San Juan Bautista
– The City Council approved a tentative budget for fiscal year
2007-08 at its meeting Tuesday.
San Juan Bautista – The City Council approved a tentative budget for fiscal year 2007-08 at its meeting Tuesday.
Councilman Ed Laverone emphasized that the budget – which calls for expenditures of $933,509 from the general fund – is “fiscally responsible.”
“We could do a better job, but we’re getting by,” Laverone said.
The city budget cannot be finalized until the Legislature approves its statewide budget, said City Manager Jan McClintock. The budget has “no fluff,” McClintock said, and eliminates expenses such as city landscaping, city parks and fixing the leaking city hall roof.
McClintock has said that slumping tourism has hurt San Juan Bautista’s finances, but she’s hoping future development will help pick things up. The city is also considering tax increases to shore up its general fund, McClintock said.
The Mission City’s financial situation is difficult, but not as dire as some believe, Laverone said.
“Are we well-off?” he said. “No. Are we lower-middle class or poor? Yes.”
