Community Center Spared in Budget Cuts : Oxnard: The council votes against closing the facility in the city’s south end. It serves senior citizens and houses a library branch.

Oxnard officials Tuesday rescued the city’s south-end community center and library from a budget ax that has been chipping away at public services in an effort to balance next year’s spending plan.

At the urging of residents, the council unanimously agreed to continue operating the South Oxnard Center, which serves senior citizens and houses a branch library.

The city, which is cutting costs to make up an anticipated $5-million shortfall for the 1992-93 fiscal year, would have saved $250,000 by closing the center.

But south Oxnard residents argued that the 2-year-old center serves those who need it most--minorities and low-income people who have nowhere else to go.

“We get little enough down there,” resident Elroy Hawes told council members. “You’ve got to talk about equality here, and it’s just not fair to close the center.”

City staff members recommended closing the center and transferring library services and staff to the main library. The library board agreed.

“We should not cripple the services of the main library in order to keep open a branch library,” library board President Madeline Miedema told the council.

Instead, council members agreed to look for a private group to take over some functions at the center, which could save the city money. But even if no group is found, and even at the expense of services at the main library, the South Oxnard Center will stay open, council members said.

“We all recall how long people on the south end of the city have wanted and have waited to have the South Oxnard Center opened,” Councilwoman Dorothy Maron said. “People on the south end also have to have some of the good things that make life important.”

The council also approved increases in water, sewage and garbage fees that will generate additional revenue.

Still in the balance are money-saving proposals to cut more than 30 city jobs and to ask city employees to voluntarily take one week of unpaid leave. City employees have rejected the suggested unpaid leave. The council will consider those items at its July 7 meeting.

And more bad news is on the way.

City Manager Vernon Hazen briefed council members on pending state budget reductions that are expected to force even deeper cuts locally in Oxnard’s proposed $61.5-million budget.

To help escape its own budget mess, the state Legislature is proposing to withdraw $1 million to $6.7 million in taxes and fees that are generated in Oxnard and typically funneled into city coffers.

If the state reduced the amount between $2 million and $4 million, Hazen said, the city would be forced to close two fire stations, shut down its park and recreation programs and gut a variety of other city services.

“These aren’t scare tactics, this is reality,” Hazen said. “Whatever the state does at this point to the city of Oxnard, it’s going to hurt.”

For the past few months, city officials have been considering ways to save money. The Financial Stability Task Force, an ad-hoc group of city employees who reviewed the budget for potential savings, made several budget-cutting recommendations.

The council rejected some of the suggestions, including imposing a public safety tax and selling advertising space on parks employees’ uniforms.

Hazen said proposed personnel reductions, when combined with previously approved employment cuts, amount to a one-year decrease of more than 60 city jobs. Hazen said he hopes to accomplish all staff reductions through attrition.