Council approves budget

BURBANK — The City Council on Tuesday night unanimously approved the 2008-09 fiscal year budget by a 4-1 vote.

The $728.6-million budget is balanced and reflects the city’s strong recuperation from harsh financial cuts issued in 2003, city officials said.

Mayor Dave Golonski said those budget cuts were a result of a statewide fiscal crisis.

“The state government was in debt, so they didn’t provide as much funds to local governments, which is typically used for city projects,” he said. “I think we are fortunate to be in the financial position we are in now because we are able to restore previously frozen positions.”

Over the past five years, the city has gradually restored the frozen positions, primarily from the police and fire departments, said Gary Bric, vice mayor and councilman.

As part of the budget adopted Tuesday, three firefighter positions and two police officer positions will be restored, according to a council staff report.

The measure will cost the city $415,987 and is part of the budget’s recurring costs, according to the report.

“We all want additional safety out there for all of us,” Bric said. “Because it is a recurring cost, there will be money for the programs for years to come, so we will hopefully keep restoring positions.”

The biggest challenge that the council faced in adopting the budget this year was the need to impose increased water, refuse and sewage rates.

Water rates will rise by 8.5%, sewage rates by 6% and refuse rates by 8%.

The new fees were approved at the June 10 meeting after several residents said there was no way to afford the new prices.

Councilman David Gordon cast the only dissenting vote, mostly because of the citywide fee schedule. “We have raised rates 5% each year rather than hitting residents with one big fee,” Bric said. “Everyone is undergoing tough times because of gas and home prices, but we still have to operate a city . . . we need additional funds to make sure that residents get the services they are used to receiving.”

The city’s general-fund total of $148.3 million is 5.6% larger than last year, according to a council staff report. The funds are typically used for improvement projects such as the construction of safety routes to local schools, City Manager Mary Alvord said.

This year, the money will pay for several nonrecurring expenses such as the Central Library Replacement Project, the extension of the aquatics season at McCambridge Pool, additional youth endowment funds and a plant-a-tree program, according to a council staff report.

Funds will also be allocated for recurring fees such as the police and fire additions, a new veterinarian and a senior tree trimmer position, according to the report.

“We are reaping the benefits of several fiscally sound decisions,” Alvord said. “But we still have to take a deep breath, because there may be another round.”