CITY BUDGETS : Budget-Balancing Deadline Sends Some Cities Scurrying

In Santa Ana, a city financial squeeze means that 90 positions are being eliminated from the city payroll. But the budget for tiny Villa Park, Orange County’s smallest city, is rising 60% this year--thanks entirely to capital spending on road improvements. And in Irvine, last year’s deficit crisis is nearly forgotten and 38 employees will be added to the city payroll.

In most cities where spending is up, it is for increases in public safety personnel or road improvements. But whether the numbers are rising or falling, the story at city halls throughout Orange County is essentially the same: it is budget-balancing time.

The new fiscal year for California’s cities began Friday, and legally they were required to have had their budgets balanced and approved by the night before. However, several Orange County cities are still working with proposed budgets, including Fullerton, which is scheduled to approve its spending plan tonight.

Following is a city-by-city look at the budget picture in each of the county’s 27 cities. Laguna Beach

Wildlife Money Makes $3-Million Difference

If it were not for money from Proposition 70, the statewide Parks and Wildlife Initiative that was approved by voters June 7, the Laguna Beach city budget would be almost the same as last year’s, City Manager Ken Frank said.

Three million dollars of this year’s $26.2-million budget has come from money earmarked for the city from the Parks and Wildlife Initiative, he said.

In the state ballot measure, the city was allocated $10 million for preservation of open space for wildlife in the greenbelt area along Laguna Canyon Road, Frank said.

Otherwise, Frank said, “We haven’t added any personnel, and there aren’t any new (spending) initiatives we are embarking on at this time.”