The Sun: Redlands City Council OKs budget for 2015-16

By Sandra Emerson, Redlands Daily Facts
Posted: 06/06/15 – 6:48 PM PDT |

REDLANDS >> The city’s budget for next fiscal year has been approved and includes funding for several additional employees.

The fiscal year 2015-16 budget is balanced on recurring revenues with an ending unreserved fund balance of $7.7 million. The city will begin next fiscal year with $9.8 million in reserves. The budget also includes funding for several additional city positions, such as $50,000 to hire part-time staff at the A.K. Smiley Public Library, which will allow the library to be open for a few more hours.

“While we are pleased to see the council has included in the proposed budget funds to partially restore the operating hours cut during lean recession, we do urge the council very strongly to restore all operation hours plus enough to keep the Assembly Room open at least one more evening, so the many community organizations who wish to use the room may do so,” Ted Parsons, president of Friends of the A.K. Smiley Public Library, said.

Two part-time library clerks and two part-time library pages will be hired at the library.

The salary for the Senior Librarian at the A.K. Smiley Public Library will be adjusted.

Councilwoman Pat Gilbreath said the city is making every effort to improve staffing across all city departments and filling in gaps that occurred during the recession.

“The city is very carefully crawling out of the recession and we’re controlling it very carefully,” Gilbreath said.

In addition to the new hires, several city positions will be adjusted. The council approved an updated salary schedule on Tuesday.

The Fire Department is budgeted for one management analyst to provide administrative support to the Fire Chief, a fire safety specialist and two part-time fire prevention technicians to assist with inspections and weed abatement. The Fire Marshal’s salary will be adjusted.

The Finance Department will add one full-time accounting technician to provide additional service and support in the revenue department.

The Police Department will hire two full-time police officers, one dispatcher, one community service officer, two part-time camera operators and two background investigators. Grant funding will pay for one part-time customer service representatives. Funding for four police officers will be moved from grant funding to the general fund. The salary of a crime analyst will be adjusted.

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