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Some city projects may be axed at special meeting 

The Berkeley City Council has scheduled a special meeting at the Berkeley Community Theater on Tuesday to receive a budget presentation for fiscal year 2003 by city manager Weldon Rucker. The meeting, at 1930 Allston Way, will kick off at 5 p.m. with public commentary before Rucker begins a review of the current budget status for the city council. This is the first official review since the biennial budget went into effect in July of 2001. 

The presentation should be significant in that the city budget, like those of governments nationwide this year, is facing a significant shortfall. “Both parking and hotel taxes are far below budgeted projections,” said Mayor Dean. While she hasn’t yet seen the specific numbers, she believes the shortfall to be somewhere around $1.6 million. 

The city is in the middle of its two-year budget, a budgeting process it first adopted for the 2000-2001 fiscal years. It remains to be seen whether the council will make any alterations Tuesday, but it doesn’t seem likely. “Though this is to review the budget and see what types of adjustments must be made, I don’t expect anything to happen Tuesday. We will just be there to listen,” said Dean.  

Adjustments will eventually have to be made to both the revenue and expenditure side of the budget. 

As a result, it looks as if some projects added to the budget over the past year may not get funded. “The council has already agreed to take funds that were allocated, but not yet expended, and apply them to the deficit,” said the mayor. Property tax revenues held steady and adhered to projections. 

In addition to the budget presentation, the city auditor will be presenting her findings from the police staffing audit.  

Contact reporter: jamie@berkeleydailyplanet.net