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Atherton: special meeting on budget, fee study

by Andrea Gemmet

The town of Atherton is expected to be tight on funds next year, so a special City Council meeting on the budget is set for 6 p.m. Wednesday, June 10. At the meeting, the council is expected to scrutinize the proposed 2009-10 budget and discuss the findings of a comprehensive study of the town's fees.

The meeting will be held in the Town Council Chambers, 91 Ashfield Road.

On May 28, the council spent more than three hours poring over the proposed budget, looking for cuts to bridge a projected $1.4 million revenue shortfall for the fiscal year that begins July 1.

No line item was too small to be considered, as the council decided to cut in half its annual $9,000 in donations to several local nonprofits, and eliminate the bottled water delivery service to the council chambers, saving about $700. Instead, the water cooler will be filled from the tap.

There are bigger cuts on the horizon, as well. The police department is slated to leave open two vacant positions — an officer and a dispatcher — as well as delay hiring another officer position. The savings should total about $260,000.

"It will have some impact on the community," said Chief Glenn Nielsen. "The 21 sworn officers we have this year will go down to 20. We can still fill the traffic (patrol) and school resource positions."

The town hired consultants NBS to conduct a study of all of the various fees charged by the town to see if its costs are being covered. The council has been waiting to see the study's results before deciding whether to change Atherton's fee schedule.

The agenda for the meeting is online at www.ci.atherton.ca.us by clicking on "City Council."