Das was on the UCSB campus, recently, in support of Option 4.

( Click on image for full size - photo courtesy of Option 4 )

Labels: budget, Option 4, UCSB

[ From "City faces $3 million hole in 2-month-old budget," by Eric Lindberg, Daily Sound, Sept. 4, 2009 - Please see original article for full text and comments. ]


Just two months after signing off on a then-balanced budget, Santa Barbara city leaders took their first stab yesterday at grappling with a $3-million chasm that has already emerged in this year’s financial plan.

Options for closing the gap include using excess reserves from several city funds, holding a slew of vacant positions unfilled throughout the year, and stripping away a few line-item expenses.

“We’re really scraping the bones at this point,” Mayor Marty Blum said...

At the root of the city’s money woes are tax revenues that continue to plunge precipitously, a trend that has stubbornly stuck around ever since sales taxes started their downward decline with a 7.4 percent drop in September 2008.

“We started to see the signs then, but we had no idea it would become what it is today,” said Robert Samario, the city’s interim finance director.

Although expected to continue to drop somewhat this year, sales and bed taxes are showing some signs of bottoming out, he said, but not before wiping out 10 years of substantial growth.

Finance officials expect to see sales taxes drop 3.5 percent this year, more than double what had been originally budgeted and thus leaving a $1 million hole to fill. Bed taxes are expected to decline more than initially budgeted as well, adding another $675,000 to the deficit.

However, bed taxes should level out by the end of the year, Samario said, which must be somewhat gratifying for the city’s finance staff after watching that key revenue stream take double-digit hits in seven of the past nine months.

And despite the dour financial forecasts, city officials remained relatively upbeat about closing the gap in the current budget without using the largely depleted budgetary reserves or laying off any employees...

Potential one-time strategies include using excess workers’ compensation reserves and street sweeping reserves, as well as dipping halfway into a built-in budget cushion known as appropriated reserves.

The remaining deficit would be wiped out largely by holding 12 city positions vacant throughout the year and keeping nine other jobs vacant through a portion of the year for a total savings of $1.7 million.

Some line-item cuts include suspending stipends for members of city boards and commissions, and charging a 50-cent fee on holds for children’s materials at the library...

“I would like to see no cuts to public safety and restoration of a full force,” Councilmember Iya Falcone said, advocating that the city send enough recruits to the academy to bring the department back to full strength.

Dep. Chief Frank Mannix said the department is also considering converting two administrative jobs currently held by sworn officers to civilian positions — namely a special events coordinator and training officer. The move would save $170,000 a year, but would reduce the city’s sworn force to 138 personnel, a concept that didn’t sit well with some city leaders.

Councilmember Das Williams said it would not be prudent to reduce sworn staff at all and supported Falcone’s concept of bringing in at least seven new officers.

“That would prevent us from falling below the 140 [threshold] … especially at a time that Santa Barbarans, because of the high-profile gang violence we’ve had, don’t feel as safe,” he said...

As far as the longer-term financial picture, finance officials said there are signs that the economy is stabilizing. By current estimates, revenues should bottom out by early next year and start to recover slowly...

Councilmember Roger Horton was decidedly less optimistic, cautioning that true signs of economic recovery, such as improving employment numbers, have yet to emerge.

“What really concerns me now is the next few months and the next year,” he said, noting that an improvement in some economic indicators may simply be the result of a bounce from federal stimulus funds. “The facts remain that the economy is still in pretty bad shape.”

City revenue streams could just as easily slide further into the hole, Horton continued, adding, “We certainly can’t go much further without reducing staff.”

Labels: budget

NEWS RELEASE, City of Santa Barbara, Contact: Nina Johnson, Assistant to the City Administrator, Phone: 805-564-5307, NJohnson@SantaBarbaraCA.gov

CITY COUNCIL ADOPTS BALANCED BUDGET

SANTA BARBARA, CA – 6/24/09

After two months of deliberations, the City Council unanimously adopted a balanced budget for Fiscal Year 2010 on June 23, 2009. The budget includes a total operating budget of $238 million and a capital budget totaling $22 million. The General Fund operating budget is $104 million, providing funding for police, fire, parks, recreation, library, community development, and administrative services.

The City faced an estimated $10.8 million deficit in the upcoming fiscal year beginning July 1, 2009, representing approximately 10% of the General Fund operating budget. The budget was balanced with a combination of reduced costs and enhanced revenue, involving the following measures: 1) department budget reductions; 2) citywide labor measures; 3) increased fees and charges; 4) structural budget changes; and 5) delays to capital improvements.

