City Council members assembled at City Hall Tuesday to present and discuss the city’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2018.

City council, commissioners and staff collected for a study session to informally look at the city’s forecasted spending for the coming year. The session allow the City Council, commissioners and staff to informally discuss and better understand major issues currently before the city.

Each year the city goes through a budget process to develop the annual budget for the City of Santa Clarita,  over a six month period, beginning in January and ending in June, according to city documents.

City Manager Ken Striplin opened the discussion by attributing the city’s financial standing through conservative budget practices and budgeting philosophies.

“The purpose of today’s meeting is to provide an update on the state of the economy and the city’s budget, to introduce the fiscal year 2018/2019 budget, said Striplin. “Although we continue to evolve and change as an organization, the one thing that hasn’t changed that has been fundamental to our success is the conservative practices that we utilize.”

About five years ago the city council set a goal of reaching a 20 percent general fund operating reserve which city staff met and maintained throughout 2016 and 2017.

The council focused on review of the estimated general fund revenues and expenditures for the new fiscal year followed by a review of the city’s budget calendar.

With the adoption of a balanced annual budget, involving members of the city council, commissions and all city departments and community can plan to fund future projects for 2018.

Striplin made a point to thank city staff who worked on putting the budget together and providing tireless efforts to serve the city. He also spoke about the current state of the economy, which included many positive indicators for the next twelve months.

“The economy will continue to grow based primarily around  strong manufacturing, consumer spending and construction, with projections at around three percent,” according to reports from economic experts, Striplin said.

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