Politics & Government

One Councilmember Declines to Vote on Budget

Diamond Bar councilman Ron Everett abstained from voting on the budget Tuesday night because it included an increase in funding to lighting and landscape district.

Despite opposition from fiscally conservative councilman Ron Everett, Diamond Bar passed a 2012-13 budget Tuesday that predicts a 3 percent increase in property and sales tax revenue for the coming fiscal year and an appropriation for a five-year capital improvement plan.

The council passed a balanced budget of $20,371,737 that includes $20,347, 070 in appropriations and an estimated General Fund reserve in the amount of $16,468,770 with the majority of the council in favor.

Councilman Everett chose to abstain because he disagreed with the staff’s handling of landscape and lighting district included in the budget.

Find out what's happening in Diamond Bar-Walnutwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“We are maintaining those for three districts,” he said. “One with 550 residents, one with 1,200 and one with 17,000. Those districts combined owe the city and the taxpayers of the city nearly $1 million.”

Each year they have added funding in the hundreds of thousands to the special district’s funding. This year, they are again adding $112,000 just to keep the same level of service, which Everett said he found troubling.

Find out what's happening in Diamond Bar-Walnutwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

None of the other council members commented on the concerns, but quickly passed the budget offering praise for the staff.

“We’re very fortunate to be in a situation where I can say we're a lean, mean operating machine,” said Mayor Ling-Ling Chang. “It’s unheard of to have 70 percent of your operating budget in reserves. I just have to say that the state and Sacramento should be taking notes.”


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