While most programs and services will continue, the public can anticipate some service changes. All departments will reduce spending on supplies, services, and training. With a hiring freeze in effect and employee positions reduced through attrition, 41.9 full-time equivalent (FTE) employee positions will be eliminated in the upcoming year. Delays in processing and longer wait times may be noticed at public counters.

Significant cost savings will be achieved through citywide labor measures. These measures include a 104-hour furlough or unpaid leave for managers, supervisors, and general employees over the December holiday and five other dates throughout the year. As a result, administrative offices and non-emergency facilities will close to the public on specified dates.

To generate additional revenue, the City will pursue collection of the transient occupancy and business license taxes for vacation rentals and begin a late payment fee for utility payments. Fee increases are planned for parking citations, vehicle release, building permits, land development applications, dog licenses, and park and facility events hosted by commercial businesses. When appropriate, General Fund costs will be shifted to Enterprise Fund operations where user fee revenue should support such expenses.

Several capital improvement projects will be delayed to curtail spending in the upcoming year. The City’s planned capital improvement program for General Fund facilities was reduced to $600,000, providing funds for the Shoreline Park Safety Improvement Project, Lower Mesa Lane Steps Replacement, Oak Park Restroom Renovation, and other major projects.

Department budget reductions comprise the largest portion of the balancing measures. These cost reductions will result in limited purchases of library books and materials, decreased efficiency in zoning enforcement, and less frequent tree pruning and park maintenance activities. While school crossing guard services will no longer be provided by the City, the Police Department will work with the School District, parents, and volunteers to continue the service.

Recreation opportunities will be scaled back with fewer Concerts in the Park events this summer, cancellation of the Senior Tour Program, and closure of the Lower Westside Center. The 1235 Teen Center will be closed on Saturdays and the Oak Park Wading Pool will remain closed. Thanks to a fundraising commitment by the Friends of Los Banos, the planned elimination of the free recreation swim program at Ortega Park Pool and Sunday lap swim at Los Banos Pool will be restored.

Financial assistance to community organizations will decrease by 8.4%, the same percentage adjustment as City departments. By Council action, the Conference and Visitors Bureau and New Beginnings will continue to receive funding at current levels.

The City Council adopted the budget and acknowledged that the future of the City’s financial condition remains uncertain, as major tax revenues continue to decline and the state budget deficit is unresolved. The Council expressed an interest in becoming a smaller, more efficient organization and revisiting the adopted budget in upcoming months to make modifications if needed.

Videos of Council budget discussions are available on the City’s website at: www.SantaBarbaraCA.gov. When completed, the final budget document will be made available to the public at the City’s website, the City Clerk’s Office at 735 Anacapa Street, and the Public Library at 40 E. Anapamu Street.

--------------------------

See also:

SB Independent: Leaking Budget - "It’s a budget that already has a $1.4 million hole in it." City finance czar Bob Peirson

DAILY SOUND: Budget Balanced For Now - “I’ve never seen it like this. This is my 14th year on the council and it’s never been like this. It’s very worrisome. We don’t see an end to the recession. I don’t think we’ve bottomed out yet.” Mayor Marty Blum

NOOZHAWK: Deficit Looms - “Tonight is not the time to start putting things back in the budget when we don’t even know what the deficit is,” Councilmember Roger Horton - “All the departments have made their best recommendations as to what services to keep to the public as a whole, and I think we should honor that.” Councilmember Grant House - “I think what we’re all saying is that as hard as this year was, we’re nowhere near over trying to figure out the full structural deficit of the city’s budget.” Councilmember Helene Schneider

Labels: 2010, budget

A Message from DAS
June 2009


This Time 'Round:

* We Balanced The Budget!
* Mail in Your Sierra Club Ballot ASAP
* Sci-Fi to Save The Ventura Library System
* Synthetic Sea - Free, TONIGHT!


I Know No One Will Believe It, but We Balanced the Budget!

Since the Jesusita Fire, I have been concentrating on dealing with our approx. 8% budget deficit. This includes finding the areas we can cut the Santa Barbara City's budget without cutting essential services like patrol officers, firefighters, and programs that keep our youth out of trouble, as well as making sure that various entities are contributing their share of revenue. My work has been matched by political courage from my colleagues on the City Council, co-operation from employee unions in order to achieve cost savings through concessions and alternative ideas, and tremendous effort from the management and budget staff to present multiple options.

