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MIS: CLAIRE/BUCHAN. TITLE READ. ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF REDWOOD CITY ADOPTING THE FINAL BUDGET OF THE CITY OF REDWOOD CITY FOR THE FISCAL YEAR JULY 1, 1997 - JUNE 30, 1998; PROVIDING FOR THE APPROPRIATION AND EXPENDITURE OF ALL SUMS SET FORTH IN SAID BUDGET; PROVIDING FOR EMERGENCY EXPENDITURES, TRANSFERS, ADDITIONAL APPROPRIATIONS, CANCEL- LATIONS AND REAPPROPRIA TIONS OF EXISTING APPROPRIATIONS; ADOPTING THE BUDGET FOR GENERAL IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT NO. 1-64 FOR THE FISCAL YEAR JULY I, 1997 - JUNE 30, 1998; MAKING PROVISION FOR INTERIM EXPENDITURES AS OF JULY I, 1997; AND REPEALING ORDINANCE NO. 2111, AND ALL ORDINANCES AND RESOLUTIONS IN CONFLICT HEREWITH Councilman Leipzig said this was his second year going through the budget process and he was still uncomfortable with it. He said, "I think this budget we are being asked to approve tonight does not represent sound fiscal planning. We are being asked to rubber stamp a budget that we have had very little input into directly. When were we asked, I would like to know, to choose between cutting programs, planned expenditures or overall costs in any way? How can we approve a plan that leaves a mere $5,000 surplus, when in the next 30-60 days we will review a policing study or report which very well could recommend the hiring of an additional twelve police officers which would cost the tax payers nearly one million dollars. We have no plan for that. Where is the money going to come from? Have we even looked at cutting general operating costs or administrative costs in any department? Earlier tonight the majority on this Council approved in the Consent Calendar a 5% above the entry level salary range for a new employee position. And this has been done time and time again. In that report at the bottom under the category Fiscal, funding is available in the Department's 97/98 budget for this purpose. So this is routinely planned in the department's budget, to go over the entry level position. Now this is a small amount, this particular one, but it adds up, and it is done time and time again. Also approved tonight on the Consent Calendar was $60,000 or rougWy for new computers. It states in that report the Information Technology Committee, I don't know who that is, and the department head team made the decision to move to a PC Platform citywide. It goes on to say, the plan requested the use of salary savings resulting from numerous vacancies in the department earlier in the fiscal year. The money is there. We don't go after trimming. We find a way to spend it. It's planned. It says so right here in our reports. Now, I'm not picking on Mr. Griffiths, who is here. These two particular reports happen to be on the Consent Calendar tonight, so he gets singled out. But I'm not trying to go after him or his department. But this is done time and time again. And we have not looked at a single reduction. The majority of our expenses are fixed, police, fire and parks are our top budget items, just as my mortgage, insurance and taxes are my biggest items. But when it comes to crunch time and I have to cut back a little bit and in my business I do that quite frequently, or have to at least, you have to look at the little things as well. REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING MINUTE BOOK NO. 55 WLY 14,1997 MINUTES Page No. 448 PAGE 11