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Council Watch
City coughs up extra money to improve local services
New budget calls for more than $350,000 in increased spending
By Cecily Barnes
The preliminary operating budget approved by the Campbell City Council last Thursday night includes 13 improvements in services offered to local residents--none of which were in last year's budget. Together these services will cost the city $357,400.
According to city manager Bernie Strojny, the city was able to offer these new services thanks to a strong, local economy.
"With new businesses locating here and old businesses growing, our sales tax base is continuing to increase," Strojny said. "We're projecting that our revenues will be up slightly, and that will enable us to fund these service-level enhancements."
Assuming that the council okays the final budget in June, these services will kick into gear in July.
Youngsters who skateboard in the former tennis court next to the Campbell Community Center can expect more adult supervision in the upcoming year--$6,000 has been budgeted to provide more staffing.
"We want to make sure there's no vandalism, and we want to monitor the safety devices in there," Strojny said. More community service officers will be provided to the community center to monitor parks. With the budgeted $77,000, these officers will be available four more hours per day.
An additional $10,000 will be spent on graffiti abatement. As it stands right now, the city will clean up graffiti on private property if a resident calls and requests it. The extra money will cut the turnaround time.
"Whereas it may take between three days and a week now, we want it to take half that time," Strojny says.
Other service enhancements include the following:
* This Fourth of July, Campbell residents will be treated to a pool party at the Campbell Community Center, and the city will foot the $9,000 bill. Expect to see children's games and crafts, face painting and a two-hour concert.
* The city will spend $32,000 to make the pool at Westmont High School available to local residents. The pool will be used after school hours for lessons, play and exercising.
* Gifted and talented children who have long had no outlet for their musical skills will now have music lessons available to them, thanks to a $49,000 GATE partnership between the city and the Campbell Union School District.
* The Campbell Police Department will soon be talking on $11,000 worth of new phones, dispatch equipment and a cool new mobile data terminal, which will be installed in the police cars.
* More money will be given to CPD to tune police vehicles. With $16,000 more to spend on mechanic hours, the downtime of police vehicles is expected to be reduced.
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Campbell, California
