Camarillo Plans New Department

With a growing city and a huge budget reserve, Camarillo plans to create a new department and hire four employees--including an administrator with a six-figure salary--as part of its $52-million budget for next fiscal year.

The City Council on Wednesday night is set to adopt a 1998-99 spending plan that includes setting aside $353,000 to establish a 12-person Administrative Services Department.

The proposed $52.2-million budget anticipates revenue of $49.4 million from all sources next year. The city plans to get the additional $2.8 million needed from its reserve fund.

Though the city expects to have $51.7 million in reserves by June 30, two-thirds of that amount is earmarked for previously approved capital improvement projects.

Under the proposed budget, the city would hire four people to help run the new department and transfer eight employees from other departments.

The money to set up the department, to be located at the rear of City Hall, would come from the city’s information service funds and general funds.

Administrative services employees would deal with personnel issues, such as hiring and firing and issuing employee benefits. Assistant City Manager Larry Davis now performs those duties.

Employees would also absorb assorted duties from the finance and public services departments, such as handling legal claims against the city; operating computer and other information systems; and overseeing maintenance of the city’s facilities and equipment.

“As the city grows, it gets to a point where it’s hard to keep up with the increased workload,” Vice Mayor Kevin Kildee said Monday. “Those positions are big enough to become their own entity.”

Over the past decade, Camarillo’s population has steadily increased by about 2% each year. In 1988, the population was 47,014. By the end of April 1998, that number had grown to 60,702, according to city statistics.

But not all council members agree with adding a new layer of bureaucracy to the city’s 115-person work force.

Councilman Bill Liebmann questioned the wisdom in spending $109,500 to cover the annual salary of an administrative services director to oversee the new department. He also opposed spending $47,600 to pay the yearly salary of the director’s secretary; it is about what other top secretaries earn.

Liebmann said two new employees, rather than four, might be sufficient.

“If two new positions can absorb the workload, we won’t need a new department head,” Liebmann said. “We can always add a new staff member later, but if we bring them in now, it will be difficult to cut them later.”

He is expected to be the only council member who will vote against the budget proposal.

“It’s a good budget, we’re going to be moving on some capital projects--it’s just that one exception,” Liebmann said of the overall spending plan.

The budget calls for $17.4 million worth of capital improvements and projects within the city during the fiscal year beginning July 1. The projects include $2.7 million for improving storm drainage, $1.4million worth of repairs to the city’s sidewalks and streets, and an additional $750,000 toward the construction of the Flynn Road offramp from the Ventura freeway.

The council’s Wednesday meeting is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. in council chambers at City Hall, 601 Carmen Drive.