Editor's Note: This article has been corrected.
BRAWLEY — The City Council discussed ways to reduce expenditures for the rest of the fiscal year following a mid-year budget review that shows the city has fallen below its projected revenue.
With the city having fallen off about 10 percent from its initial projected revenue costs, it’s also spending about 7 percent more than expected.
As a result, the council Tuesday night reviewed strategies to end the fiscal year back on track.
“What will occur will be just squeezing of expenditures. So any place we can spare and not spend, we will,” City Manager Rosanna Bayon Moore said.
Some measures discussed by the council to restore a balanced budget include preparing department-specific budget adjustments to adjust for account overages that would not exceed the overall budget, unless approved by a council action, explained Finance Director Ruby Walla.
The city also factored having the city’s finance department review purchase order requests, as well as revenue and expenditure reports, then have the individual departments adjust their budgets if necessary, Walla said.
“Mainly, the departments will have to go through the council for off-budget expenditures,” Moore said.
The most significant fund discussed during the review included the general fund. The city’s general fund saw a 7 percent decrease in projected revenue, according to the city’s budget review.
As far as general fund expenditures, some of the major overruns include the city clerk’s temporary salaries, police technical services, utility services, city attorney professional services and prior fiscal year expenditures, as well as non-departmental technical services, such as the $60,395 spent in the demolition work needed on Eighth and G Street following a structure fire, according to the review.
With the general fund supporting the backbone of the city’s operations, Brawley is currently in a bind to save money following the rest of the city’s fiscal year.
On a positive note, the city has received and is expecting to receive unbudgeted revenues from additional areas.
The city received an additional $2.7 million following the La Paloma Unit settlement and is still anticipating a redevelopment property tax trust fund residual payment of $147,895.
Staff Writer Celeste Alvarez can be reached at 760-337-3442 or at calvarez@ivpressonline.com
Editor's Note: This article misstated the dollar amount that the city's General Fund budget was short.
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