Some of the smallest cuts among the $10 million in budget savings proposed by Modesto Mayor Jim Ridenour would wipe out the city's contributions to most youth sports and to arts groups.
One of the cuts would end a city program that pays registration fees for young athletes whose families can't afford the charges. About 250 players in the Modesto Youth Soccer Association use that program to cover their $80 sign-up fees, the association said.
That program, called Leisure Bucks, costs the city $100,000 a year. Modesto is looking for a sponsor to keep the program running.
"I don't believe we could absorb all those people," said Frank Counsineau, president of the soccer association, referring to the kids who use Leisure Bucks.
His league also faces a new charge in the mayor's budget. The city wants to collect $5 from each player for using Modesto's fields. It would apply to baseball and football groups, too. The soccer league has about 3,500 players.
"Any increased expense for us affects the program," Counsineau said. "What would probably really be devastating for us would be eliminating funding for the Leisure Bucks."
Another proposed reduction would curtail the city's donations to nonprofit groups that host cultural events, such as the Townsend Opera Players or the Juneteenth celebration in west Modesto. Scrapping those contributions will save Modesto $57,000.
Townsend Opera Players used its $7,000 grant last year to bus students from the Modesto City Schools District to its shows.
"We'll have to reconsider whether we can do that," said Matthew Buckman, the opera's executive director.
Those two budget proposals are a tiny share of what Ridenour wants to cut to balance Modesto's books.
Only one pool would be open
Other cuts that could affect children are the mayor's recommendation to shut all but one public pool in neighborhood parks, saving about $256,000. Last year, the pools tallied 22,568 users, according to the parks department.
The city also is nixing open swimming hours at Davis High School, as well as use of other schools' multipurpose rooms, saving $100,000. Johansen and Modesto high schools will continue to have open pools.
Youth programs at the Maddux Youth Center and the Neighborhood Center at Marshall Park won't be affected by the proposed budget cuts.
Ridenour said he aimed to protect core government services, such as public safety.
"You take 10 percent out of police and fire, you cut a lot," he said.
His budget isn't final and could be adjusted at hearings this week.
Councilman Garrad Marsh said he'd push to keep most of the money earmarked for Leisure Bucks.
"You're impacting the neediest people in town," he said. "Keeping kids off the street, out of trouble, and by taking that away, you're making them more susceptible to gangs and gang activity. I think that one's vital."
Councilwoman Janice Keating said some sports leagues should be able to cover the costs of Leisure Bucks. She's looking for other places to save money that could prop up the programs, such as trimming employee perks or holding off on an expensive update to the city's general plan.
"We have to look at the more social programs that we're funding and make a choice between the hard services taxpayers are expecting, like law enforcement, and the smaller programs like Leisure Bucks and pools," Keating said.
Fire, parks, police cut millions
Among the city's largest departments, fire and parks face the costliest reductions to their services.
The Fire Department stands to lose about $2.6 million, or 9 percent of its budget. However, $775,000 of that sum is tied to the fire station at the Modesto Airport, where service would be reduced because of a cut in flights to Los Angeles.
The parks department is offering $2.1 million, about 7 percent of its budgeted spending from this year. The Police Department is trimming $2 million, about 3 percent of its budget.
"Every department's taking a major hit," Acting City Manager Jim Niskanen said.
He leads the city's parks department, which sometimes taps residents and businesses to sponsor parks. He said he'd like to see some groups support activities that are losing funding.
"It's kind of a call for action to the community, and it's a great opportunity for the community to partner up with us," he said.
The Police Department found a sponsor for its Police Activities League, an after-school program that offers sports for students.
The department won't assign a full-time officer to coordinate the program. A retired officer will work through the nonprofit Friends of Modesto Police Youth Activities to manage it.
"As we cut some of those other programs, it will have an effect on our goals and our missions. But at the same time, we are working to maintain patrol staffing levels so that when people have emergencies, we're there when they call," said Sgt. Craig Gundlach, the department's spokesman.
Bee staff writer Adam Ashton can be reached at aashton@modbee.com or 578-2366.
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