SANTA ANA : City OKs Budget That Eliminates 26 Jobs

The City Council has approved a $279.5-million budget for the 1994-95 fiscal year that calls for new building plan fees and the elimination of 26 employee positions.

The spending plan also includes a $12.9-million deficit, which will be made up mostly by one-time revenues such as the sale of a $5-million city reservoir, said Rod Coloma, executive director of finance and management services.

In his report to the board, Coloma blamed much of the city’s financial trouble on the state government, which has balanced its own budget for the last few years by taking a larger share of revenue that previously went to city governments.

The budget calls for new fees of $50 to $90 an hour for staff time in reviewing building design and construction plans. Those reviews are now free.

It also calls for a 2.5% increase in the sanitation fee, which will raise the average cost per homeowner by $1.80 per year, and a 2.9% increase in the water rate, increasing the average bill about 50 cents a month.

The water rate hike will bring in about $600,000 a year to help pay for the expansion of a reservoir and the completion of four new water wells, according to a report to the council.

Employee positions that will be eliminated include a fire safety specialist, a police arson investigator, two fire battalion chiefs, five police service officers, two building inspectors, four custodians and three library staff members.

However, because employees will be shifted to other, vacant positions wherever feasible, only two employees are expected to be laid off, City Manager David N. Ream said.

The council rejected staff proposals to charge more for temporary library cards and admission to city pools. It also rejected a plan to close city pools on a rotating basis to save money.

The council eliminated fees for parking permits and modified a controversial fee for registering home and business alarms.

Now only businesses must pay the $25 alarm-registration fee.

Money generated by the alarm fees will enable the city to retain 17 police cadet positions that would otherwise have been eliminated.

Mayor Daniel H. Young praised the staff for its creativity in finding new revenue to offset the deficit and added that “this is as close a cut to the bone as I’ve seen in my years on the council.”

Still, he warned that unless the economy improves and the state refrains from taking additional money from cities, Santa Ana could face substantial layoffs within a year.

“One more slip of the rug and we’re going to have some major pain at our table,” he said.