Council likely to OK budget

Lolita Harper

COSTA MESA -- City leaders are expected to approve a cautious budget

tonight under the weight of state financial woes that will ultimately

fall on locals’ shoulders.

City officials have proposed a $112-million budget for fiscal year

2003-04, which is up nearly $10 million from last year’s approved

budget.

Mark Puckett, the city’s director of finance, said the budget

takes into account the rising costs of providing basic services.

Although the amount may be higher, the budget is considered “flat,”

he said.

The preliminary budget allows the city to maintain programs and

services at existing levels. It estimates the city will take in about

$38 million in sales tax and about $15 million in property tax.

The city gained a boost in its property tax from last year because

of the addition of IKEA, in the Home Ranch development, officials

said. Property taxes in general have been increasing.

A study session and community budget workshop were held last week

to answer questions about the budget. At the study session,

Councilman Allan Mansoor asked city staff to evaluate further the

money being spent on the mobile recreation unit, the mobile skate

park, recreation programs for children, the Westside police

substation, the city’s anti-drug program -- also known as DARE -- and

the city’s contribution to the Orange County Human Relations

Commission.

Mayor Gary Monahan also called attention to fees the council pays

to various regional organizations and council members’ individual

expenditures. The council has taken a conservative stance on

allocations for the training of staffers, Monahan said, and the

council should follow suit by limiting the amount of money spent on

some seminars.

The community budget session on Tuesday was sparsely attended, but

provided an intimate setting to discuss, in detail, various portions

of the budget.