2 Agencies Report Budget Troubles

Somewhat darkening what had been a rosy budget picture, the Ventura County Board of Supervisors listened Tuesday to status reports from two financially troubled agencies: the harbor and parks departments.

Income at the Channel Islands Harbor near Oxnard has declined a stunning 18% since the 1989-90 fiscal year, according to a Harbor Department report presented to the board Tuesday.

The marina has a 20% boat slip vacancy rate, “a stark contrast after experiencing waiting lists in the 1980s”; restaurant income has declined 40% since several of the establishments went bankrupt; and retail sales are down 23%, the report concluded.

Hoping to generate more money and attract more people to the waterway, county officials are working on a master plan to redevelop the area. Board Chairwoman Judy Mikels said she was at least upbeat that county officials had begun trying to rectify the revenue problems.

Meanwhile, parks officials on Tuesday provided the board with an update on how they managed to compensate for funding problems of their own. Previously, the Harbor Department had been paying the Parks Department an $800,000 annual subsidy, but supervisors ended the practice last year.

Due to that midyear loss of income, the Parks Department is projecting an accounting loss of $1.47 million for the current budget year.

Supervisors postponed a decision on how to rectify the department’s imbalance until this summer’s budget hearings.

In the meantime, however, they conceptually approved new goals and a mission statement for the department, including a provision that the department develop additional, revenue-producing facilities such as its golf course and amphitheater projects in Camarillo.

County officials last month had predicted that the upcoming budget process would be relatively painless, with no cuts in staffing or departmental budgets. However, that was before the individual departments had formulated their specific budget needs.