Diamond Bar City Council to Consider $21.4 Million Budget Plan

Diamond Bar’s proposed budget plan for the next fiscal year shows increases in general fund reserves, as well as property and sales tax revenue.  

The Diamond Bar City Council tonight will consider adopting the $21.4 million budget plan for 2013-14 at its regular meeting.  

The fiscal plan estimates a slight bump in general fund reserves of $58,093, according to a staff report written by Finance Director Dianna Honeywell.   Property taxes are estimated at a little more than $4 million, slightly up from the current fiscal year.   

Other taxes, including sales tax, are expected to see a bump of 2.4 percent over what was predicted during the mid-year budget review, according to staff. 

“In (fiscal year) 2012-13 the economy continued to stabilize and the City of Diamond Bar realized modest increases in most major revenue sources,” Honeywell wrote in the staff report.  “Conservative forecasts indicated that continued modest, yet meaningful, improvement will extend to the 2013-14 fiscal year.” 

Also included in the budget plan is $6.3 million for the Capital Improvement Program, of which nearly $3.6 million is from project carryovers from this year.   New plans for 2013-14 include three street improvements, a traffic improvement project, a sidewalk improvement project, a median modification effort, two park improvement projects, Americans with Disabilities Act access to the Bark Park at Pantera Park, and design of the Heritage Park Community Center improvements, according to staff.  

The Diamond Bar City Council meets tonight at 6:30 p.m. at the auditorium of the AQMD/Government Center, 21865 Copley Drive.