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. Anaheim

Year After Big Deficit, Things Back to Normal

After taking the ax to its budget last year in the face of $5.5-million deficit, the city of Anaheim will have a $458-million 1988-89 budget--up 1.7%--and much-improved financial prospects, City Manager Bob Simpson said.

“The budget is in excellent shape,” Simpson said, adding that the fiscal situation “looks dramatically different than it did one year ago.”

Last year’s budget woes came when a hotel partnership missed several loan payments to the city. The deficit was erased by scaling back some programs and services.

This year, with the budget rising only 1.7% over last year, “there are no dramatic changes in appropriations to programs,” Simpson said.

However, the city will restore those programs and services that took cuts last year. The first priority, Simpson said, will be hiring four uniformed officers for the Police Department.