CALABASAS : 3% Budget Increase OKd; Taxes Hold
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In contrast to their counterparts in neighboring cities, Calabasas City Council members this week approved a budget for their city that is slightly larger than last year’s spending plan.
At its meeting Wednesday night, the council unanimously approved a $6.9-million budget for next fiscal year--up 3% from the previous year--that will not raise taxes.
The increase includes doubling the amount the city had set aside for legal fees to $200,000, mostly due to the cost of battling the proposed Ahmanson Ranch project in court.
It also includes more funds for police insurance, library hours and books and an emergency-preparedness program.
To the west in Agoura Hills, by contrast, the City Council recently staved off a budget disaster by approving a tax on the use of utilities and making large cuts in the budget. In Los Angeles to the east, the annual budget process has become synonymous with yawning deficits, hiring freezes and hotly contested cuts.
Calabasas officials concede that their city, which incorporated three years ago, may be enjoying a financial honeymoon.
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