The City of Taft has a final budget for Fiscal Year 2009-10 and a proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2010-11. And it all came about at the City Council's regular meeting Tuesday night with a minimum of discussion and controversy.
A year ago, the council approved a proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2009-10 of $6.98 million. Tuesday the council accepted a final budget for the fiscal year of $7.16 million - an increase of just over $177,000.
The proposed Fiscal Year 2010-11 budget that the council approved is just under $6.56 million, or down nearly $430,000 from the proposal for last fiscal year (July 1-June 30). The new budget is also down more than $607,000 from the final budget for Fiscal Year 2009-10.
"For a second year, staff has been requested to conserve all forms of expenses and to be very conservative with their budgets," Finance Director Teresa Statler said in a pre-council-meeting presentation on the budget.
"Staff along with the council need to plan for future purchases. (For the) past two years we have failed to plan, all capital (expense) was excluded from the budget."
When it came time to vote for last fiscal year's final budget and this fiscal year's proposed budget, only Councilmember Cliff Thompson said no.
His objection was to an annual promissory note between the city and the Taft Community Development Agency for $250,000. The $250,000 is to cover such items as state law requirements and salaries, said City Manager Bob Gorson.
"I voted against the city budget and this is why," Thompson said. "At some point in time we have to cut this expense."
While he was able to garner support from Councilmember Craig Noble to oppose a resolution on the promissory note, the note was still approved 3-to-2, and the budget was passed 4-to-1.

Wages Frozen

In a move to balance the proposed budget, the council by a 5-to-0 vote passed a resolution approving a policy freezing employee compensation.
Councilmember Paul Linder noted that with the compensation freeze, there will be no layoffs anticipated this fiscal year.
In another move to save money - although not a large amount - the council voted 4-to-1 to approve a resolution to temporarily suspend council members' $300 a month stipends. Councilmember Noble cast the no vote.
Suspending the stipends will amount to a savings of $1,500 a month for the city.
The council also accepted a donation of $1,095 from Mayor Dave Noerr, in the form of returned stipend checks.
"I won't accept another dime while I am on the council," Noerr said.

Grand Jury Response

In another item on the agenda that was potentially controversial but which failed to generate post-Fourth of July fireworks, the council made minor changes to and then approved by a 3-to-2 vote City Attorney Katherine Gibson's preliminary response to the May 19, 2010 Kern County Grand Jury report "City of Taft Brown Act Violation."
Councilmembers Noble and Thompson voted no, with Thompson stating his support of the Grand Jury report.
The Grand Jury report was critical of a council majority - Mayor Noerr and Councilmembers Randy Miller and Linder - for an alleged violation of the Brown Act, California's open meeting law.
A request for a copy of the draft Grand Jury response handed to the council by Gibson was made by Taft Independent publisher Michael Long. The council and Gibson refused to provide Long with a copy of the document, even after the council had voted to approve the draft document with minor changes. State public meeting laws require that such documents be made available to the public. Long said he would make a formal written complaint to the council.
The Grand Jury report said that the council majority had violated the open meeting law by signing a letter which was directed to an unnamed 4th city councilman "demanding silence on certain matters ..."
In April, Noerr, Linder and Miller consulted in closed session with the city attorney and outside legal council on employee harassment accusations against two councilmembers and sent a letter to Councilmember Noble asking him to not publicly comment on the ongoing investigation because it could bring possible litigation against the city.
"The three members being investigated in the present report seem to be pursuing a vendetta against the other two members and have lost sight of the true role of a council member," the report read.
The report criticized the council majority on the letters' language and attempt to silence a council member.
The city attorney's preliminary response to the Grand Jury report disputes any Brown Act violations.

Reward Offered

In a move to prevent the defacing and/or destruction of public-owned facilities or properties, the council unanimously voted to adopt a resolution for "the city to issue reward money for the arrest and conviction of individuals or groups" vandalizing public properties.
A prime target of vandals is the Rails to Trails area, which includes the Oil Workers Memorial site.
Initially, the reward was to be $250. But the amount was quickly raised to $1,000, with the backing of all the councilmembers.
In other financial matters, the council:
* By a 4-to-1 vote authorized paying registration, lodging, meals, transportation and other incidental costs for councilmembers who wish to attend the 2010 League of California Cities annual conference, in San Diego. Thompson opposed the measure. "This is a very tight budget year," he said. "Every penny saved is a penny earned."
* Approved the purchase of a replacement line striping machine, with the $6,756 to come out of capital reserves.
* Approved a contract with Iron Gates Real Estate Management for the management of city-owned rental properties.
* Approved a promissory note between the city and the Taft Community Development Agency for $2.6 million at 12 percent interest payable to the city. The new note was a rollover of three promissory notes from 2009-10 plus interest. The item was approved 5-to-0.
At the conclusion of the council meeting, the councilmembers met as the Development Agency and approved this note, 5-to-0, and the $250,000 promissory note between the city and agency, 3-to-2, with Agencymembers Noble and Thompson voting no.
The agencymembers also approved:
* The final budget for 2009-10 and the proposed budget for 2010-11;
* Planning and administrative expenditures of the Low and Moderate Income Housing Fund for Fiscal Years 2009-10 and 2010-11.