HUNTINGTON BEACH : City Adopts Budget, Leaves 34 Posts Vacant

The City Council on Monday adopted a balanced general fund budget by leaving vacant 34 full-time positions and making other spending reductions to offset a $1.6-million deficit.

With a budget shortfall looming over the city since October, the council adopted City Administrator Michael T. Uberuaga’s recommendation to leave the positions vacant for the remainder of the 1994-95 fiscal year. Forty-six of the 80 positions vacant due to retirements will be filled, Uberuaga said.

No new fee increases were imposed to balance the adopted $94.5-million general fund budget. However, a three-member council committee was established to review potential fees and other revenue sources to deal with the city’s long-term revenue needs.

The budget shortfall included a potential $500,000 loss in interest earnings as a result of the Orange County bankruptcy.

The Police Department took the brunt of cutbacks as the council decided against adding eight new positions--six new patrol officers, one sergeant and a field services officer--for a savings of $577,000. Six vacancies in the department also will not be filled.

Police Chief Ronald E. Lowenberg said the additional officers would have helped to improve emergency response times and boost the number of available officers to handle calls.

He said, however, that the department has 28 vacant positions, and the council has given the go-ahead to fill 14 openings, 11 of them for sworn officers.

“I’m pleased to fill the police officer positions to get (them) trained for summer employment,” Lowenberg said.

The Fire Department will fill 16 of 20 openings at varying ranks. However, three firefighter positions will not be filled and the hiring of a fire division chief will be delayed until April 1 to save about $31,000.