City departments asked to cut 5 percent of budgets
Managers at City Hall finished their proposals Wednesday night on how to help plug the city’s $16.1 million deficit.
All departments except fire and police had to reduce operational costs by 5 percent.
The proposals, which were made to the City Council earlier this week, mean the elimination of 31 jobs and the scaling back of several programs.
Here are the department heads’ suggestions: ■The planning department said it could trim $584,000 from its $14.2 million budget by cutting one full-time position and a vacant part-time maintenance position, as well as leaving three other positions vacant. ■Community and cultural services proposed shaving $1 million from its $29 million budget. Two part-time workers will be laid off and nine vacant positions will be eliminated, most of them part-time. Park maintenance will be diminished and some community programs will be scaled back. ■The library, which commands a $6.5 million budget, proposed cutting $517,000, largely because of the Main Library’s closure. About eight library workers will be laid off and one vacant position will be eliminated. Purchasing of new books will be cut by 20 percent for next year. ■The Big Blue Bus, which oversees a budget of $36.5 million, does not face cuts because its money comes from state and county transit funds and not from city coffers. ■Environmental and public works management proposed cutting $550,000 from its $55.8 million budget by laying off one analyst and eliminating six vacant positions. Additional savings will be made by bringing projects in-house that were previously farmed out to contractors. ■Resource management said it could cut $204,000 from its $11.8 million budget by eliminating one vacant analyst position, cutting certain maintenance funds for the Third Street Promenade by $29,000 and reducing the amount of money that goes to the Pier Restoration Corporation by $55,000. ■Representatives from capital improvements projects, which commands a $71 million budget, proposed 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 amounted to $1.6 million. ■In an effort to save $20,000, officials proposed cutting the City Council’s back-up staff by eliminating the part-time position of a retiring worker. ■The city manager’s office, which commands a $6.8 million budget, proposed cutting $230,000 by eliminating a vacant full-time computer support 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 technology the police department uses. ■Records and elections services proposed 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 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 proposed removing the public copier from City Hall. ■The city attorney’s office, which oversees a $6 million budget that is 94 percent salaries and wages, proposed saving $257,000 by cutting a vacant relief receptionist position and shifting the salary for another worker to a different fund. ■The finance department proposed 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 recommended 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, proposed reductions of $438,000 by cutting the equivalent of 1.8 positions. Police Chief James T. Butts Jr. said the cuts will affect 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, proposed 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 discontinuing 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 because of 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. Additionally, roughly $300,000 will be saved by shifting expenses to a different fund.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on May 30, 2003. Read the original PDF.