Costa Mesa’s turn to crunch numbers

Andrew Glazer

COSTA MESA -- The 2000-01 city budget discussions are a tough draw.

Those who made it past the first line of this story may not be surprised

that last year’s open budget meetings included only three residents in

the audience. This year, city officials expect the same level of

enthusiasm.

“It can be frustrating,” said City Manager Allan L. Roeder. “You say the

word ‘budget’ and people get a blank look on their faces. If things are

going well, and there aren’t any major cuts being proposed, people aren’t

interested.”

But Monday afternoon, the City Council will begin planning how to spend

more than $85,600,000 to keep the city running. The council is scheduled

to approve the budget June 19, after hearing from the public in several

open meetings and crunching numbers on their own.

Roeder is proposing to:

* Spend an additional $2 million on the city’s police, fire and animal

control departments. This includes hiring three new staff members and

buying a new, more maneuverable rescue van.

* Increase spending on recreation programs for children. This includes

funding a summer camp and a roving van, driven by city recreation staff,

who will close off city streets and organize outdoor activities.

* Decrease overall spending on the Neighborhood Community Center. The

city funded construction for the new center, which is underway, in its

budget last year.

West Side resident Tom Egan, one of the few non-council members to show

up to last year’s budget meetings, said he wished he had more time to

pore over the numbers before a final vote.

“This is when responsible citizens should speak up,” said Egan, who lives

on the West Side. “Otherwise, it’s left up to the staff. As good as they

are, it’s only their interpretation of what’s right. And by the time the

items reach the council, they’re in concrete and take superhuman strength

for citizens to turn around.”

But Roeder said the budget should be used as a tool for weighing which

programs the city should focus on -- not a static prescription of what to

spend where.

“While we adopt the budget once a year, the council does make decisions

at every meeting,” he said. “People shouldn’t get really hung up on

numbers.”

The open City Council study session will begin at 4:30 p.m. Monday at

City Hall, 77 Fair Drive. Budget briefings are also scheduled there at

6:30 p.m. Tuesday, and 3 p.m. Wednesday.