GARDEN GROVE : City Cuts Panels, OKs Tentative Budget

The City Council this week approved a tentative 1993-94 budget, closing a projected $8-million shortfall by eliminating several city commissions and continuing a hiring freeze.

Council members had feared that pay cuts or layoffs would have to be made or new taxes imposed in the $46-million budget for the 1993-94 fiscal year. But after deciding to continue the hiring freeze on 40 vacant jobs, withholding pay raises for the third consecutive year and getting rid of five city commissions, the cuts were unnecessary.

Assistant City Manager Mike Fenderson said the elimination of the Traffic, Community Services and Arts, Senior Citizens, Youth, and Water commissions will save the city $26,000 in stipends paid to commissioners.

The Traffic and Senior Citizens commissions will be replaced with unpaid committees made up of residents and some city officials.

In addition, the Planning Commission and Neighborhood Improvement and Conservation Commission will be reduced from seven to five members each.

By not filling the city’s 40 current vacant positions, Fenderson said, the city will save $1.2 million. More than 50 other positions were eliminated from the 1992-93 budget because of budget cuts.

All city departments made cuts in supplies, conference fees and training costs for another savings of $1.5 million.

In all, Garden Grove’s 1993-94 budget ends up with a surplus of $942,100 that the city will use to help balance the 1994-95 budget, which council members said will “need help badly.”

The council considered closing a fire station at night to save another $337,500, but because the state apparently will take about $1 million less in property taxes than the city had anticipated, a decision was postponed until a final state budget is passed.

“There’s no higher priority than public safety,” Councilman Mark Leyes said.

“I’m really sort of elated with the budget,” Councilman Bruce A. Broadwater said. “If we all hang in there, we’re going to get through this depression.”

Mayor Frank Kessler said the budget is nothing to cheer about.

“There are no salary adjustments for our people for the third year,” he said. “I don’t like the budget, and the big culprit is the state.”