La Mirada

The La Mirada City Council has unanimously approved a $11.8-million operating budget for fiscal 1985-86.

Expenditures in the budget, adopted Tuesday night, increased about 4.5% from $11.3 million in fiscal 1984-85. Revenues are expected to jump nearly 8% from $11.9 million last fiscal year to $12.8 million this year.

Police protection is the main reason for the budget increase, said Assistant City Manager Bob Dominguez. The city contracts for police protection with the Sheriff’s Department to patrol streets and parks. Overall, the city will spend $2.6 million, an increase of $300,000, in fiscal 1985-86 on police services, the largest single expenditure in the budget.

In addition to routine patrols, Dominguez said sheriff’s deputies will launch walking patrols of city parks next month.

The biggest capital improvement project planned for 1985-86 is construction of a $400,000 community center at Garden Hill Park. The current center at the park between Valley View and Biola avenues has been closed because it is old and considered unsafe.

Dominguez said the big increase in revenues is largely because of a surge in sales tax in the city. The city expects a sales tax increase of nearly $750,000 next year, with most of that generated by the 2-year-old Holiday Inn and a large new commercial development at Rosecrans Avenue and Beach Boulevard.

“We have benefited tremendously from the overall economic recovery in this country,” Dominguez said. “As long as it remains strong, we should prosper. Our fiscal situation looks very good.”