Glendale Proposal : Budget Plan Calls for 61 New Workers

Reflecting the city’s need for improved services to keep up with its soaring population growth, Glendale’s preliminary budget released Tuesday calls for the addition of 61 new full-time employees, almost five times the number proposed last year.

Included in the proposed $243-million spending plan are 16 new positions in the Police Department, five in the Fire Department, seven in the city’s building permit and plan check operations, four for service improvements in urban forestry activities and five for a proposed program dedicated to neighborhood beautification.

Last year’s budget proposal called for 13 new city jobs. City Manager David Ramsay said the emphasis on service improvements in the spending plan reflects the changes taking place in the city.

‘Getting Bigger’

“Glendale is changing, it’s getting bigger, and we need to maintain the quality of services,” he said. “In order to maintain the appearance of a quality community, we have to upgrade our code enforcement operations and our level of public safety.”

Ramsay cited the sharp increase of graffiti throughout the city as an example of the new challenges facing Glendale. He said the added police officers and the proposed neighborhood services unit would go a long way in solving the problem.

The budget represents an 11% increase over the existing $220-million budget and allocates $20 million to capital improvement funds, an increase of about $4.3 million, or 27%, over last year.

Included in the preliminary budget are allocations of $1.5 million for yet-to-be-determined historic-site acquisitions, $1 million for open space acquisition for future recreational facilities in the Verdugo and San Rafael mountains, $3.7 million for street and traffic improvement programs, $750,000 for construction of a new fire station and $400,000 for the Civic Auditorium renovation.

Study sessions are scheduled before the council votes on the spending plan in late June.

Budget Balanced

Expenses and revenue in the budget are balanced, and the city is expected to continue to operate without general obligation bonds. Almost $9 million in new revenue is expected from an increase in the utility users tax from 5% to 7%, and from rate increases of 100% for sewer services and 30% for refuse services.

The utility tax hike was approved in 1978, but its implementation has been postponed annually by the council.

The refuse rate increase, the third in three years, will be used to finance increased recycling and waste reduction programs. The sewer fee increase will be used to pay the city’s share of capital improvements to the Hyperion sewage treatment plant operated by the city of Los Angeles.