At a budget work session last Tuesday, we came up with a plan for a balanced budget for the next fiscal year that begins July 1. It is fully balanced for this year without any involuntary layoffs -- layoffs that would have reduced many important services. To do this we did have to eliminate many open positions, delay vehicle replacements, axe travel and training, reduce our own City Council budget, and shift some expenses onto more secure funds in the City. We have even carved out nearly $1.7 million in contingency funds in case our COPS grant to pay for police officers fails or the state raids the City for gas tax or General Fund money.



Mail In Your Sierra Club Ballot ASAP

Have you made a donation to Sierra Club in the last year? Do you live in SB or Ventura County? If so, you are likely a member of the Sierra Club Los Padres Chapter and have received a ballot in the mail for the new Executive Committee election. Please vote for up to three candidates and mail in your ballot early this week! To learn more, go to http://lospadres.sierraclub.org/newsletter/2009-03_Jun_Jul.pdf and turn to Page 6 of the Condor Call.



Sci-Fi to Save the Ventura Library System!

Join the San Buenaventura Friends of the Ventura Library in welcoming science fiction legend Ray Bradbury to Ventura to kick-off the Wright Library Author Series. Admission is only $25 and $15 for children and seniors. The event will include a short documentary film, a rare film written by Mr. Bradbury, and a Q&A with Mr. Bradbury. The event takes place 2-5:30pm, Saturday June 20, at the Ventura college Theatre on the 4700 block of Loma Vista Road.


Synthetic Sea: Results of People Using Single-use Bags and Plastic

Join the City of SB's Creeks Division and County Project Clean Water for "Synthetic Sea", a FREE Community Forum TONIGHT, Monday, June 15th from 6:30 - 8pm at the Cabrillo Pavilion Arts Center, 1118 E. Cabrillo Blvd.

Last summer, Dr. Marcus Eriksen sailed from Long Beach to Hawaii on a raft made of 15,000 plastic bottles! Now he's on his way to Santa Barbara along with Anna Cummins on a 2,000 mile bicycle JUNKride from Vancouver to Tijuana to raise awareness about plastic pollution rapidly increasing in the North Pacific Ocean.

On a quest to end the age of disposable plastics, Eriksen and Cummins will present wrenching photographs from a decade of research at sea, and share their observations of the North Pacific Gyre, a swirling vortex of ocean currents twice the size of the United States, in which vast quanitites of plastic are rapidly accumulating. Learn how to get involved locally with organizations including SB Channelkeeper, Jean-Michel Cousteau's Ocean Futures Society, Surfrider Foundation, Art From Scrap, and Healing Oceans Together.

View the event flyer here: http://www.santabarbaraca.gov/NR/rdonlyres/39AEB8F8-01D4-4C6C-AB15-67417F178824/0/ForumFlyer.pdf


Have A Great Summer!

Das Williams

Labels: budget, libraries, pollution, Sierra Club

[ From: "Voters Reject 5 of 6 Ballot Measures, Sending Clear Message to Legislators
Californians say no to cuts and new taxes, and the Santa Barbara City Council says no to local property taxes being moved for state use," By Lara Cooper, Noozhawk, 05.20.2009 ]

... Five out of six items on the ballot failed — statewide and in Santa Barbara County — with the exception of a measure that would prevent elected legislators and officers, including the governor, from receiving pay raises while California is running a deficit...

While voters were trickling into the polls Tuesday, the Santa Barbara City Council unanimously passed a resolution expressing its disapproval with state talks to borrow from local governments. The state is allowed to borrow local property taxes in dire financial situations, but can borrow only 8 percent of those taxes and only for three years. The amount the state would like to borrow amounts to $2.3 million, which represents about 2 percent of the city’s $107 million General Fund.

In solidarity with 120 other cities, Santa Barbara went on record agreeing with the League of California Cities, which has opposed local funds being moved for state use.

Unanimous discord was heard from all of the council members.

“Sacramento needs to wake up and do their job just like we do at the local level,” Councilman Grant House said. Borrowing without assurance of being paid back plus interest is not in the city’s best interest, he said.

Councilman Das Williams said Californians asking for no taxes and no cuts was not the answer. “We have to do one or the other,” said Williams, a 2010 Assembly candidate.

“They need to fix their own house,” Councilwoman Iya Falcone said in disagreement. “Balance your own budgets with your own money.”

