STANTON : Public Hearing for City Budget Is Today

The City Council will hold a public hearing today for a lean, $12.4-million budget that officials say will not significantly affect the city’s level of service.

The 1993-94 budget has been called “provisional” by the city staff and council members, since the city is waiting for passage of the state budget to determine what its share of property and other tax revenue will be.

The city must pass a budget before July 1.

The $12.4-million budget calls for the same level of service as last year’s, according to the city’s financial director, John Hartman. There are no provisions for new positions or salary increases.

“There’s no capital outlay to speak of,” Hartman said, noting that the city is trimming what it can. “You can’t really strip down a budget any more than we’ve stripped down this budget.”

The city will benefit from a recently approved 6% utility tax that will be applied to water, telephone, natural gas and electricity bills.

Hartman said the tax could raise $1 million next year for the city, but he is not banking on it. “Until we get some experience with this, there’s just no way to know,” he said.

The city expects to lose as much as $400,000 in state cuts this year but will offset that with the utility tax. City officials note that the Redevelopment Agency will be harder hit, since property taxes are its sole source of income. The agency is responsible for the $5-million Civic Center, which will open later this summer, among other projects.

The council will meet at 6 p.m.