$66 Million Deficit: Sacramento’s $1.6 Billion Budget Plan Targets Revenue Boosts and Service Changes!

Parking Fee Hikes Drive Budget Plan

Sacramento‘s $1.6B Budget Plan to Offset $66M Deficit – Parking Fee Hikes

According to Sacramento Bee, Sacramento City Manager Howard Chan has unveiled a budget plan to tackle a hefty $66 million deficit in the city’s budget plan. His proposal outlined in a $1.6 billion budget plan includes various strategies to boost revenue and trim expenses without resorting to employee layoffs or shutting down homeless shelters. Chan‘s budget plan involves increasing fees for parking meters and garages as well as implementing charges for electric vehicle charging in city-owned garages. Additionally the city intends to introduce 300 new on-street parking meters in high-demand areas. These measures aim to offset the decline in parking revenue caused by the pandemic’s impact on downtown office attendance. To further bolster revenue the proposed budget raises fees for several Youth, Parks, and Community Enrichment programs. This includes higher charges for sports field rentals, swim programs, picnic park areas, and room rentals at community centers. Moreover a fee ranging from $5 to $10 would be introduced for senior special events. In the Public Works Department homeowners would see an increase in the amount they pay for sidewalk repairs which can already be substantial sometimes exceeding $20,000. Additionally, the budget would discontinue a program that allowed kindergarten through high school students to ride Regional Transit for free saving $1 million.

While the budget plan involves eliminating 44 vacant full-time positions notably from the police department the police budget is set to increase to approximately $250 million, its highest ever. Mayor Darrell Steinberg has expressed general support for the proposed budget highlighting its avoidance of layoffs and major service cuts. Public hearings will be held throughout May to gather input from residents. The council’s Budget and Audit Committee will review the plan on May 7 with the council scheduled to approve it on June 11 pending any changes to the dates. The new budget is expected to take effect on July 1.

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$66 Million Deficit Addressed: Sacramento’s Budget Boosted with Parking Fee Hikes and $250M for Police! (PHOTO: AOL.com)

Sacramento‘s $66M Budget Plan Targets Parking Fees for Financial Boost

Furthermore, Sacramento City Manager Howard Chan has put forward a plan to handle a big $66 million gap in the city’s money plans. His idea that is shared in a $1.6 billion budget suggests ways to get more money and spend less without firing workers or closing homeless shelters. Chan‘s plan includes raising prices for parking meters and garages. They also want to start charging for using electric car chargers in city garages. Plus they’ll put in 300 more parking meters in busy spots to bring in more cash. These moves are meant to make up for the drop in parking money because of fewer people going to downtown offices during the pandemic.

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