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COURTESY PHOTO“It is not enough for the state of our city to be strong today. It must be strong in preparing for the future,” said Goleta Mayor Paula Perotte.
The state of the Goodland is strong.
That was the message Goleta Mayor Paula Perotte gave to more than 100 people gathered at the Elks Lodge Wednesday evening for the annual State of the City event.
But despite a post-pandemic recovery, more attention is needed for Goleta’s aging infrastructure, leaders said.
“It is not enough for the state of our city to be strong today. It must be strong in preparing for the future,” Mayor Perotte said. “When you think about it, much of our city’s infrastructure and processes are rooted in the 20th century. While we are thankful for the public buildings, transportation infrastructure and parks we inherited from the last century, we are working hard to move them into the 21st century.”
Mayor Perotte said Goleta has “an extensive repair process” totaling more than $6 million for its roads under way, with construction already ensuing on Cathedral Oaks Road, Hollister Avenue and Glen Annie Road.
Additional work will commence on Ekwill Fowler Street Extension and Hollister Avenue Bridge, she said.
Wednesday’s event was the first in-person State of the City presentation since the pandemic. Last year’s State of the City event was held virtually, and it was outright canceled in 2020 because of COVID-19.
Still, the pandemic reverberated throughout the address.
“It’s hard to imagine all that we’ve been through with the pandemic,” Mayor Perotte said.
She said Goleta should be proud of how the city handled pandemic relief efforts, from grants to local businesses to childcare and scholarships to efforts to distribute vaccines and testing and information about restrictions.
City Manager Michelle Greene provided an update on Goleta’s financial outlook during the Wednesday event as well.
“The pandemic has shown us where we’re most vulnerable,” Ms. Greene said.
During the first year of COVID, Goleta’s hotel tax revenue decreased by nearly $2.4 million and sales tax revenue dropped by about $250,000.
“For the little city of Goleta, that’s a big hit,” she said. “This ended an 18-year streak of the city’s revenue base increasing steadily while we built a healthy reserve fund.”
During the second year, the city’s hotel tax revenue decreased by about $2.3 million, but that impact was offset by higher property tax, sales tax and new cannabis tax revenue, Ms. Greene said. Overall, city revenues increased by about 3% that second year, she said.
Goleta’s unemployment rate peaked in April 2020 at more than 11%, said Ms. Greene. As of January 2022, that rate had decreased to about 2%.
The city has grown to 114 employees across eight departments.
“As of today, revenue recovery has begun in earnest, and the city’s financial outlook is improving after the initial shock of the pandemic-related downturn,” Ms. Greene said. “But while the financial forecast looks brighter, we face challenges in keeping up with the city’s aging infrastructure. While the city weathered a downturn, it came at a cost of deferring capital and maintenance projects. Substantial investment in infrastructure is required to keep up with the needs of the community.”
Goleta has released a highlight video which can be viewed at: youtube.com/watch?v=OA4ZqBWswGw.
email: kschallhorn@newspress.com
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