Now that the items have failed, California faces a $21 billion budget gap. If the measures had passed, the deficit would have closed slightly to $15 billion.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger already has been talking about myriad cuts to address the gap, including cuts to education, borrowing $2 billion from local governments, drilling for oil off the Santa Barbara coast and transferring state inmates to county prisons.

Labels: budget, state, taxes

[ From: "Hewing and Hacking - City Budget Deliberations Get Underway," By Nick Welsh, SB INDEPENDENT, May 7, 2009 ]

There was no talk about rending of flesh, but plenty of verbiage devoted to the hacking and hewing of limbs Monday night, as the Santa Barbara City Council presided over a five-hour long public hearing on proposed budget cuts to the city’s library system and to its Parks and Recreation Department. It was the first of several such hearings the council will hold between now and June 23, when a final budget is scheduled for adoption. On the table are $10.5 million in budget “adjustments” citywide, which includes more than $7 million in actual cuts. The library department is slated for half-a- million dollars in cuts, while Parks and Recreation is eyeballing a funding reduction of $1.5 million. “It’s very painful to watch [Library Director] Irene [Macias] figure out which leg, which arm to whack off,” said Friends of the Library president Jeri Moulder.

“Well, the carnage begins,” said councilmember Das Williams, before exhorting his council colleagues and city administrators to keep an open mind and keen eye out for raising new revenues. “We need to have more than a ‘not cut-your-arm-off’ strategy,” he said. For example, Williams suggested that City Hall impose a new tax on medicinal marijuana sales as well a new 25-cent tax on retail customers who do not bring their own shopping bags.

In that same vein, councilmember Grant House wondered why the library department — which is proposing to shut down operations every Monday and axe its director of youth programming — did not have a development director on staff whose job it was to fund money. House was equally pointed in his praise for Parks and Recreation chief Nancy Rapp, who suggested creating a whole new bureau dedicated almost exclusively to fundraising. Rapp also unveiled new plans to fundamentally re-organize her department, merging many youth programs with community services. Such bureaucratic re-organization was much on the mind of councilmember Iya Falcone, who suggested that the city’s current budget crisis also provided an opportunity to embrace new and better ways of delivering services. Echoing some of the early rhetoric of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger — who pledged to “blow up the boxes” of state government — Falcone said, “We have some opportunity to blow up some old systems.”

... Despite the grimness of the enterprise, there were moments of levity. While discussing the library budget, Mayor Marty Blum asked Library director Macias about the new language used to describe overdue book fines, which have declined in recent years. “By the way, when did we change from ‘overdue fine’ to ‘extended use fee?” Blum asked. “We did that to reduce the stigma of overdue users,” Macias responded.

“People need to feel the shame,” objected councilmember Williams, who confessed to being a repeat offender when it came to overdue books. So, too, was councilmember House, who revealed that he’d kept a copy of “Winnie the Pooh” for 30 years. “Maybe you needed it for 30 years,” shot back Mayor Blum...

Behind the Power Point presentations and public testimony, it became evident that a power struggle is looming over the extent to which the Waterfront Department — and the downtown parking district — should be charged for maintenance services now provided at subsidized rates by Parks and Recreation workers. Under the proposed budget, Parks and Rec will charge the Waterfront Department nearly $200,000 for cleaning the waterfront restrooms and tidying up the city’s beaches. Two members of the city’s Harbor Commission have already initiated a spirited protest, reportedly gathering petition signatures. They are objecting the Waterfront be forced to increase the slip fees it charges oat owners to generate the extra funds.

Councilmember Williams insisted without this “cost shift,” the Parks and Rec Department would be forced to make even more draconian cuts. Councilmember Iya Falcone, however, countered that the Waterfront should only have to shoulder a portion of these costs. She suggested that the beach clean up costs should be passed on to the Creeks Division of Parks and Recreation. The Creeks division is funded by a bed tax surcharge approved by city voters eight years ago to keep the city’s waterfront free from e-coli and other bacterial scourges from the voters. Falcone acknowledged hers is a novel interpretation of what the voters approved, but said, “It’s worth having this conversation.”

Labels: 2010, budget

Das' newsletter is emailed periodically. If you are not already on the distribution list and would like to be, please email: das@legendarysurfers.com (Das' email address for the newsletter only).


DAS WILLIAMS Newsletter # 7, April 2009


Contents:

1. Outer Continental Shelf Oil Drilling
2. Westside Cleanup - April 25
3. Townhall Meeting on Education - May 1
4. Recommended 2010 Available for Review


Dear Friends and Family,

It's been crazy busy for me lately and I'm excited to share some updates about the positive things that have been going on. Jennifer had her cartilage graft surgery this past weekend and has been such a trooper through this entire process. She's on the path to recovery and we couldn't be more thrilled.


