COUNCIL OKS $118 MILLION BUDGET.Byline: Heather MacDonald Staff Writer SANTA CLARITA Santa Clarita, city (1990 pop. 110,642), Los Angeles co., S Calif., suburb 30 mi (48 km) NW of downtown Los Angeles, on the Santa Clara River; inc. 1987. Situated in the Santa Clara valley and nearby canyons, Santa Clarita includes the former towns of Canyon Country, - The City Council Tuesday approved a $118 million spending plan for next year that continues its focus on building roads, parks and open space while coping with newly imposed fiscal constraints CONSTRAINTS - A language for solving constraints using value inference. ["CONSTRAINTS: A Language for Expressing Almost-Hierarchical Descriptions", G.J. Sussman et al, Artif Intell 14(1):1-39 (Aug 1980)]. . Santa Clarita's spending plan has been buffeted buf·fet 1 n. 1. A large sideboard with drawers and cupboards. 2. a. A counter or table from which meals or refreshments are served. b. A restaurant having such a counter. 3. by the state's gaping gap·ing adj. Deep and wide open: a gaping wound; a gaping hole. gap  ing·ly adv.Adj. budget deficit - now estimated at $23.6 billion - along with the recession, mounting legal bills and rising debt. ``We're holding the line on new programs, while maintaining the current level and mix of municipal services This article or section deals primarily with the United Kingdom and does not represent a worldwide view of the subject. Please [ improve this article] or discuss the issue on the talk page. ,'' Stark said. ``It is conservative.'' The unanimous vote prompted no debate or discussion. The budget is $15 million smaller than the city's 2001-02 budget, which is the steepest decline since the recession of the early 1990s, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. Steve Stark, the city's director of administrative services. The city's financial outlook still faces a good deal of uncertainty, as state officials have yet to find a way to close the shortfall created by the technology bust, the energy crisis and the Sept. 11 attacks. The city could lose $5.5 million if the state decides to stop reimbursing cities for cuts in the vehicle license fee and legislators oppose Gov. Gray Davis's plan to increase taxes on motorists. The budget is also dependent on strong sales tax sales tax, levy on the sale of goods or services, generally calculated as a percentage of the selling price, and sometimes called a purchase tax. It is usually collected in the form of an extra charge by the retailer, who remits the tax to the government. revenues, which could decline if the economy does not continue to improve or even worsens, Stark said. Last year's capital improvement plan drained the city reserves by focusing on roads and parks while preserving open space and aiding the cultural arts in Santa Clarita. This year's capital improvement budget is modest, as compared with the last two years, dropping 33 percent, Stark said. In addition, officials are attempting to rebuild the city's reserves, but finding it difficult because of declining revenues. The city's budget proposal sets aside $6.6 million in a variety of reserve accounts - about $1 million less than last year and $6 million less than 1999, records show. The new savings accounts Savings Account A deposit account intended for funds that are expected to stay in for the short term. A savings account offers lower returns than the market rates. Notes: , which include a fund set aside to match state transportation and road grants and a capital project reserve, will help the city manage its money and be prepared for unanticipated events, Stark said. ``It will give us more stability and comfort in an uncertain time,'' he said. |
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