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Politics & Government

City Council Approves Block Grant Budget, Facility Plan for Water Plant

San Bruno Mayor thanked the council for support during gas explosion.

The city council approved its Community Development Block Grant budget for the next fiscal year, providing funds for homeless shelters and housing programs.

The $674,563 budget for the federally funded program was reduced by 10 percent, or $65,146, compared to last year’s budget, according to the staff report.

Mayor Kevin Mullin said the 10 percent reduction is the best-case scenario, given the budget wrangling in Washington, DC.

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“We are keeping our fingers crossed that we are going to get by with just 10 percent,” Mullin said.

The agencies most affected by the cut are nonprofits that implement minor home repairs for low-income and moderate homeowners. But the city shuffled other funds to maintain the programs.

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Instead of using block grant funds like in prior years, the city provided funding for the nonprofits through redevelopment money. Redevelopment funds will go toward programs including Family Crossroads, Maple Street Shelters, and Safe Harbor Homeless Shelter but at reduced levels, the staff report said.

Community development public service programs didn’t end up taking much of a cut, while the administration category was reduced $13,029 compared to last year; the city will have to make up the difference.

Water plant capital improvement plan

The council also approved an updated facility plan for the South San Francisco/San Bruno Water Quality Control Plant.

The plan is designed to guide capital improvements in three areas: discharge permit compliance, critical reliability and rehabilitation of aging infrastructure, and green energy opportunities.

“A facility plan is a roadmap to us,” said Public Works Director Terry White.

The last time the city updated its facility plan was 1997.

The council hired Carollo Engineers to determine deficiencies in the water treatment facilities and prepare the budget.

The 30-year capital budget exceeds $70 million and totals $22 million between this fiscal year and 2014-15.

Improvements include eliminating discharge to Colma Creek during wet weather, replacing the emergency generator and installing photovoltaic panels at the treatment plant.

San Bruno gas explosion

San Bruno Mayor Jim Ruane thanked the council for the city’s support during the .

“With the support of our neighbors, including South San Francisco, and the resilience of our own community, we are confident that our community will be rebuilding very soon,” Ruane said.

He said the city wants to “make sure that what happened in San Bruno doesn’t again, anywhere.”

Mullin said the city will continue to support San Bruno’s recovery and added that the city will be in 2012.

“We are learning the lesson of your experience that your community was so unfortunately befallen upon,” he said.

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