Thousand Oaks : Parks District OKs $8.8-Million Budget

The board of the Conejo Recreation and Park District has adopted a new budget that includes a reduction in spending of about $800,000 compared to last year.

The board unanimously approved Thursday an $8.8-million budget for 1992-93. The new budget reflects an 8.3% reduction that contrasts with the $9.6 million the district spent last year.

The board agreed to cut about $300,000 in operational expenses. The district also made additional cuts of about $500,000 by freezing staff positions and reducing the hours of part-time staff by 10% to 15%, said Tex Ward, a park official. No layoffs are expected.

Despite the cutbacks, the board said it will move forward with a proposed four-acre expansion of Banyan Park in Newbury Park.

The recreation district is responsible for maintaining 31 neighborhood and community parks and is also partly responsible for 7,000 acres of open space in the city of Thousand Oaks.

The new budget does not include possible reductions in property taxes that the state Legislature has proposed. State budget cuts could lop off up to $5 million in property tax revenues to cities and special districts, Ward said.

“It’s all up in the air,” he said.