Residents would have to make up for lost money

By Lauren McSherry, Town Crier Staff Writer

The future of the Rosita pool complex in Los Altos is murky. That’s because a $1.65 million fee hike for county fire services is expected to drain funds set aside by the city for community projects.

A bargaining team comprising Los Altos councilmembers, city staff and Los Altos Hills fire officials has been negotiating a new contract with the Santa Clara County Fire Protection District. Los Altos officials were stunned last month to learn that the city would go from paying just over $3 million annually to paying $4.67 million under the proposed contract.

Now, the task before city officials is to figure out how to pay for it. Mayor Ron Packard said the increased cost for services from the county could mean the city will have to suspend or cut back funding for community projects such as the Rosita pool or traffic safety improvements.

“I think we’re going to have to ttighten our belt on some things,” Packard said. “After the fire contract is completed, I don’t think there’re going to be many funds left for anything.

“Police and fire protection take up almost half of our revenues, and with huge increases for fire protection, we’re going to be hard-pressed to balance the budget.”

Even with the fund-raising group, Swimmers Promoting Los Altos Aquatics Safety and Health (SPLASH), chipping in the money to design and construct the pool center - estimated to cost $3 million or more depending on the scope of the project - the city would have to spend $200,000 to $500,000 per year to run it, Packard said.

“You add that into the pot, and how do you cover that?” he asked.

A safe-route-to-school project, traffic calming on Rosita Avenue and recreational facilities for neighboring playing fields were floated as other potential projects that might join the pool center on the chopping block because they would fall to the city to fund.

Kathy Englar, SPLASH spokeswoman, said the pool complex could be run with 100 percent cost recovery.

“This project could be of absolutely no cost to the city,” Englar said. “We know Los Altos is not a huge city with a lot of fiscal resources.”

Packard also said paying for traffic-calming projects could be put in the hands of voters.

“If we were able to put together a plan that appeared to be responsible, … I think people would vote it in,” he said.