No Water or Money for Parks in Stockton?

October 17,2017

Stockton, Ca – Wow, the City appears to be sounding the first alarm of bankruptcy this year with rejecting contract bids after only 17 days into the new fiscal year. Bids were rejected for park maintenance, due to lack of funds for public works.

The current contract with Odyessey Landscape expires Dec 31, but current estimates for this years budget is short by 58% of last years approved funding. The City will reject all bids with Council approval and look for options to fund park maintenance, which comes after the purchase of a new City Hall at a cost of $22,000,000, Mayor Tubbs’ hiring two friends as secretaries at New York City market rate at $300,000 combined, and pledging $1.5 million that has yet to be approved for a program known as “Cash for Criminals”, which ironicly is the same among of the shortfall for funding park maintenance the next 3 years.

Children play flag football in dry grass at Victory Park

Read the City report here: 11.10 17-4054 REJECT ALL BIDS FOR THE PARKS MAINTENANCE AND JANITORIAL PROJECT

Odyssey Landscape, from Lodi, was approved a 2 year contract with three subsequent yearly options, they chose to waive, due to City engineers cutting the payout by $2 million over 3 years of service. Two other local companies made bids $200,000 less than the current approved funding even when Odyssey has been charging the same rate at the discount for 3 years.

City administrators declined comment, but public documents revealed private landscapers saved the City a marginal cost of $1.2 million, which has residents asking where exactly has the $2.2 million shortfall come from?

Residents approved Measure M, in November adding $9 million to Parks and Rec’s administrator, John Alita’s budget, but City parks are already considered Public Works assets.

Its not clear where the money will come from, but approving tonight’s agenda item surely has residents wondering if this is the first sign of bankruptcy after the all but frugal spending so far in the first 9 months of Mayor Tubbs’ “Reinvent” narrative.