1. Last week, I had a small group meeting with President Obama's new Interior Secretary Ken Salazar in San Francisco, and even had the opportunity to talk to him one-on-one for one minute. I made that 60 seconds count, telling him we are willing to look at alternative energy, but that new oil drilling is unacceptable. As part of a delegation which spoke against the issuance of new leases to drill oil on California's Outer Continental Shelf, we asked that all areas off the California coast be left out of the plan for new drilling leases, particularly Santa Barbara due to its immense biodiversity and the fact that it is already burdened by more than its share of oil operations.


2. [from the Daily Sound] "Santa Barbara city and community leaders are organizing a cleanup of the Westside neighborhood designed to pick up litter, remove graffiti, and document broken sidewalks and damaged signs.

"Participants will meet at the Westside Community Center parking lot at 423 W. Victoria St. at 9 a.m. on Saturday, April 25. Organizers will put together cleanup teams, hand out materials and supplies, and assign volunteers to various designated areas throughout the neighborhood.

"Most of the work is expected to take place within the boundaries of Castillo, Micheltorena, De la Vina and Figueroa streets. More information is available by calling Antonio Velasquez, the city's community services supervisor, at 963-7657."


3. Over the past couple months, I've had several conversations with teachers and school board members who are all wondering how they are going to properly educate our children without adequate state funding. As a school board member myself, I'm very familiar with their concerns. It is for this reason that I invited Senator Gloria Romero, Chair of the California State Senate Education Committee, to attend a townhall meeting in our community. Together, we can use this forum to inform state leaders about the damage that budget cuts are doing to our public education system, and therefore to our kids. I'd love it if you could attend and help defend public education funding. Here are the details:

Place: Foothill Tech High, Spirito Hall (100 Day Rd, Ventura)

Time: Friday, May 1st 4-6pm

RSVP/ send statement to: Das.Williams09@gmail.com


4. The balanced, but not yet fixed draft budget for the City of Santa Barbara is now available for review.

[from the city's press release, 4/21/09] "The City of Santa Barbara released its Recommended Budget for Fiscal Year 2010, initiatingCity Council and public review of the proposed plan. The budget includes a total operating budget of $253.2 million and a capital budget totaling $29.2 million. The General Fund operating budget is $104.7 million, providing funding for police, fire, parks, recreation, library, community development, and administrative services.

"Due to declining revenues, the City estimates a $10.8 million deficit in the upcoming fiscal year beginning July 1, 2009, if no actions are taken. This represents approximately 10% of the General Fund operating budget. The budget balancing strategy involves a combination of the following measures: 1) department budget reductions; 2) increases in various fees and charges; 3) citywide labor measures such as a mandatory furlough; 4) structural budget changes; and 5) delays to capital improvements.

"During April and May, each department budget will be presented to Council with an overview of revenues, expenses, balancing strategy, service impacts, and proposed work plan for the upcoming year. The City Council will adopt a budget by June 30, 2009.

"According to City Administrator Jim Armstrong, "I am proud of the professionalism in which the organization dealt with these difficult decisions, and the strong emphasis on maintaining services, while trying to minimize employee layoffs."

The budget document, a schedule of public review meetings, frequently asked questions, and videos of Council budget discussions are available on the City's website at: www.SantaBarbaraCA.gov. The budget document is also available at the City Clerk's Office at 735 Anacapa Street and the Public Library at 40 E. Anapamu Street."

For more information, Contact: Nina Johnson, Assistant to the City Administrator
Phone: 805-564-5307 | Fax: 805-897-1993, NJohnson@SantaBarbaraCA.gov

Thank you for reading my periodic newsletter. Please share with family and friends.


DAS

Labels: 2010, budget, newsletter, offshore oil drilling

[ From: "City faces $10.5m budget shortfall," By Eric Lindberg, DAILY SOUND, April 22, 2009 ]


With a $10.5 million budget shortfall looming on the horizon, Santa Barbara city leaders had their first look yesterday at a series of proposals to close the gap that include layoffs, furloughs, spending cuts and fee hikes.

Officials said they are trying to spread the cuts fairly across city departments, with a reduced impact on police and fire services.

“It is a plan of shared pain,” City Administrator Jim Armstrong said. “We feel it’s a responsible budget and addresses the situation honestly.”

