lifeinaction
DoingBusinessinCarlsbad

 

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Workforce development &
small-business assistance

Carlsbad Commuter app

Carlsbad Life in Action Recruiter
 

2024 Carlsbad Business Survey is Open

The City of Carlsbad has launched its 2024 Carlsbad Business Survey. This survey is a confidential and convenient way for local business owners and leaders to share feedback about Carlsbad as a place to do business. 

You can take the survey here: carlsbadca.gov/BusinessSurvey 
It should only take about 15 minutes to complete. 

About the Survey
  • The survey will be open through January 2024.
  • The survey is intended for business owners, executive management, and senior leaders who have knowledge of the overall operations and direction of the business.
  • Responses will be anonymized and aggregated with other responses. No individual or business information will be shared or published.
  • The survey asks about different aspects of current business operations, such as workforce and hiring needs, access to clients and customers, and permitting and regulatory concerns. It also asks about future growth expectations and feedback on the business climate in Carlsbad.
  • The survey is conducted every two years to ensure the city understands current challenges and trends in the business community.
  • The City of Carlsbad appreciates your time and participation in this survey. Your feedback will help improve services and support for the local business community.
  • For any questions related to the survey, please contact our economic development team at business@carlsbadca.gov.

Thank you for taking the time to ensure the City of Carlsbad is better informed about the state of the business community!

Doing business

The economic development team is here to serve and support the city’s business community. Whether you are a small business or our largest tech employer, the city wants to make sure your business thrives in Carlsbad. The city team is here to help with getting your business license, bidding on projects and contracts or meeting with our development services team about permits and processes. You can learn more about the benefits of starting or expanding a business in Carlsbad at our Doing Business in Carlsbad story map. If you are a business looking for a new space in Carlsbad, please email economic development staff at business@carlsbadca.gov.

Useful resources 

Looking to start your own business? Our questionnaire is designed to link small businesses with local resources, providing information to tackle some of the top challenges prospective small businesses commonly face.

The Guide to Opening an Eating Establishment provides insight on where you can open an eating establishment in our city and how the process works. Useful information for food truck and sidewalk vendors can be found on our website as well. 

New state and local environmental regulations are being phased in over the next couple of years. Find information on these regulations, as well as resources for your staff and customers, on the Reduce, Reuse, Recycle page. 

Talent attraction & retention

One of the City Council’s strategic focus areas is bringing quality jobs to the city in today’s globally competitive economy. Carlsbad's Life In Action initiative is a resource for employers looking to land that perfect candidate. It provides additional tools, such as a hiring toolkit with media assets, brochures and infographics, to make the case for why the job in Carlsbad is the right one. 

The Carlsbad Job-Readiness Room is a free program that helps residents build job skills and bolster their chances of landing a new job in Carlsbad. The platform is powered by Bendable, a learning marketplace that allows people to discover new knowledge and skills through online courses, in-person events and other learning resources.

Economic Snapshots

Carlsbad Economic Snapshot FY 2022-2023 Q3

Economic Development Strategic Plan

Carlsbad Economic Development Strategic Plan

Biennial Business Report

The biennial business report provides an understanding of specific attributes of Carlsbad’s business climate, including workforce and hiring needs, access to clients and customers, and permitting and regulatory concerns, among other issues for Carlsbad’s business community.

2022 Carlsbad Business Report

Connect with us

Carlsbad has a range of options for businesses to establish, grow and thrive. If you are ready to learn more about doing business along the creative coast or have general questions about doing business in our city, contact the Innovation & Economic Development Department at business@carlsbadca.gov. 

News headlines

Surplus invested for financial health

Post Date:09/28/2023

On Tuesday, the City Council approved investing unspent money from last year’s budget to reduce future pension payments, replenish self-insurance funds, and pay for public safety equipment, additional school crossing guards, trails maintenance, art programs and other one-time costs not included in this year’s city budget.

Many cities end the fiscal year on June 30 with surplus funds. Carlsbad’s surplus is due in part to stronger than anticipated revenues from sales tax, property tax, and the taxes visitors pay when they stay at local hotels and short-term vacation rentals.  Some city positions remained vacant for a period of time after an employee left, which saved money, and staff also found ways to reduce spending overall.

The City Council has a policy about how to invest surplus funds, starting with making sure the city’s rainy day fund, the “general fund reserve,” has at least the equivalent of 40% of the general fund operating budget on hand for emergencies. Carlsbad’s general fund reserve currently has the equivalent of 60% of the annual general fund operating budget, so no surplus funds were needed. Other priorities are to pay down pension debt and replenish various city funds, such as the workers compensation and risk management funds.

Many cities have seen their pension debts go up significantly this year because investment returns over COVID were lower than projected, and there is a delay in when these costs hit. Instead of making a payment directly to the state’s retirement system, CalPERS, the City Council decided to put money aside in a new trust account that allows the city to control how the money is invested. This move is expected to save the city about $8 million over the next five years.

The City Council approved remaining surplus funds to be spent on one-time costs associated with a variety of programs, including traffic safety, crime prevention, emergency medical response, public art, trails, and studies to determine future water and wastewater infrastructure needs.

Under the City Council’s financial management policies, surplus funds cannot be spent to fund ongoing day to day city services. That’s because the city doesn’t always know how much money it may have at the end of a budget year. Instead, ongoing city operations are funded mostly by tax revenues and the fees paid for utility services. The city’s budget is considered balanced when projected spending is at or below projected revenues.

Depending on the assumptions used, the city’s financial forecast for the next several years shows a structural deficit, where the money needed to fund city services at their current levels is more than projected revenues that pay for those services. The last two budget years, all city departments were asked to reduce ongoing spending to help close this future gap.

Because of the strength of current revenues and recent cost-cutting measures, the city has some time to develop a long-term strategy to maintain a balanced budget.

 

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