WESTMINSTER : Council Approves $27.5-Million Budget

After weeks of wrangling over numbers, the City Council this week narrowly approved a 1992-93 fiscal operating budget of $27.5 million.

The budget included a 5% cut in all city departments except the Fire Department, which was cut by about 3%, and an increase in water rates. Although the city had a $1.5-million increase in revenue from the previous year, substantial state funding decreases, including $1.4 million in property-tax disbursements, forced the cutbacks.

The council approved the budget 3 to 2 Tuesday, with councilwomen Joy L. Neugebauer and Lyn Gillespie voting against it, citing dissatisfaction with many of the calculations.

“I had no confidence in the numbers that were given us” by the finance director, Gillespie said. “We found many mistakes and inaccuracies, and if I’m going to vote for something, I want to know what the figures are.”

But Mayor Charles V. Smith said that he was happy with the budget and that any errors were adequately explained and corrected. “Mistakes were corrected and did not affect the bottom line in any circumstances,” he said.

Smith said the city is facing escalating costs from the county, including an increase in jail booking fees, as well as losses in state revenue. The council will be losing cigarette tax disbursements along with property tax revenue.

Total cuts include $300,000 to $500,000 in general funds and about $500,000 in redevelopment funds, according to Gillespie.

In the approved budget, the Police Department will face a $125,000 reduction in overtime pay, the freezing of one police officer position and one police clerk position, and reduction in capital outlay requests of more than $100,000.

In addition, the service life of police, fire and other city vehicles will be extended beyond three years, at which point they are now traded in. No money was budgeted for vehicle replacement.

City building maintenance costs will also be cut.

Smith said much of the reductions in the Community Services and Recreation and Public Works departments will come in the form of cutting equipment costs. But, he said, services in all departments will be maintained as they are, and no staff positions will be cut.