Carlsbad Citiy Budget & What tt Means to YOU!

On Tuesday 6-23-’10 my guests are Kevin Branca City of Carlsbad Finance Director and judi Vincent City’s Budget Manager. As the City Council Members prepare themselves to cast their votes on the budget I devote my entire show this Tuesday to examining the budget and dissecting its complicated components. The City divides its budget to: a) Operating Budget, and b) Capital Improvement Budget. I will ask the Finance Director to break down the elements of the Operating Budget for our listeners. How much of the Operating Budget is dedicated to the employees’ payroll, benefits and pension? How these costs compare to the last two years? Then we will concentrate on the sources of income for our city and the various taxes we pay. For example Transient Occupancy Tax, also known as tourism tax, has dwindled. Sales tax is by all accounts very low. But the most disturbing is the reduction in property taxes income. Many Carlsbad families have lost their homes to foreclosure; some others have reduced the taxable values of their home through the County’s tax assessor’s office. I’ll ask for a comparison of the amount of taxes coming to the city from our major hotels and time shares: Four Seasons, La Costa, Sheraton, Grand Pacific Resorts and so on. The next topic will be our malls: The forum, Westfield Plaza Camino Real, and The premium Outlet. I’ll have some specific questions about the Village taxes: how much from the restaurants? How much from the shops? An important issue for me as a business owner in Carlsbad is how many businesses have closed their doors and how this loss impacts our budget? Many of you wanted me to talk about the Crossing, our municipal Golf Course, and the enormous annual cost of $1.7 million to us, the taxpayers of Carlsbad. It will be an interesting and informative one hour show. I invite you to listen to it live or visit my website: www.farrahdouglas.com to listen to the archived version of the show after 5 pm Tuesday 6-23-2010.