Calabasas : City Council Adopts Shift to 2-Year Budget

The Calabasas City Council has approved a proposal to switch from an annual budget to a two-year budget to allow for more long-range planning.

The change will go into effect for fiscal-year 1996-97, which begins in July.

City officials cite Oxnard and San Luis Obispo as cities that have successfully switched to two-year budgets. Those cities report the change has saved money on staff time and allowed for more continuity in budget planning.

Calabasas City Councilman Bob Hill said that if the economy remains as it is, the city expects to have a $300,000 surplus in the general fund budget each year for the next two years. But just in case, he said, the two-year budget will give the city time to adjust to any steep declines in revenue.

“With the uncertainty in the economy, we’ve been real conservative in revenue projections,” Hill said.

For example, he said, the annexation of Mountain View Estates, a gated community off Mureau Road near City Hall, would generate $200,000 each year in revenues to the city. The annexation could become final as early as this summer, but the potential revenue has been left out of the budget in case the annexation process hits snags, Hill said.