San Juan Bautista council members Tuesday unanimously approved the 2015-16 budget, which includes a $75,000 surplus.
Council members approved the $1.349 million slate of expenses taking effect July 1 with little fanfare after a brief presentation summing up their directives from prior budget hearings.
Before the unanimous approval, City Manager Roger Grimsley mentioned how council members had agreed in prior hearings to set aside money every year for capital needs, particularly the impending replacement of a fire engine with a six-figure cost. To pay for the fire engine down the road, for instance, the city is setting aside $33,200 each year for a decade, Grimsley noted.
Other long-term needs include a police vehicle, a roof job at the library and public works sweepers, with additional funds set aside in a restricted fund for those necessities, he added.
The most “concerning” part of the budget includes water and sewer accounts. This year, it will be “tough” to balance those budgets due to the 25 percent water reduction in use ordered by the governor due to the drought, Grimsley said.
“It could curtail revenues in water,” he said.
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