Eureka City Hall | File photo.

With the COVID-19 emergency’s severe impact on the local economy, there is no doubt that the City of Eureka will need to make drastic cuts to its budget in the face of a fiscal crisis. During tonight’s meeting, the Eureka City Council will discuss the city’s upcoming yearly budget plan.

The city has already begun implementing some cuts to personnel costs, by offering early retirement incentives or “golden handshakes” to some city employees. By, at least temporarily, not filling the vacated positions, the city saves an estimated $486,670 for the fiscal year.

Though reducing personnel costs will help, the pandemic has caused significant loss in revenue from sales tax and transient occupancy tax. Acting City Manager Pam Powell told the Outpost in an interview last month that it will be at least two fiscal years before revenues are back up to what they were a year ago.

The council will receive a presentation on the budget for the 2020-2021 fiscal year tonight, provide staff with direction and set a date for a budget study session. The agenda summary for the presentation offers little detail about the city’s budget, but does state that “basic services will be maintained at current levels to the greatest extent possible.”

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In other business, the council will consider authorizing the city manager to execute a transfer agreement for the long-vacant Waterfront Drive property, near the Samoa Bridge, for development of an RV park.

Site plan for 1535 Waterfront Drive from City of Eureka

After trying to sell the property for years, in 2018 the city entered into an exclusive agreement with Travis Schneider and Stephanie Bode of Schneider Enterprises, which plans to build a 40-space RV park on the site.

The development plans also include construction of a new 100-foot floating dock on the bay and a 6,000-square-foot building that will include a public restroom and an aquatic rentals facility.

Once the transfer agreement is complete, Eureka Community Services Director Miles Slattery told the Outpost, Schneider and Bode will need to obtain the necessary coastal development permits before construction can begin.

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PREVIOUSLY:

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The Eureka City Council meets tonight at 6 p.m. You can view the meeting live on the City of Eureka’s website or on Cable Channel 10. You can view the full meeting agenda here.

If you would like to participate, here is a reminder on how to submit comments for the socially distanced zoom meetings:

Members of the Public who wish to speak and be heard during the Council meeting, can submit their phone number and the name of the item that they would like to comment on by e-mail to cityclerk@ci.eureka.ca.gov or leave a message at 707.441.4175. The City Clerk will call the public member during the discussion of the item. If the individual has access, Zoom meeting  information can be provided and the public member may log in to the meeting to provide comment.

If you don’t want to call in during the meeting, please submit your comment via email to the City Clerk at cityclerk@ci.eureka.ca.gov or you may leave a message at 707.441.4175 prior to 4:00 P.M. on Tuesday, June 16, 2020 to ensure that Council receives your comment before the meeting. All comments received by e-mail or mail will be part of the public record for Council consideration but will not be read aloud during the meeting.

For items not on the agenda, please make a note that is a “Public Comment” submission. Only those messages that state they are for public comment will be included in the record.