Council approves city budget

Barbara Diamond

The city’s 2003-04 budget should have been carried a warning label:

Could be blown up, if not left alone by the state.

City officials approved the $5.6 million budget Tuesday night

pending the approval of the state budget, assuming that happens.

“The state still hasn’t passed a budget,” said City Manager Ken

Frank. “It’s total chaos up there [not, not Heaven, Sacramento]. We

have no idea when they will pass a budget.”

Frank recommended passage of the city’s budget, required by law to

be in place July 1, with the understanding that some one-time items

probably will not get funded, depending on what the state does to

city revenues to dig its way out of the morass.

Of the total budget, the council has the discretion to spend the

$32 million-and-change in the general fund. All other funds are

dedicated and can be spent only for specific uses.

“And since we’ve had a couple of calm meetings, I decided to

reintroduce parking meter increases,” Franks said.

But only in the parking lots that have change machines that take

one and five dollar bills, eliminating one of the major complaints

about lugging around sackfuls of quarters needed for a three-hour

stay at $1.50 an hour.

Councilwoman Elizabeth Pearson said the issue should be put on

hold until the chamber and the city’s Parking, Traffic and

Circulation Committee can take a whack at it.

Baglin said he would have trouble voting for the budget if the

task of, and funding for, watch-dogging Treasure Island’s Coastal

Resources Monitoring Program was not transferred from the Community

Development Department to the Water Quality Department.

“Having Treasure Island monitoring in the planning department and

not in the Water Quality Department rubs me the wrong way,” Baglin

said. “Why not have someone with water quality expertise in charge?”

The city had no Water Quality Department when the Coastal

Commission set its requirements for the project. The tasks were

assigned to John Montgomery, deputy director of the Community

Development Department.

The emotionally charged Community Assistants Grants were not

included in Tuesday’s deliberations. The amount isn’t in question,

but the decision on who gets what is always wrenching.

“We will bring that to the council at the July 1 meeting,” Frank

said.

Mayor Toni Iseman volunteered to review the applications. Dicterow

was appointed in absentia. The two has previously served on the

sub-committee.

Two pieces of good news: Orange County Transportation Authority

will recommend approval of a $318,00 grant to the city to spruce up

South Laguna’s gateway landscaping. The city will put in another

$179,000. Only half of the 24 applications were approved, Frank said.

Also: The city has reached an agreement on salary increases with

all employees, except for the Police Assn. and Frank hopes to have

that completed by the July 1 meeting.

“The state does not seem to have a clue as to how to adopt its

budget; hence it is likely that cities, counties, school districts

and everyone else may bear some more pain before the budget is

resolved in Sacramento,” Frank warned the council. “It may be

necessary [for him] to return to the council for adjustments to the

city budget once the legislature has completed its work.”