CAMARILLO : City Plan Will Offset $352,000 Shortfall

The Camarillo City Council unanimously adopted a belt-tightening plan Wednesday to offset a projected $352,000 shortfall in a $25-million budget.

In the quarter ending in August, the city saw a 10% drop in state sales-tax revenues, which led officials to project the shortfall for the end of the fiscal year.

“If the economy takes a plunge, so do our revenues,” City Manager William Little said before the meeting.

“If we have a bad Christmas,” the drop in sales-tax revenues “could go to 20% or 25% real quick,” Little said, adding that development-related revenues have also decreased.

The City Council asked city financial planners to outline measures to make up the funds and to come up with a contingency plan if revenues continue to fall.

City financial analysts said they would help offset the shortfall and provide a cushion with budget surpluses, including $102,600 in transportation funds, $31,000 for transit and $209,000 set aside for capital projects. They also would save $6,500 by delaying the hiring of a senior accountant.

The analysts laid out four plans for budget cuts ranging from 6.45% to 22.75% of the general fund budget of $9 million.

Capital projects on the chopping block include the $291,600 expansion of City Hall, equipment purchases, and some travel and training accounts.

“We’ve attempted to keep furtherest from the people any cuts that affect services,” said Mayor Stanley J. Daily.

In the worst-case scenario, the jobs of the Planning Department’s goals consultant and three contracted Ventura County Sheriff’s Department employees would be cut to save $137,644, Little said.