinced that with the guidance of the Mayor and City Council, and the creativity of City employees, we will successfully meet this challenge as well as any others that come our way in 2017. By working together, we will continue Pasadena’s proud tradition while building a stronger future for our community
-- Steve Mermell, City Manager