Tim Willert
GLENDALE CITY HALL -- The Glendale Redevelopment Agency would lose
between $400,000 and $500,000 in property tax revenue under a spending
plan proposed Tuesday by Gov. Gray Davis, officials said.
Local library revenue is expected to be reduced by $60,000, and as
many as six grant programs also could be reduced as part of Davis' May
budget revision, Glendale Finance Director Robert Franz said.
Davis' proposal is an effort to make up some of the state's
$23.6-billion deficit.
"It's not as bad as we feared it might be," Franz said. "But it's
quite an impact on redevelopment."
Davis wants to cut $7.6 billion, including substantial reductions in
aid to local government.
"It's a very preliminary review. We'll know more in the next week or
two," Franz said.
Under the revision, Davis also proposes cutting $1.12 billion in
spending on education for the coming fiscal year. But his plan calls for
the reductions to be repaid next fiscal year.
Stephen Hodgson, chief business and financial officer for the Glendale
Unified School District, said the information presented in Tuesday's
revision is not completely clear.
"It's confusing even to [me], and this is my job," Hodgson said.
Supt. Jim Brown said it was too early to determine how the state plan
would affect schools in the district.
"The devil's in the details on these things," Brown said. "It seems to
be relying heavily on federal funds for state initiatives, but I really
don't know yet what we are looking at."
The city, meanwhile, stands to lose another $20,000 to $25,000 in jail
booking fees to the state, according to city estimates, Franz said.
But Glendale, which is facing a projected $7.7-million budget deficit
in the coming year, apparently dodged a bullet.
Franz feared the state could take up to $7.5 million of the $11
million in annual revenue the city receives from vehicle license fees,
along with additional property tax revenue. That didn't happen.
"They haven't touched either one of those areas for Glendale's general
fund," Franz said.
Lawmakers will review Davis' spending plan and present him with a
final budget. The fiscal year begins July 1.
Staff writer Gary Moskowitz contributed to this report.
