City deals with budget using cuts, fees
Yorba Linda’s recently adopted budget for the fiscal year that started July 1 will impact residents in the form of additional fees to generate new revenue and reduced services to cut expenses.
Expenditures for 2009-10 are expected to be a bit more than $26.7 million, down about eight percent from last year’s total. The budget is balanced by using $327,627 from the city’s $34.4 million reserves built up from past years’ surpluses.
Most of the cuts from the previous year’s expenses are in personnel: eliminating 13 full and 12 part-time city and police positions; suspending vacation buybacks, performance and bilingual pay; and instituting furlough days and retirement “golden handshakes.”
City Council members even cut about $18,000 from their own expenses, including city-paid, before-meeting meals, travel expenses, business cards and pins and $100 monthly mileage stipend. They left untouched more than $60,000 paid for their health benefits.
Reductions in police staffing might result in “longer wait times for police response to emergency situations,” according to a 21-page report prepared for the council by then-interim City Manager Bill Kelly.
Other cuts include the elementary and junior high SAFE program, the police Citizen’s Academy, the Police Explorer-Junior Cadet program, October Fiesta Days, Breakfast with Santa, July 4 fireworks, online permits and the print-version city newsletter.
Other reductions include Senior Center services, Volun-teen personnel, tree trimming, park maintenance, employee incentive and appreciation and the number of Concerts in the Park from seven to four this summer.
Proposed new revenues include a false alarm fee, parking fines on street sweeping days, and various new and increased fees in the city’s public works, parks and recreation and commercial development departments.
The added fees could raise $717,300 per year, but would total $358,650 for 2009-10, if implemented Jan. 1, 2010. The budget doesn’t include expenses associated with Black Gold Golf Course turf renovations and lost revenue due to a renovation-related closing.
The budget “will need constant periodic adjustments to maintain the city in a balanced bottom line,” Kelly noted in his June 2 and July 7 budget reports to the council.
A FINAL NOTE
More than 2,500 Placentia-Yorba Linda school district employees face “salary schedule modifications and/or reductions to reflect the district’s financial situation” when contract negotiations begin for 2009-10.
The district has asked to re-open contract sections dealing with class size, wages and benefits and professional day for certificated employees and layoff, hours, wages and health and welfare for classified (non-teaching) staff.
Expenditures for 2009-10 are expected to be a bit more than $26.7 million, down about eight percent from last year’s total. The budget is balanced by using $327,627 from the city’s $34.4 million reserves built up from past years’ surpluses.
Most of the cuts from the previous year’s expenses are in personnel: eliminating 13 full and 12 part-time city and police positions; suspending vacation buybacks, performance and bilingual pay; and instituting furlough days and retirement “golden handshakes.”
City Council members even cut about $18,000 from their own expenses, including city-paid, before-meeting meals, travel expenses, business cards and pins and $100 monthly mileage stipend. They left untouched more than $60,000 paid for their health benefits.
Reductions in police staffing might result in “longer wait times for police response to emergency situations,” according to a 21-page report prepared for the council by then-interim City Manager Bill Kelly.
Other cuts include the elementary and junior high SAFE program, the police Citizen’s Academy, the Police Explorer-Junior Cadet program, October Fiesta Days, Breakfast with Santa, July 4 fireworks, online permits and the print-version city newsletter.
Other reductions include Senior Center services, Volun-teen personnel, tree trimming, park maintenance, employee incentive and appreciation and the number of Concerts in the Park from seven to four this summer.
Proposed new revenues include a false alarm fee, parking fines on street sweeping days, and various new and increased fees in the city’s public works, parks and recreation and commercial development departments.
The added fees could raise $717,300 per year, but would total $358,650 for 2009-10, if implemented Jan. 1, 2010. The budget doesn’t include expenses associated with Black Gold Golf Course turf renovations and lost revenue due to a renovation-related closing.
The budget “will need constant periodic adjustments to maintain the city in a balanced bottom line,” Kelly noted in his June 2 and July 7 budget reports to the council.
A FINAL NOTE
More than 2,500 Placentia-Yorba Linda school district employees face “salary schedule modifications and/or reductions to reflect the district’s financial situation” when contract negotiations begin for 2009-10.
The district has asked to re-open contract sections dealing with class size, wages and benefits and professional day for certificated employees and layoff, hours, wages and health and welfare for classified (non-teaching) staff.
posted by Jim Drummond at 12:00 PM
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