Advertisement

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO : Council Approves $10.1-Million Budget

Cutting expenditures in every City Hall department, but stopping short of layoffs or tax increases, the San Juan Capistrano City Council this week approved a $10.1-million operating budget for fiscal year 1993-94.

At the same time, the council voted unanimously to approve a seven-year, $20.9-million capital improvement budget for major infrastructure projects. A total of $7.4 million will be spent during the current fiscal year, said William M. Huber, the city’s director of engineering and building.

The challenge of the city’s operating budget was to make adjustments for the expected decrease of $540,000 in revenues, said City Manager George Scarborough. However, revenue cutbacks to local government in the recently signed state budget will not be as severe as that.

Advertisement

“We budgeted for a $540,000 shortfall because, until a couple of weeks ago, that looked like it would happen,” Scarborough said, adding that the budget for 1993-94 is $1.5 million less than it was in fiscal 1990-91. “We don’t know what the final numbers will be, but we know it will be less than that.”

To offset the shortfalls, the city has decreased its personnel costs through employee attrition, has cut back on the cost of fees to outside legal firms, and reduced the cost of its liability insurance, said Cindy Pendleton, the director of finance.

But the budget news is not all about cutbacks, Pendleton said.

The council also promised to work with a group of residents from the Hunters Creek development near San Juan Creek to help build a neighborhood park. Although the group offered to help pay for the 2.25-acre park, the council stopped short of allocating money and, instead, directed the city staff to return with a report on the $100,000 project.

Advertisement

Among the capital improvements expected during the year are a parking deck near the Capistrano Depot, a new parking lot for the public library and a slate of sewer and drainage projects.

Advertisement