With tax revenues taking a major drubbing courtesy of a much-weakened economy, the city is asking departments to cut spending by $7.4 million, in addition to seeking $1.5 million in labor concessions from city employees.

The initial budget proposal would cut 51.5 full-time positions, 30 of which are currently vacant. It would also cut four sworn police positions if the city doesn’t receive a competitive grant, along with eliminating six non-sworn police jobs.

“There is no doubt there will be pain,” City Councilmember Iya Falcone said. “There will be pain all around.”

Other plans call for closing library branches on Mondays, closing the 1235 Teen Center on Saturdays and shutting down the Lower Westside Community Center altogether.

Job cuts would be spread across city departments, from eliminating nine positions in the Community Development Department to 13 jobs in the Parks and Recreation Department (along with 17,000 hours of seasonal staff time).

While the initial proposal is a starting point for budget discussions, city officials made it clear that they plan to listen to community members and debate priorities.

“This is not what I would describe as a fixed budget,” Councilmember Das Williams said. “It’s a balanced budget, which is a good starting point.”

Armstrong noted that the fiscal year 2010 budget process promises to be the most difficult budget situation he’s seen during his decades of experience in local government.

Unemployment is soaring, financial institutions are failing, credit markets are frozen and consumer confidence is plummeting, he said. Sharp declines in tax revenues are having a widespread impact on city coffers throughout California.

“I’m typically hearing about city budget deficits that range from 5 to 20 percent,” he said.

The city’s deficit amounts to approximately 10 percent of its operating budget expenditures, which are projected to be $104.7 million next year.

Despite the cuts being proposed, Armstrong said he is hopeful that city services won’t suffer significantly.

“There is a little pain everywhere, but I don’t think the overall quality of service provided to the community will suffer too much,” he said.

Declining tax revenues are the largest source of the city’s fiscal funk. In creating a two-year financial plan more than a year ago, officials had projected them to go up $2.5 million next year. Now they are expected to drop $7 million below that projected level, City Finance Director Robert Peirson said.

And taxes make up 61 percent of the General Fund revenue stream, which is definitely the hardest-hit area of city finances.

In the first two quarters of this year, sales taxes have been down more than 6 percent and are expected to drop a total of 7 percent by June. Bed taxes are expected to be down 5 percent this year.

To address those revenue shortfalls, the city recently rebalanced its current budget and closed a $6.4 million shortfall.

While officials hope the end is in sight — the state’s finance department expects sales taxes to bottom out and start rising by mid-2010 — they are still facing projected drops in sales tax revenue of 1.4 percent and bed tax revenue of 2.2 percent next year.

“In 25 years of [experience], I’ve never seen an environment like this,” Peirson said.

In the brief economic downturn following the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the city used budget reserves to address shortfalls. That’s no longer an option this time around, as the city has all but depleted those funds (the city’s disaster reserves, however, remain fully funded).

Instead, the budget plan proposes furloughing employees, eliminating vacation cash payouts and freezing benefits to pull together $1.5 million in savings. Negotiators are still in discussions with the main service workers bargaining unit, as well as police and fire associations.

“The wage concessions are really the hinge point,” Williams said. “Everyone needs to pitch in.”

If they come to an agreement that exceeds the $1.5 million figure, Peirson said the city could use the excess savings to restore some city services or prevent layoffs.

“We would like nothing better than that,” he said.

Officials also proposed cutting the city’s capital program by $800,000, which would delay replacement of its financial management system by 15 months.

Community funding would be cut by $228,000 under the initial proposal, including city support of the Conference and Visitor’s Bureau, the Downtown Organization and Santa Barbara Channels television.

City leaders will delve into each specific departmental budget in the coming weeks during a series of budget hearings. The first hearing takes place tomorrow from 2 to 5 p.m. in council chambers and will address the city administrator, city attorney, mayor and council and community development budgets.

Police and fire budgets will be discussed on May 26 from 6 to 9 p.m. The schedule for other departments can be found online at www.santabarbaraca.gov, along with a complete copy of the proposed budget.

The budget documents are also available on CD-ROM in the city clerk’s office or in hard copy at the library.

City leaders said they hope to see members of the public engage in the budget process to express their views on where cuts should take place.

“I’ll do what you want in terms of where your priorities lie, but we need to hear from you,” Falcone said.

-------------------------

For more information and details on the budget, please visit the city website's Budget and Finance

Labels: 2010, budget