CAMARILLO : Deputy, Accountant Positions May Be Cut

A shortfall of nearly $600,000 in the 1990-91 Camarillo budget, caused by recent state budget cuts, has forced city officials to recommend to the council at today’s meeting that two permanent positions be eliminated.

The elimination of a sheriff’s deputy and a senior accountant position will restore $144,705 to the general fund, Assistant City Manager Larry Davis said. In addition, two capital improvement projects will not be funded: $150,000 for a City Hall improvement and $100,000 for the improvement of Constitution Park.

“The loss of personnel is worse for us,” Davis said. “We can hold off on the capital improvement projects for another year, but because of the cuts we will be understaffed in the financial department, and we need every policeman we can get on the street to stop crime.”

The City Council adopted a $9.7-million budget last June. However, the state budget adopted in late July resulted in revenue losses for cities. One is an 8% reduction in cigarette tax money, affecting Camarillo’s budget by $7,535. An unexpected reduction in trial court funding from the state totaled $351,000.

Costs of booking prisoners could empty the general fund of more than $200,000. The state recently passed a bill giving the county the authority to charge for booking prisoners at County Jail. With about 1,550 such bookings for Camarillo, at $150 per booking, the cost to the city will be about $232,500.