"This is a very unique place to be," she said. "And really a lot of that goes to the credit of our staff who have really done a good job."
Among new program expenditures the council backed on Tuesday were $250,000 for a traffic review fund, which would be used to contract with an outside consultant to analyze the effectiveness of the city's traffic infrastructure; $100,000 in additional contributions to Performing Arts Endowment Funds; and $63,000 to pay for expansion of covered, shaded areas at the Tuttle Senior Center.
The council also put $25,000 toward expanding communications outreach to the community — such as holding town hall meetings — and slated $10,000 for a pilot oral history program, which would record Burbank residents telling their stories in order to preserve the city's history.
In addition to freeing up funds for new programs, the growth in revenue is allowing city officials to make up for some cutbacks that hit departments over the past few years, Financial Services Director Bob Torrez said.
"We've had a lot of cutting that took place in the last four years and this is the first year that we haven't had to cut anything," he said. "There's a positive difference between revenue and expenditures … and so the council is able to allocate some of that toward reinstating some programs that were either cut or frozen."
The proposed 2007-2008 fiscal budget will reinstate two Burbank Police Department officer positions and three Fire Department positions that were previously frozen, said Justin Hess, assistant financial services director.
