Long Beach seeks bond repayment extension

The Long Beach City Council passed a resolution Tuesday requesting that the State Legislature allow the city to spread payments on a bond to cover a retirement incentive offered to members of its largest union across five years instead of three.

The council voted, 4-0, with Councilman Scott Mandel absent, to amortize the payments.

“This is only a question of making sure we have a full cadre of financing options for these payments,” City Manager Jack Schnirman said, adding that retirees will be paid in three years, per an agreement with the Civil Service Employees Association.

So far, about 15 employees have taken the retirement incentive, which will pay them 50 percent of their unused sick days instead of the standard 30 percent. While Schnirman said he is unsure of the savings at this point, he said the city might extend the incentive to the firefighter’s union.

Any saving, Schnirman said, would be “directly applicable to helping balance our budget and creating recurring savings for the city going forward, as well as right-sizing our work force via attrition.”

In the current fiscal year, salary lines account for around 80 percent of expenditures. In the 2012-13 budget blueprint, Schnirman said, the city needs $7 million in personnel savings to help close this year’s projected $10 million deficit.

Schnirman said the city plans to fill no more than 25 percent of the vacated positions “over a period of years.”

Also at Tuesday’s meeting, the council set a May 1 public hearing on a resolution to increase beach access fees. If passed, season beach passes for resident families would increase from $50 from $60, and for nonresident families from $100 to $120.

If attendance projections hold true, the bump could create $200,000 in revenue for the city, according to the budget blueprint.

The next council meeting is May 1 at 7 p.m. at 1 West Chester St.

Above: Long Beach City Hall