Chamber members hear how economy is costing cities

Chamber members hear how economy is costing cities
By Ben Antonius | Daily Republic | February 23, 2009

FAIRFIELD - The economy will cast a pall over everything in the foreseeable future, even as the Fairfield and Suisun City governments try to go of day-to-day business.

That was the inescapable conclusion as leaders of both cities delivered their annual 'state of the cities' presentation to the Fairfield-Suisun Chamber of Commerce on Monday morning.

But as Suisun City leaders said they believe they can weather the recession without job losses and a minimum in cuts, Fairfield has already cut millions of dollars from its budget and the job outlook is bleak.

'Unless the economy turns around very dramatically, there will be major personnel cuts next year,' Fairfield Mayor Harry Price said.

Suzanne Bragdon, city manager of Suisun City, also talked about economic changes on the horizon for her city, many of which are centered downtown. The largest and most visible project, the Hampton hotel, is scheduled to open in September.

Bragdon said the recession has turned what used to be Suisun City's curse -- a minuscule base of sales tax -- into a mixed blessing.

'We don't have the significant tax base that you have in Fairfield and Vacaville, so we didn't have that to lose,' she said. 'We had to make the hard decisions in the 1990s.'

A major focus this year in Suisun City will be a marketing effort, Bragdon said, to attract attention to the city.

'When you survey people, it is amazing the number in Fairfield and Vacaville who don't know how Suisun City has changed over the years,' she said. 'They still think it is an industrial slough.'

Fairfield City Manager Sean Quinn emphasized economic development, noting that 2009 and 2010 promise the arrival of both a Walmart Supercenter and a Mercedes Benz dealership.

The dealership is projected to generate about $1 million in sales tax annually for the city, Quinn said.

Reach Ben Antonius at 427-6977 or bantonius@dailyrepublic.net.