Here are some items the council will...

Here are some items the council will consider tonight.

RECREATION BUDGET CUTS

Because of concerns that the city has been spending more than it

takes in, the council in 2004 asked the parks and recreation

department to figure out how to trim $100,000 from its budget for the

current fiscal year. The department is now bringing back a proposal

to make that cut, largely through reductions in part-time staff

hours.

The cut is a 2.6% reduction in the parks budget. It doesn’t appear

too painful, as in some cases recreation staff hours were reduced

after schools began releasing students later in the day. A

mobile-skate-park program would also be eliminated.

WHAT TO EXPECT

With budget concerns still looming, the council seems likely to

get behind spending reductions that a department has proposed for

itself. But it’s worth noting that three of the five council members

are new since the request was made to reduce the parks budget.

MID-YEAR

BUDGET REPORT

In recent years the city has had to balance its budget with

carry-over funds from previous years, and officials expected that

when they adopted the 2004-05 fiscal year budget. But a boost in

sales-tax revenue and other mid-year changes mean the city only needs

to spend $2.1 million from carry-over funds, rather than the $4.3

million previously expected.

WHAT TO EXPECT

The council will be asked tonight to receive and file a report on

the budget update, a routine action. But what will be interesting is

follow-up action likely within the next month: When council members

heard the city will spend less from the general fund than budgeted,

they each proposed some of the savings be devoted to various street

maintenance projects. The council will hear a report at an upcoming

meeting on the cost of those street projects.