Fullerton City Council members are allocating more money to the planned mile-long nature trail in the south side of town, known as the Union Pacific Trail.
It comes amid concerns about future funding in a city grappling with a projected $3.9 million budget deficit.
Last week, Fullerton City Council members voted 4-1 to allocate more funds to start building the trail, which is already seeing nearly $2 million in state grant funding.
At the same meeting, city leaders also considered adding a future ballot measure to raise the sales tax in the city to offset projected deficits.
The trail – which will use an old railroad to connect to Union Pacific Park – will see an additional $150,000 from the city, increasing Fullerton’s total contribution for the project to $480,000.
This comes after years of advocacy from local residents for more public spaces in the working class southern part of Fullerton, an area that advocates say historically lacks resources.
[Read: Fullerton’s Nature Trail Moves Forward After Resident Advocacy]
In January 2024, Fullerton City Council members agreed to provide $330,000 from the city’s park dwelling fund for phase two of the trail – a pool of money exclusively for funding parks and recreation projects or facilities that is collected through fees from new housing developments.
During the May 20 council meeting, city staff requested to allocate more money from the city’s park dwelling fund, which is gained through taxing new housing projects, for the Union Pacific Trail.
But for some council members, finding the funding for the trail is becoming a problem.
In a Tuesday phone interview, Councilman Nick Dunlap questioned why the city needed to contribute more for a project that was approved over a year ago.
“This is much different than what was initially proposed,” he said.
He said that his initial concern for the park project is that he “didn’t want to pull money from the city’s general fund” – which is often used for public safety and quality of life issues – to start building the trail.
Echoing Dunlap, Councilwoman Jamie Valencia said she didn’t want to increase the city for the park project if it continues to drag on.
“I really want this trail to work, I just don’t want to keep pouring in money if we have another hiccup,” Valencia said at the May 20 city council meeting.
Mayor Fred Jung – who was the lone dissenting vote for adding city funds for the Union Pacific Trail – said in a Tuesday phone interview that further attempts to delay the trail from being built “couldn’t be further from the truth.”
“This has nothing to do with the trail – just the awardance of the contract,” Jung said, adding that he is not confident that the city won’t have to contribute more money down the line.
“I hope for the sake of everyone involved, this contract is on time and under budget – but I don’t think so.”
But Councilman Ahmad Zahra said that further delaying the project only increases city fees.
“If this goes through another year of trying to bid this, we are not meeting the deadlines required by the [state] granting authority,” Zahra said.
At the same meeting, Councilwoman Shana Charles pointed out the taxpayer dollars weren’t being used for the city’s portion in paying for the Union Pacific Trail.
“Developers are paying for these park dwelling fees so it’s actually not costing the taxpayers,” she said. “We’re just getting the joy of allocating it to a project we really want.”
Fighting For a Trail
For years, Fullerton residents and community members have been advocating for more funding toward public areas in the southern part of the city – an area that local advocates say lacks parks and green spaces.
In 2021, the city received a roughly $1.8 million state grant to fund the second phase of the Union Pacific Trail – which encompasses a trail, bike lane, and 176 newly planted trees from Highland Avenue to Independence Park.
As part of the grant, the city was expected to put in $330,000 for the trail.
The total has increased to $480,000 – an amount that some Fullerton residents say is nothing compared to the potential impact of the trail.
Egleth Nuncci, a longtime advocate for more public parks and green spaces in south Fullerton, said in a phone interview that elected officials ought to follow through and do what’s best for its constituents.
“And that means making sure there’s a park or space for future generations in every part of Fullerton to enjoy.”
Hugo Rios is a Voice of OC reporting fellow. Contact him at hugo.toni.rios@gmail.com or on Twitter @hugoriosss.
