Pomona balances budget without cuts to fire service

POMONA - After being handed a solution to one of the largest budgetary hurdles it had left, the Pomona City Council this week adopted a $176.7 million operating budget.

Council members voted unanimously to approve the budget that required numerous cuts to have a document that is balanced.

Although the city has a budget for the 2009-10 fiscal year, no one is feeling relieved.

Pomona, like other cities, is now facing an uncertain financial future linked to the state and its budget, Mayor Elliott Rothman said.

State legislators could adopt a budget that involves taking or borrowing gas tax dollars, property taxes or redevelopment money meant for the use of cities, Rothman said.

"I just won't feel good about our budget until they take care of theirs," he said.

This week, council members were able to clear a budgetary hurdle with the help of the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

City staff had proposed taking a fire engine at the city's downtown fire station out of service for nine months to save the city $1.4 million.

However, fire service cuts won't be necessary due to a change in the payment schedule for the proposed sale of a city fire training center - located on the grounds of Fire Station 187 on Temple Avenue - to Los Angeles County.

The county had agreed to purchase the facility for $4.7 million and pay it off over a five-year period.

City Manager Linda Lowry said the county agreed to pay the city for the facility within a two-year period.

Under that payment schedule, the city will receive enough money to avert fire service reductions, plus the $950,000 that it was expecting this year for the sale and $359,000 that will be used to make budget adjustments during the year or to reverse some cuts, according to a memo from Lowry to the council.

Councilman Steve Atchley said Thursday a representative of the Los Angeles County Fire Department, Chief Deputy Michael Dyer, offered the city some ideas that could help curtail costs.

The ideas are related to real estate and would take some time to set in place but would "have a way of reducing costs," he said.

During closed session, the City Council talked about two items related to property negotiations. One matter involved the city's fire training center and the other item involved the fire stations on North White Avenue and East Bonita Avenue.

As part of budget discussions, Councilwoman Paula Lantz pressed to have two community service officer positions in the Police Department's crime prevention unit reinstated.

The two crime prevention posts are critical to assisting Neighborhood Watch groups and residents trying to organize such groups, Lantz said.

Councilwoman Cristina Carrizosa proposed using money from the Police Department's overtime budget to cover the more than $111,400 it would cost to fund the two community services officers.

"Why can't we take $111,000 in overtime? I'm sure the police officers can do without," Carrizosa said.

Carrizosa went on to say the police overtime budget could be reduced by more than $800,000, saying a large part of the city's funds go to public safety.

Lantz said she couldn't support additional cuts to the department's overtime budget.

The Police Department reduced overtime costs to $2.9 million during the current fiscal year, which is about $1 million less than was spent in the 2007-08 fiscal year.

"They have done a yeoman's job in cutting," Lantz said.

The council agreed to tap the overtime fund for $111,000 to fund the two community service officers for crime prevention, plus another $389,000 to be set aside in a contingency fund in case the Police Department needs it later and the city manager approves.