1:20pm | The three-member Budget Oversight Committee will meet today to discuss possible solutions to a massive budget deficit by reviewing several items such as possible cuts to public libraries, community parades and performances by the Junior Concert Band.
The Budget Oversight Committee is made up of councilmembers Gary DeLong and Patrick O’Donnell as well as Vice Mayor Suja Lowenthal. Their purpose is to examine possible methods to save money, by which I mean cut programs and services, because Long Beach faces an $18.5 million deficit that must be balanced and approved by the City Council on September 15. The meeting is public and will be held at 4:00pm in City Hall.
The committee will also review plans to fund debt owed by the Aquarium of the Pacific, which has fallen to the City, as well as updates on public safety and the process of renegotiating labor contracts and pensions with City employees. These items carry considerably more weight in budget talks because much more money is at stake. However, it is community benefits such as libraries, parades and free concerts that are more likely to be cut or eliminated because renegotiating employee terms can prove lengthy and difficult.
Last week, the City Council committed to providing a reduced sum to keep the Long Beach Municipal Band performances running next year and the committee today has asked to review alternatives to cutting library hours, but these services remain on the chopping block even though they represent a drop in the bucket of the City’s total deficit. The lbpost.com last week published an editorial from a local high school teacher who explained why cutting library services will damage the students who need the most help.
The full City Council will also hold a special budget hearing tomorrow to discuss the 2011 budgets of the Harbor Department, Water Department and City Prosecutor’s office, like to look for opportunities to lessen their financial load.
With just a few weeks remaining before the City Council must approve a balanced budget and few options revealed so far, today’s committee meeting could provide insight into where the savings will come from and which services, departments and other expenditures will get the boot.
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