Ken Striplin

A big work effort at City Hall is the annual City budget. For the last several months, the city has been working on the new budget for fiscal year 2014-15, which goes into effect July 1, once it is voted upon by the City Council.

You will be pleased to note that our city has a 100-percent track record for a balanced and on-time budget with a newly achieved 18 percent reserve fund.

The annual budget reflects the priorities of our City Council, which include public safety, building and maintaining our infrastructure, preserving open space and keeping service levels high.

Over the last few years and into the future, the city is focusing time and resources on maintaining and improving older areas in the city. This includes replacing aging infrastructure, assuring that our community is safe and well-maintained.

Where does the money come from?

The largest of the city’s funds is its general fund. This includes money derived from sales tax, property tax and development revenue.

For Santa Clarita, sales tax is the largest contributor to the general fund. Our city receives 1 cent for every dollar spent in the city. We are seeing healthy gains in sales tax revenue as new businesses locate in Santa Clarita and existing businesses emerge from the recession.

Where does the money go?

Typically the largest expenditures by the city are for public safety and parks and recreation, as well as for our capital projects, which include the many construction projects the city undertakes each year. The city also spends its money on open space acquisition, transit, libraries and public works, beautification efforts and special events, to name a few.

Early next year, the city will begin constructing the widening of the bridge over SR-14 at Golden Valley Road, adding new traffic lanes and bike lanes. We also have a number of landscape projects around town, service enhancements and increases in public safety.

The new budget provides for funding for three large median beautification projects in Canyon Country; nearly $11 million for street improvements (overlays and slurry seals) citywide; design of a tennis center at Central Park; new trails on Railroad Avenue and Sand Canyon Road; a public-use electric vehicle charging station; more traffic signal synchronization; $1 million for sidewalk repairs city-wide and several arts-related items including an arts master plan, to name a few of the new items on our work plan for the coming year.

You are welcome to view the entire current budget at the City’s website: www.santa-clarita.com/budget. (The new budget will be on line shortly after adoption by the City Council.)

Thank you for your interest in our city. If you would like to reach me directly, feel free to email me at kstriplin@santa-clarita.com.

Ken Striplin is city manager of the City of Santa Clarita.