Menlo Park: Budget breezes through council Menlo Park: Budget breezes through council (May 25, 2005)

By Rebecca Wallace

Almanac Staff Writer

It was smooth sailing for a relatively status-quo budget proposal last week in Menlo Park, as the City Council briskly signed off on the budget for fiscal year 2005-06.

The $29 million general fund budget is similar to its forerunner, with no major changes in staffing or service levels, City Manager David Boesch said at the May 17 meeting. It comes on the heels of four years of budget cuts that have reduced the city's workforce by the equivalent of about 30 full-time employees.

The city has had trouble keeping its revenues up to par with spending, which Mr. Boesch blames on such factors as sluggish sales-tax revenues and rising employee retirement costs.

The vote to approve the budget was unanimous. The council had also asked for cost breakdowns for adding more police patrols, but ultimately decided not to include the new officers in the budget.

Councilwoman Kelly Fergusson said she had been interested in having more patrols near the La Hacienda Market, which has been hit by armed robberies, but was now satisfied with other steps the council has taken.

The council recently agreed to schedule nuisance-abatement hearings against the market's check-cashing operation, in which the council could order it to be shut down if dramatic safety measures are not taken.

Restoring the police traffic unit, which could also be used for community policing and crime suppression, could cost as much as $842,000 for one sergeant and four officers, city staff estimated. The traffic unit was a victim of budget cuts two years ago.

Only one member of the public spoke at the May 17 meeting, asking the council to work on creating "quiet zones" around rail crossings, where train horns and other noise can be particularly apparent. Mr. Boesch said the council had not made quiet zones a priority and thus no funds had been allocated. The council did not pursue the issue.

Next year's budget process will be longer and broader in scope, with a citizens' committee and city officials doing outreach to find out what city services residents will support paying for.

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