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.”
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