OJAI : Council OKs Budget That’s ‘Status Quo’

The Ojai City Council has approved a $3,414,718 budget that maintains the city’s commitment to public safety and increases its contribution to recreation programs by 10%.

The budget, approved unanimously Tuesday night, is just $38,000 more than last year’s budget of $3,377,696.

“This year’s budget is pretty much a status quo budget,” City Manager Andrew Belknap said. “There won’t be any real difference in city services.”

Police funding increased by about $135,000 to $1,295,689 due to a 6% rise in the cost of police services contracted from the county.

The city’s allocation to the $500,000 recreation budget will be $165,000, up from $150,000 last year. The rest of the money is made up through user fees.

But to many in the city, the increase is no more than symbolic and still not enough.

“What’s $15,000?” said Budd Jamieson, a proponent of increased recreation funding. “That’s nothing.”

Jamieson and several other residents recently collected more than 1,000 signatures for a recreation initiative that would require the city to spend an additional $150,000 a year on recreation activities. If the city cannot come up with the money, the initiative mandates that the city raise the hotel tax from 10% to 12%.

City officials maintain that recreation funding is adequate and that the initiative could devastate city finances.

“Ojai devotes a relatively large level of funding to recreation,” Belknap said. “There are dozens of offerings for all ages.

“Forcing us to raise the hotel tax could really hurt tourism. At some point the law of diminishing returns kicks in.”