San Diego councilmembers approved a balanced city budget Monday evening, quieting concerns of fiscal instability leading up to the June 5 primary election.
The $1.5 billion General Fund budget was approved with a 7-1 vote with Councilmember and mayoral candidate Carl DeMaio voting against the budget.
When Mayor Jerry Sanders proposed the budget, he announced there was a surplus available to put into some core services that experienced cuts in the past several years.
The city's Office of Independent Budget Analysis contributed some recommendations, followed by Sanders' May revise, which retained a hefty surplus.
DeMaio criticized the budget's rosy outlook, to which Sanders' bit back, calling DeMaio's outcry nothing more than a "political doomsday tour."
At the time, DeMaio responded by saying the budget couldn't possibly be balanced.
"San Diegans will know when the budget is balanced for real -- when their roads are properly maintained," DeMaio said. "When their services are fully restored. That's when San Diegans will know we've finally gotten past the fiscal crisis."
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As a precaution, the approved budget the budget reduces property tax revenue projections, said Councilmember Todd Gloria.
“The balanced budget for Fiscal Year 2013 demonstrates the tremendous progress made over the past several years through reforms done in partnership with our employees,” Gloria said.
“For the first time in many years, this budget includes the restoration of core services, which reflects the priorities of San Diegans.”
Among those services the city plans to restore in the newly approved budget are increasing library hours, increasing cash funding of deferred capital projects by $8.3 million and adding more police officers and fire fighters.
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