Tuesday’s proposed cuts total nearly $4 million
With City Hall facing a $16.1 million deficit this year, all departments have been mandated to reduce their operational costs by 5 percent.
The proposals on Tuesday mean the elimination of nearly nine jobs within City Hall and cutting employee’s overtime hours.
Here are the department head’s suggestions:
• The capital improvements projects, which commands a $71 million budget, proposes taking away from funds meant for a seismic retrofit of City Hall, extending the time frame for replacing city computers and vehicles, delaying the alley revitalization project and borrowing money for City TV, the city’s cable television channel. The total proposed cuts amount to $1.6 million.
473,• In an effort to save $20,000, officials propose cutting the City Council’s back-up staff by reducing the hours of two positions who work for council members.
• The city manager’s office, which commands a $6.8 million budget, proposes cutting $230,000 by eliminating a vacant full-time public safety position and a part-time vacant administrative post.
Staff in the city manager’s office also plan to share resources with the City Council’s office, reduce the number of new City TV programs, eliminate the Public Electronic Network, cut expert services on communications projects and reduce the amount of dedicated technology the police department uses.
• Records and elections services proposes to cut $59,000 from its $1.8 million budget, mostly by limiting equipment and supply expenses, including finding less expensive paper contracts. The city currently is locked into an agreement for paper with a 50 percent recycled content. Arrangements with a different vendor or a lower content of recycled paper could be less expensive, said City Clerk Maria Stewart. The department also proposes removing the public copier from City Hall.
748,• The city attorney’s office, which oversees a $6 million budget that is 94 percent salaries and wages, proposes saving $257,000 by cutting a vacant relief receptionist position and shifting the salary for another worker to a different fund.
• The finance department proposes scaling back its $4.3 million budget by $200,000 by cutting a vacant auditor position, cutting overtime and reducing the amount of money spent on supplies and expenses.
• Human resources recommends shaving $93,000 off of its $2.1 million budget, mostly by cutting two technician positions and limiting supply expenses.
• The police department, which controls a $46 million budget, proposes reductions of $438,000 by cutting the equivalent of 1.8 positions. Police Chief James T. Butts Jr. said the cuts will effect back-up staff in the vice and narcotics division, as well as the mounted police unit.
• The Santa Monica Fire Department, whose $16.2 million budget is 93 percent salary and wages, proposes cutting $85,000 from next year’s budget, including the elimination of a fire safety coordinator position. Fire Chief Ettore Berardinelli said the cuts will mean the discontinuation of several outreach and education programs sponsored by the fire department.
• The budget for non-departmental expenses, which oversees employee benefits for the entire city, will grow from $8.5 million in 2002-2003 to $15.8 million in 2003-2004, largely due to increased retirement and health care costs. Still, the department will cut roughly $800,000 from its budget, mostly by freeing up funds that were being held if the living wage ordinance had passed last year. City Hall would have been required to pay all of its employees $10.50 an hour with benefits or $12.50 without benefits if the ordinance had passed last year, which it didn’t.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on May 29, 2003. Read the original PDF.