Council to Study Issues Guiding City’s Annual Budget

VENTURA — Should Ventura cut social services? How will the city wean itself from depending on interest earnings on its reserves? How will the city generate more tax revenues in coming years to maintain residents’ current level of city services?

Ventura council members will grapple with such questions tonight when they hold their first study session on the proposed 1997-98 budget.

Conversations with council members Friday show widespread agreement on what the issues are, but differences on how they should be resolved.

In her executive summary to the council, City Manager Donna Landeros questions the current level of social service in the city.

“There are many success stories making a significant improvement to people’s lives,” she wrote. “However, the extent of the funding is having an increasingly restrictive impact upon the city’s ability to pay for basic services.”

Councilman Jim Friedman agreed that a second look should be taken at how much is being spent on social programs.

“I think the question that should be asked is, When is enough enough?” Friedman said. “It’s been expressed that for a city of our size, with the budget that we have, we have an extraordinary amount in the form or social services.”

Councilman Steve Bennett agrees that Ventura spends a lot and said it should stay that way.

“I’m not interested in spending less,” Bennett said. “Very few cities can walk around with their heads held high because of their commitment to social services.”

Council members will ask their questions, and city staff members will respond after a brief break.

This is the first of two budget study sessions. Council members must adopt the 1997-98 budget by the end of June.