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A MARATHON BUDGET SESSION FOR TWENTYNINE PALMS CITY COUNCIL

After an emotional recognition ceremony honoring retired City Clerk Char Sherwood, the Twentynine Palms City Council occupied the next 3 ½ hours with a workshop and public hearing on the budget for fiscal year 2012-2013. Reporter Dan Stork was there throughout, and summarizes the budget discussions…
During the public hearing, several speakers urged complete rejection of the budget, decrying the bulk and format of the budget document, but most particularly the use of $1.7 million of the $12 million accumulated surplus to fund one-time capital expenditures. City Manager Richard Warne said that all operational expenditures can be met without touching the surplus, so the proposed budget is balanced, independent of how much of the suggested capital projects the Council may choose to fund from accumulated reserves. Most council members were initially adamant about leaving the reserves untouched, in readiness for a serious emergency. Council member Dan Mintz took a different tack, saying that the City typically runs a healthy surplus, and should be willing to apply at least this year’s surplus to capital projects next year. By the time that most of members of the public who had objected to the budget had left the meeting, the Council got down to examining the 38-item list of capital projects line by line. It concentrated on those items that would be funded from the controversial $1.7 million. A small number of big-ticket items were removed from the budget proposal, including a splash pad at Luckie Park, a bridge over Donnell Basin, and park land acquisition. That left about $950,000, spread over about two dozen projects, that the Council will consider funding from surplus funds. The Council asked the City Manager to organize the budget in a way that would make it easier for them to analyze. The Council will return to budget considerations in future meetings, including changes in fee structures.

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