HUNTINGTON BEACH : Council, Task Force to Weigh Budget Cuts

The City Council will meet with its Budget Review Task Force today to discuss several budgetary matters, the first step in a nine-month process in which the council must slash an estimated $5 million in spending.

City officials to date have set the groundwork for the budget-trimming effort by suggesting how that money could be cut from the budget and proposing new or increased fees.

The council established the 11-member task force this month to suggest ways to bridge the budget gap, which represents 5.3% of the city’s $100-million general-fund budget. The deficit has been mounting in recent years, largely because the city has spent more than it collected for a host of services, a problem that has worsened amid the national recession.

Members of the council and task force will review the status of the city budget, city staff members’ proposed spending cuts and a consultant’s report on how the city might restructure its fees for various services.

The spending reductions proposed by staff members are not recommendations but rather a list of potential cuts, according to a report to the council from City Administrator Michael T. Uberuaga.

The proposed reductions include 46 city positions that could be eliminated by layoffs, cuts in hours and not filling vacant jobs. The report suggests reductions that could be made in the Police and Fire departments, although council members to date have agreed to exempt them from cuts.

The Management Services Institute will present its preliminary recommendations for overhauling the city’s fees. Before finalizing its report, however, a consultant will discuss the proposals with the Chamber of Commerce, the local board of realtors and community groups, as well as with city representatives.

Before the joint meeting with the Budget Review Task Force, council members will discuss plans for the reconstruction of Jack’s Surfboards, a historic landmark at Pacific Coast Highway and Main Street that has been demolished.