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. Costa Mesa

Budget is 8% Lower Than the Year Before

Costa Mesa’s 1988-89 budget is about 8% smaller than last year’s. The decrease resulted, in part, because last year the city budgeted some large projects, which are still under construction.

For example, the money allocated for maintenance and improvement of streets dropped by more than one-fourth from last year’s figure, primarily because the $2.8 million for the Fairview Road bridge across the San Diego Freeway, which is still being rebuilt, was allocated last year, said Robert Oman, Costa Mesa city treasurer.

The 1988-89 figure of $56.2 million is a drop of $5.1 million from last year’s proposed budget. Still, the allocation for protection of people and property went up 6%, which includes police and fire protection, animal control, building safety and emergency medical care, Oman said.

The amount of money spent to maintain and improve parks and recreation facilities was also increased by more than 14%, he said.