The discussions come at an economic juncture for the city and its residents. Nearly all city departments and programs in July saw their budgets slashed 5%, forcing cutbacks in services that have frustrated youth sports leagues and parents who saw police officers pulled from the city’s middle schools.
At the same time, a down economy and rising inflation have made it more difficult for residents and businesses to shoulder added costs, city officials said.
“This presents a real conflict,” City Manager Jim Starbird said.
Effects of the 2008-09 budget session have played out in a way that some administrators said would worsen only if the city is forced to undergo another round of cuts next fiscal year.
If that happens, general public understanding of hard times may turn into something less sympathetic, said libraries Director Cindy Cleary, whose department saw a $425,000 budget cut this year.
The reduced budget forced Cleary to cut down on part-time employee hours, reduce library operating hours and propose closing the Chevy Chase Branch Library.
While neighborhood protests have so far prevented the library’s closure, for the most part, library users have accepted the citywide adjustments, she said.
But that understanding would likely end if further service reductions were needed.
“I think there would be more of a reaction,” Cleary said.
One of the revenue options to be discussed during the study sessions is the special local tax that cities use to supplement certain programs.
Last year, 80% of Pasadena voters passed a library assessment tax for the third time since it was adopted in 1993, according to the California State Library.
Under the Pasadena tax approved in 2007, single-family homes pay $20.52; apartment tenants pay $20.10, and businesses are charged $223.40 annually to support local libraries.
It is just one of many options that will likely be put on the table over the course of the study sessions — and all under the scrutiny of a weary public, Mayor John Drayman said.
While it’s too early to support any one idea, Drayman said, the public will have to reconcile its expectation of a high level of services with the city’s inability to support them at current funding levels.
“The public isn’t going to tolerate a reduction in services they’ve come to expect in Glendale,” he said. “Somewhere in between, we have to bring the city of Glendale back up to par with some other cities in terms of the relationship between costs and services.”
The City Council will hold its first study session on the issue at 10 a.m. Tuesday in the Council Chambers at City Hall, 613 E. Broadway.
JASON WELLS covers City Hall. He may be reached at (818) 637-3235 or by e-mail at jason.wells@latimes.com.
