COSTA MESA : City Ponders Cuts in Grants, Programs

Facing a $2.1-million revenue shortfall, city officials have proposed cutting grants to cultural arts groups and social programs in half and slashing their own pay by 25%.

Department heads, acting on a mandate from City Manager Allan L. Roeder, presented outlines to the City Council at a budget session Monday detailing programs and expenditures that could be cut if they are forced to reduce their budgets by 3.8% to close a $4-million budget deficit.

Among other suggestions, council members discussed a possible 25% cut in pay for themselves, and cutting back on travel to conferences and city-paid memberships in civic organizations such as the Orange County Coast Assn. and the International City Management Assn. They will consider the reductions at their next meeting on Monday.

“I think the council taking a hit is a good example that we are serious about this,” said Councilman Joe Erickson. “We don’t want to raise taxes, we don’t want to cut services and we don’t want to go into our reserves. All of this is hard.”

The pay cut, suggested by Councilman Peter F. Buffa, would reduce council members’ monthly salary from $690 to $517.50. Mayor Mary Hornbuckle also recommended that the city consider cutting the monthly salaries of its transportation, planning and parks and recreation commissions, whose members earn about $400 per month.

The council also proposed a 50% cut in advertising and promotional grants allocated to groups such as the Harbor Area Boys and Girls Clubs and high school organizations that use the funds for Grad Nights--alcohol-free graduation parties designed to keep reveling seniors indoors until morning to prevent them from drinking and driving.

So far this fiscal year, the city has allocated $28,000 of a $100,000 budget for these grants. Erickson suggested notifying groups that rely on the grants that the remaining funding may be cut in half so they will not count on the higher amounts, but other council members urged taking a closer look at how an across-the-board 50% cut would affect each group. Some larger groups may be able to compensate for the lost funding and smaller groups that rely more heavily on the funding for survival may need additional money, they said.

Councilwoman Sandra L. Genis said the grant requests, particularly those from high schools, could easily be replaced by fund-raisers put on by the students.

“I would call it constituency-building funds,” she said. “I think Grad Night and the Newport-Mesa schools are very important. However, when I was in high school, we paid for that on our own.”

Social program grants, which have already been allocated for the fiscal year, will be lower next year because the federal money used to fund them has been eliminated, Roeder said. The council allocated $130,000 to social programs, such as the Feedback Foundation, this year.

“What we’ve told all the cities and everybody is we’ll just do the best we can on the money that’s available,” said Feedback Executive Director Shirley Cohen. Feedback received $25,000 from the city this year--it had requested $43,000--and has reduced its meals delivery program by about 30 seniors in Costa Mesa, she said.

The council also suggested cutting meals served to committees, such as the Cultural Arts and Golf Course committees. The monthly meals cost the city about $2,600 a year.