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Residents press council on fund deficits and Prop 218 storm-drain vote after defeat
Summary
Public commenters pressed the council about apparent negative balances in enterprise funds, the airport loan, and the handling of an August 6 Prop 218 storm-drain vote; staff explained fund balance mechanics and said some negative fund balances reflect interfund loans and timing of revenue recognition.
Residents at the Aug. 20 Rio Vista City Council meeting questioned the city's financial health, pointed to several enterprise funds showing expenditures exceeding revenues, and challenged staff and council over the handling of an Aug. 6 Proposition 218 storm-drain election.
Chris Armbrust (speaker 5) reviewed the revenue/expenditure report and said some line items show revenues far below expenditures, calling attention to storm-drain, water and treatment-plant figures and an $800,000 negative balance in the airport fund. He asked how the city would address apparent shortfalls and whether deficits were being covered by the general fund.
The mayor and city manager explained that a negative fund balance can reflect an interfund loan or timing issues in revenue recognition (for example, billing cycles causing July revenues to appear low in one month). The city manager said the airport's negative balance reflected an earlier general-fund loan that had not been repaid and that auditors had recommended writing it off. Staff warned that sustained operating losses would require deferring projects and potentially borrowing from the general fund.
During general public comment several residents (speaker 4 and others) raised objections to council discussion of a second storm-drain vote after the August 6 defeat, calling it "voter abuse" and asking whether other jurisdictions had conducted a post-Prop 218 vote. A different resident (speaker 7) who observed the August 6 ballot count said he saw the ballots being counted and cautioned against accusations that the count was secret.
City staff said election records are required to be retained for 24 months and reiterated the technical need to examine funding and outreach for storm-drain proposals. Council members acknowledged the public's concerns and said staff would provide clarifications where possible.
