After months of discussion at public meetings and planning sessions, the Santa Clarita City Council formally adopted its annual budget on a second reading Tuesday, as well as its regular assessments for residents’ fees.
Wrapping up the process that starts each year in January, Mayor Pro Tem Laurene Weste shared gratitude for “a great budget” from the city staff.
“Everybody in Santa Clarita is going to enjoy a lot of really great things, including nice, repaired, smooth streets and wonderful green parks. And it’s a well-done budget, and there’s a lot of work that goes into that. So, staff out there, I know you work on this all year long.”
One of the highlights being paid for in the capital improvement budget is The Rink Sports Pavilion, a new recreational space near the activity center that will provide skating opportunities, pickleball courts and other programs offered by Santa Clarita.
Park upgrades include the multimillion-dollar addition of William S. Hart Park from L.A. County, Blue Cloud Bike Park, Pioneer Oil Refinery Park and enhancements to David March and Old Orchard parks.
General fund expenditures are expected to account for approximately $152 million of the budget, according to Tuesday’s presentation.
Councilwoman Patsy Ayala said she wanted to praise the value statements and constituent service the spending plan represented, including the investment in parks.
The city also kept a 20% operating reserve, which came to nearly $25.9 million in the previous fiscal year and $26.4 million in the coming year, in accordance with a yearslong city mandate.
At a first reading of the budget last month, Santa Clarita City Manager Ken Striplin reported the city was one of 47 of more than 480 in the state with a AAA credit rating in announcing a balanced $344.6 million spending plan.
Among the notes from Striplin included the city’s low attrition and turnover rates, with the vacancy rate for represented city workers at less than 4% and nonunion workers at approximately 5%. Assembly Bill 2561 requires the state to track and report staffing information.
One of the bigger uncertainties Striplin mentioned earlier in the budget process is the impact from consumer spending habits on the local budget, as sales tax revenue accounts for 31% of general fund revenues, the largest share by far after property taxes, which account for 33.7%.
Multiple forecasts earlier this year called for cautious spending and a gradually lessening risk of recession this year, as the budget process moved forward.
Striplin has said the city accounts for this with conservative estimates and never plans to spend more than its anticipated revenue.
Various other fees approved by the city include the stormwater fee that addresses drainage and related public services, and the open space fee, which is $43 per home.
There are additional assessments city residents may pay depending on their landscape maintenance district and whether they live in a special standards district.
