The city released its proposed budget for the 2014-15 fiscal year, highlighting reduced spending by about $88 million from fiscal year 2013-14, according to a press release.

The full budget is on the city’s website, www.cityofdavis.org.

The $196.1 million proposed budget will be presented to the City Council on June 10 and is scheduled to be approved on June 24, the statement said. The City Council may require changes to the proposed budget before approval.

The $88 million in reduced spending largely reflects the removal of capital funds for the sewage treatment project. The proposed budget has 428 full-time equivalent staff positions, with five vacant staff positions eliminated.

The general fund is listed as $48,133,841 of the overall $196,146,382 budget, and is proposed to be balanced by using $4.2 million in reserves, leaving roughly $1 million left in reserve.

“Although the proposed budget already incorporates $1.2 million in reductions, the current structural deficit needs to be addressed and highlights the gap between revenues and expenditures,” the city said in the statement.

The city is trying to address the deficit by placing Measure O before voters, which would raise $2.7 million the first fiscal year and an estimated $3.6 million per year thereafter. The city said major program areas would need to be cut upwards of $4 million if Measure O does not pass. The money would go into the general fund and be spent on whatever the City Council deems fit, although the current council has promised to use the money to avoid some cuts in public safety and parks maintenance.

The city is working on longer term solutions to the budget dilemma, including soliciting proposals for high technology innovation parks on the edges of the city. These parks are thought to bring thousands of new, high-paying jobs to Davis and new city revenue.

 — Reach Dave Ryan at [email protected] or call 530-747-8057.

Comments

comments