Agoura Hills sets new budget priorities

At a recent Agoura Hills city council meeting and budget workshop, city officials nailed down priorities for next year’s general operating budget. The new fiscal year begins July 1.

Council members came to a consensus on high, medium and low priorities for the coming year.

High priority projects include expanding the budget for law enforcement. The projected cost for funding services by the Lost Hills Sheriff’s Department is expected to be $273,000. The sum represents a 5.9 percent cost increase.

Street maintenance is a high priority, too, and will cost about $500,000 from the general fund. Both the Kanan Interchange and Reyes Adobe Interchange projects continue to top the list of priorities for the city council members, but traffic improvement funds from developers will pay the $5 million interchange tab, not the city’s general fund.

The city council voted to support various cultural festivities, including a possible expansion of the summer concert series, a “West Coast Jazz Fest,” an arts and crafts fair similar to one in Santa Barbara, and even a renewal of Pony Express Days.

A somewhat unexpected expense will be a $60,000 cost for a consultant to help with the new water quality regulations that might be required by the state.

Some high priorities did not get funded, including the acquisition of Lindero Creek headwaters as open space. But a reserve fund for a new recreational facility has been started.

Two million dollars seed money will go towards an estimated $10 million future center.

Other projects that didn’t make the cut include funding for horse trails in Old Agoura. But, staff submitted an application for a $250,000 grant for the project.

As for education, Donald Zimring, interim superintendent of the Las Virgenes Unified School District, requested that the city grant funds to the school district through the Las Virgenes Educational Foundation (LVEF), a nonprofit fundraising group.

“There needs to be a collaborative approach,” Zimring told the city council. He explained that many school districts in the state are partnering with cities to bridge the gap resulting from education cuts made by Gov. Schwarzenegger.

Although a $100,000 yearly grant for three years to the LVEF was not approved, council members called for further information and left the door open for future funding.

Councilmember Jeff Reinhardt said he needed to know how funds from the city will be spent. He warned that the school board must live within its means. Reinhardt said the city contributes to the schools through redevelopment funds, while also paying for variety of individual school projects. For example, the city paid $45,000 for tennis court lighting and $56,000 for the Willow Elementary School baseball field.

This year the city launched a down payment program to help teachers buy homes within the city limits.

Reinhardt said that he didn’t want the city to become a “de facto” school district. He pointed out that Agoura Hills differs from the city of Calabasas, which has a utility tax and four car dealerships that contribute to a larger tax base.

“Our financial circumstances are very, very different (from the city of Calabasas),” Reinhardt said.

Zimring explained that when residents are asked about their priorities, education invariably tops the list.

Council member Dan Kuperberg noted that the city contributes about $200,000 to the school district through the funding of the Sheriff’s juvenile intervention team and the Every 15 Minutes program, which discourages teens from unsafe driving.

Kuperberg said that over the past five years the city has given the school district about $2 million in grants, services, partnerships for beautification projects and other contributions.

Apparently, neither the school district nor the LVEF submitted a proposal for an allocation of funds.