Pasadena Board OKs $435-Million Budget

The Board of Directors on Tuesday approved a $435-million, five-year plan of capital improvements, including major allocations for street and building repairs and for the city’s predominantly minority Northwest neighborhood.

The capital budget includes $92 million to be spent next fiscal year, a 51% increase over this year’s appropriation. The $92 million is part of the $264-million annual budget approved last week, but it required separate approval Tuesday.

Included in next year’s capital expenditures is $33 million for the city’s “infrastructure rehabilitation” program. The 8-year-old program is an attempt to catch up on overdue maintenance and repairs to the city’s municipal buildings, street lights, parks, streets, curbs, gutters and sidewalks.

In addition, $15.6 million will be allocated next year to Northwest Pasadena. The area was slated five years ago to receive $35 million in capital improvements as part of the city’s Northwest Plan. But a review by the city’s Northwest Task Force found that the community had been shortchanged by $10 million during the five-year plan.

Next year’s appropriation includes $3.5 million from bonds, and a share of $11 million that will be shifted to the Northwest from other areas over the next two years.

During the budget proceedings Tuesday, City Director Chris Holden asked that the city keep track of the money spent in the Northwest in order to ensure that the community receives the funds allocated.

Only $542,000, a “bare-bones” budget, was allocated next year to the Arroyo Seco Fund, which is used for upkeep of the park surrounding the Rose Bowl. The amount will be changed later, after studies have been completed on the anticipated revenues to be generated by several proposed Rose Bowl projects.

The city also plans to hire a capital building construction coordinator to oversee construction of major buildings. The coordinator’s salary, to be drawn from separate project accounts, was not specified.