SAN FERNANDO : New City Budget Cut by $10 Million

The San Fernando City Council has unanimously approved a spending plan of approximately $27 million for 1995-96, about $10 million less than last year’s budget.

The decrease reflects a drop in spending related to earthquake repairs, said Sandra De La Riva, assistant to the city administrator.

The new budget, approved this week, continues nearly all city services, with the exception of L.A. Impact, a U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency anti-narcotics program.

That program is being dropped because the city’s narcotics-seizure account, which previously covered the costs of the program, is running low.

Spending for community-based policing and recreational services will be increased.

The city’s General Fund will take in an estimated $12 million in revenue, mostly from sales taxes.

Revenue generated from other taxes, including business licenses, property taxes, franchise fees and service charges, compose the rest of the General Fund revenue stream.

An additional $15 million will be generated by the city’s water, sewer and solid-waste systems, and includes funds from federal block grants, state grants and other sources.

These revenues are used to maintain city services and fund special programs.

On the spending side, the city will distribute the lion’s share of the General Fund--about 37%--to its Police Department.

The Public Works Department will get nearly 21% and the city’s contract with the Los Angeles Fire Department absorbs another 15.7% of monies budgeted for the General Fund.

Overall, personnel costs compose the bulk of city spending at about 62%, paying for the equivalent of 151 full-time employees.

Priorities for the upcoming fiscal year include the completion of earthquake recovery projects and finishing the renovation of the Lopez adobe, a national historic site that sustained heavy damage in last year’s earthquake.

Planned capital projects include traffic improvements on Truman Street, upgrades of parking-lot lighting, construction of a bikeway along the Metrolink corridor and storm drain work.