Hollister
– The City Council spent more than four hours on Tuesday and
Wednesday examining the proposed budget for fiscal year 2007-08,
which cuts general fund expenditures from $15.3 million to $14.6
million.
Hollister – The City Council spent more than four hours on Tuesday and Wednesday examining the proposed budget for fiscal year 2007-08, which cuts general fund expenditures from $15.3 million to $14.6 million.
“I think it’s a very no-nonsense budget this year,” Mayor Brad Pike said.
Most of councilmembers’ questions were related to the details of rationales behind individual line items, and Pike predicted that the final budget, set for approval on Aug. 6, will hew closely to the proposed numbers.
“Departments know that they had to be creative with finances … and that’s what they did,” he said. “We’re all holding on to a thread to see what happens in the future.”
According to city documents, the biggest chunk of city spending still goes to police and fire departments, which together account for around 60 percent of proposed general fund expenditures. The 2006-07 budget contained $5.6 million for the police department and $3.8 million for the fire department, while the new proposed budget includes $5.3 million for police and $3.6 million for fire.
In January, the City Council approved substantial service cuts, including staff reductions in the fire and police departments, reduced maintenance of parks and sound walls, and increased fees for youth sports and other recreation programs. The new budget doesn’t include any new cuts, Quilter said; it just reflects the reduced spending established in January.
Despite the cuts, the city’s general fund reserve is projected to fall from $4.1 million to $2.7 million by the end of fiscal year 2007-08, and Quilter has said more cuts could come in 2008.
Councilwoman Pauline Valdivia said the staff did a good job preparing the budget, but she’s still not happy with it.
“I really don’t feel that good, because we don’t have the resources we need,” she said.
As a way to address those budget woes, the city will hold an election on Nov. 6 asking voters to raise the local sales tax from 7.25 to 8.25 percent. Quilter has projected the tax could raise between $3.5 million and $4 million annually. He said Wednesday that he if the measure passes, he will recommend holding town hall meetings to give locals a chance to “really identify where they want the money spent.”
Locals defeated a similar increase, Measure R, 48 percent to 52 percent in 2006. Opponents have said they don’t trust the city to spend the money responsibly.
