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# City budget is ready to go
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/city-budget-is-ready-to-go/
- Published: 2008-05-23T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-24T19:41:18.000Z
- Author: Melody Hanatani
- Tags: Government & Politics, Malibu, #archive-import

*Committee requests senior stormwater engineer position*

CITY HALL After dissecting the fiscal 2008- 09 budget for two nights, mulling issues like tree trimming and funding for the arts, the City Council concluded discussions on a half billion dollar spending plan on Wednesday, setting the stage for approval next month.

The study sessions ran relatively smoothly compared to last year when issues such as the $500,000 increase in funding to the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District was being contested by a number of councilmembers, concerned about a controversial special education program. The budget discussions last year were further complicated by changes as a result of the reorganization within the City Manager’s Office.

While neighboring communities are feeling the heat from a sluggish economy, hurt by a slumping housing market and low consumer spending, Santa Monica has felt minimal effects, comforted by a buffer thanks to a diversified tax base. The result is a $521.7 million budget that is actually approximately 8.6 percent higher than the current fiscal year, according to City Manager Lamont Ewell.

The result is enhanced staffing for public safety, funding for new capital improvement projects like an upgrade to the Santa Monica Public Library’s software catalog, and new programs like the all-night artist festival this summer, called “Glow.”

Among the most notable inclusions in the upcoming budget, particularly in light of the recent ficus and carob tree controversies, is a nearly $900,000 for tree trimming in order to enhance public safety and reduce City Hall’s exposure to tree failure related litigation.

City Hall just last week removed 23 ficus trees from downtown that were deemed as structurally unstable. Roughly 300 carob trees, also determined to pose a safety risk, could also be removed during the coming weeks.

There has been a backlog in tree maintenance the past several years, a result of maintenance contract costs increasing during the 2000-01 fiscal year, resulting in 40 percent less trees getting trimmed that year, according to Elaine Polachek, the community maintenance director.

There are about 6,200 trees awaiting deferred maintenance, she said.

City agencies have received about $200,000 to help maintain the trees as well as $286,000 to increase trimming frequency on palm and ficus trees.

“We’ve gotten quite far behind,” Polachek said. “Instead of doing them (every) one to two years, in some cases it’s three to five years.”

Department staff are currently in the process of initiating a comprehensive study of tree species in Santa Monica and with One possible change in the budget when it comes back to the council next month is the inclusion of a green building case manager and a senior stormwater engineer, both of which are recommendations made by the Environmental Task Force on Monday.

The senior stormwater engineer should be hired to expedite the Santa Monica Pier storm drain rehabilitation project, which is currently slated for completion in 2010.

“It’s something we passionately believed in,” Mark Gold, the chair of the task force, said.“We haven’t been here to fight too often on budget issues but this is something the entire task force felt very strongly about.”

Gold is also the president of Heal the Bay, which released its 18th annual Beach Report Card on Wednesday. The report card found that the water under the pier is the second most polluted in the state.

“This is a project that is of utmost importance to the city of Santa Monica,”Gold said.

The green building case manager position can be fully or partially subsidized by increasing inspection and permit fees.

“You don’t have the expertise on staff to deal with these green building projects, yet we have these amazing sustainable goals,” Gold said. “We need that expertise so we can allow people to building these green projects.”

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on May 23, 2008.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/052308.pdf?ref=smdp.com)