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Santa Clarita Hosting Budget Sessions For Spending Plan

Santa Clarita city officials are planning for a slight increase in their revenue projections for the coming fiscal year, according to a budget meeting Tuesday night.


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The numbers call for a 0.8 percent increase to the general fund, which is expected to total about $187.3 million.

The numbers were reported by City Manager Ken Striplin at a budget planning session for the 2015-16 fiscal year.

“The five-year forecast looks stable,” according to the numbers, which divide the budget thusly: Half of the budget is for Operations and Maintenance; Personnel Services, comprises 26 percent; Capital Projects, such as the Golden Valley Bridge Widening, comprises 17 percent; 4 percent is for Capital Outlay; 2 percent is Reserves and Debt Services; Successor Agency 1 percent.

The plan also calls for an increase in the general fund reserve to 19 percent.

Within the various budgets, there are adjustments called for over 2014-15 fiscal year. The Public Safety portion of the city’s budget, which includes the city’s contract with the Sheriff’s Department, calls for a 2.5 percent increase in the base contract cost, which amounts to a little less than a half-million dollars.

Additional costs associated with law enforcement services include $100,000 for automated license plate reader speed trailers; $9,300 for automated license plate reader units; $73,312 for an additional deputy and a motorcycle; and $166,500 for Domestic Highway Enforcement Team operations.

In terms of celebrations in the city, the budget also calls for $80,000 for Old Town Newhall holiday decor and $109,000 to further the city’s Tourism Marketing District.

City officials plan to spend $138,000 on Cemex advocacy, a slight increase over the $135,000 budgeted last year for the city’s fight against a massive sand-and-gravel mine from opening in the Santa Clarita Valley.

The major capital improvement projects mentioned in the budget include: $1.42 million for Sierra Highway-Golden Valley Road pedestrian bridge improvements; $1.2 million is budgeted for the design and construction of a Vista Canyon Ranch CNG Station; the Orchard Village Road median turf removal plan is set to cost $50,000; Nearly one-third of a million ($300,000) is budgeted for working on utility lines under Soledad Canyon Road; $1.57 million is slated for Valencia Boulevard median work; and the Canyon Country Community Center will be designed for $1.6 million.

The largest chunk is for roadway improvements, with about $9.5 million budgeted for the year.

The budget plan is scheduled to be approved June 23 at a meeting in front of Santa Clarita City Council. The next subcommittee meeting for the budget is scheduled for May 11.

Do you have a news tip? Call us at (661) 298-1220, or drop us a line at community@hometownstation.com.

KHTS AM 1220 - Santa Clarita Radio

Santa Clarita Hosting Budget Sessions For Spending Plan

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About Perry Smith

Perry Smith is a print and broadcast journalist who has won several awards for his focused, hyperlocal community coverage in several different regions of the country. In addition to five years of experience covering the Santa Clarita Valley, Smith, a San Fernando Valley native, has worked in newspapers and news websites in Los Angeles, the Northwest, the Central Valley and the South, before coming to KHTS in 2012. To contact Smith, email him at Perry@hometownstation.com.