Santa Barbara City Council held a special meeting to make budget adjustments
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Residents packed a special Santa Barbara City Council meeting on Tuesday night.
The meeting entitled, "A Final Recommendations & Adjustments Fiscal Year 2024 & 2025 Budget" was intended to add transparency to efforts to balance the city budget.
Councilwoman Kristen Sneddon recently told Noozhawk that the budget could be off by $10 million, but during the special meeting she said, "The range for these adjustments to council requests would be roughly $1.8 to $3 million dollars."
Mayor Randy Rowse said, "We have to make some really hard choices."
Members of the Citizens' Oversight Committee created after the passage of the one percent sales tax measure, known as Measure C, urged the council not to raid it.
"The way it was sold to the taxpayers when they voted on it was it is going to be very specific for infrastructure repairing of roads, repairing or replacing fire stations," said committee member Steve Epstein.
It appears the council got that message.
Library supporters also spoke out.
"We have endured cuts the last 7 years and there is nowhere left to cut,"said the Friends of the Santa Barbara Library President Barbara Cronin Hershberg.
The council later passed a motion to spend $680,000 in reserve funds to provide Central Library Services 7 days-a-week and to restore the Eastside Library to 6 days-a-week.
Another motion lowered a controversial permit fee for general aviation pilots who teach others how to fly.
"$650 is a lot better than $3000, a lot better than $2,000, but I cannot understand what they are going to spend $650 dollars of staff time on to issue a permit," said pilot Carl Hopkins.
Other motions favored increasing some parking fees.
The Annual Waterfront Parking Permits will increase from $125 to $135 dollars a year under the new budget.
That is expected to raise another $50,000 for the general fund.
A majority of the Santa Barbara City Council voted to keep most of the recommended five percent reductions including those to outside entities such as special events.
Towards the end of the meeting department heads talked about their need to keep their own budgets intact.
More motions followed before the meeting adjourned.
On Tuesday, the council will be asked to finalize the vote on the proposed $667 million budget for the 2024-2025.
For a link to the special meeting visit santabarbaraca.gov
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