$135-Million Anaheim Budget Approved

The City Council unanimously approved the city’s $135-million budget Tuesday, balancing it by cutting Police and Fire departments spending by almost $3 million combined and temporarily taking more than $6 million from savings.

But City Manager James D. Ruth told the council his staff in August will propose several drastic cuts in services to avoid dipping into the $15-million reserve.

“We are going to give a variety of options,” Ruth said. He did not say what those options might be, but a similar scenario played out two years ago before a 2% utility tax was adopted.

The City Council last week decided to eliminate that tax on Sept. 30, as scheduled. It would have raised $6 million in the next fiscal year.

Councilman Bob D. Simpson, a supporter of the utility tax, said that without it the city has no other option than to cut services.

Using the city’s reserves to balance the budget, Simpson said, is “parallel to residents using their savings account to balance their domestic budget. You’re borrowing against the future if you do that.”

Simpson and Councilman Irv Pickler voted last week to retain the tax for an additional year, while Mayor Tom Daly joined Councilmen Frank Feldhaus and Fred Hunter in voting to eliminate the tax. Daly and Feldhaus are firm in their opposition to the tax, saying the city can cut its budget further without harming basic services.

However, Hunter, a former police officer who supported the tax until last week, said again Tuesday that he will reconsider extending the tax, but only if the council earmarks most of the money it raises to expanding the 330-member police force.

“I’ve been off the force for 18 years, and it’s basically the same size as it was when I left,” Hunter said.

The adopted budget calls for cutting Police Department spending by $2.4 million to $48.4 million. Police Chief Joseph T. Molloy has said the cuts will be made by closing the police station’s front counter at night and curtailing overtime for officers. He also said the department may no longer pay for elementary school crossing guards.

The Fire Department budget will be cut by $500,000 to $26.1 million. Fire Chief Jeff Bowman said two arson investigators will be sent back to the ranks of firefighters, and some fire stations will be closed periodically.