TORRANCE : $1.27-Million Slash in City Budget OKd

The City Council on Tuesday gave final approval to a plan to cut $1.27 million from the city’s operating budget, reducing spending on everything from the removal and replacement of city trees to audiotapes for the city library.

The cuts were approved Tuesday by a 7-0 vote. The amendments to the fiscal 1992-93 budget eliminate six full-time positions, all of them relatively low-paying posts ranging from custodian to secretary.

Of those jobs, however, only one is currently filled. The employee who holds it will be transferred to another post, officials said.

On Nov. 17, the council will take up a plan for a $360,000 increase in fees on items including plumbing permits and library meeting room rental. Together with a shift of $164,000 in transit funds to the city’s operating budget, the austerity steps are designed to balance the city’s $148-million budget. Torrance faced a revenue shortfall caused by a reduction in this year’s state allocations to cities.