‘Better’ Doesn’t Mean Tapping the General Fund

There are very few subjects in the city of Ventura that can evoke more emotion than our pier. Residents of Ventura clearly love their pier so the debate as to what we should do with it continues to be very emotional.

To extend or not to extend, that is the question. Should the pier be built out to its pre-1996 length of 1,958 feet or should we simply strengthen it as much as possible and redesign the end of the pier so it will accommodate more public uses?

In April the City Council majority voted for the second option and referred the matter back to the Pier Into the Future committee. It is our hope that this citizens group will come up with creative ideas that will make the pier a destination spot, a hub of community activities and not just longer for the sake of being longer.

I admire the efforts and commitment of Monty Clark and the pier committee. In a perfect world, we could probably strengthen and extend the pier to its previous 1,958 feet. However, the City Council must deal with the financial realities at hand. We can’t afford to spend General Fund money on pier repairs. General Fund revenues pay for our police and fire departments, and we simply do not have enough money to pay salaries and also fund the pier.

The city has $1.5 million remaining for pier construction, which would allow us to strengthen and extend the pier an additional 100 to 150 feet. This balance is made up of insurance proceeds from storm damage and approximately $400,000 in state grant commitments. If we extended the pier by more than this amount allows, we would have to spend General Fund revenues and this would not be fiscally responsible. There are far too many competing demands on the General Fund.

Why, then, do a few people feel that it is so important to replace the 425 feet we lost in the storm of 1995? I can’t imagine that a pier with a length of 1,958 feet has any more historical significance than one with a length of 1,200 feet, the pier’s original length in 1872. Our pier today is 1,533 feet long. What’s so wrong with that?

In 1996 and 1998, the City Council majority spoke loud and clear on the subject of the pier: “Do not spend anything above and beyond our insurance proceeds.”

As a financial planner, I know how easy it is to overspend when you approach something from an emotional rather than a logical point of view. It would be very easy for the council to deal with this emotional subject in an emotional way. Therefore, it is critical that we approach our pier renovation with our heads and not our hearts.

We don’t need a longer pier, we need a better pier. By better, I mean a pier that:

* Has a better chance of withstanding future assaults from nature.

* Maximizes its potential as a tourism draw.

* Again becomes a community gathering place for residents from all over the county.

We must not get caught up in the extend or not to extend debate. An overwhelming majority of residents agree with the two previous City Council decisions not to spend General Fund money to extend the pier. It’s time to make our pier better for everyone who lives and works in Ventura.