City Budget
Let's Discuss Ventura's Funding Priorities
The Ventura City Council invites you to share a conversation about where your household budget and the city budget meet. This is an opportunity to help us understand your priorities for City services.
Let's get together and talk about money matters. To set up a meeting with a Council member for your community organization, neighborhood group or club, please call Anne Hallock at 805-658-4739 or e-mail ahallock@cityofventura.net.
Budget Survey
What kind of city do we want to be?
With sales tax down 10% this year because of a slumping economy and property taxes flattening because of falling home prices, we face about a $4 million shortfall in our General Fund budget next year, with a potential for further reductions in 2009/10.
This means that difficult choices will need to be made, especially because we remain committed to a balanced budget with no deficit spending. We will use this economic situation as an opportunity to carefully examine all of the city's expenditures and take proactive cost-reduction steps to ensure financial sustainability.
Through a Budgeting for Outcomes process, we are attempting to identify those activities that matter most to our residents. We're looking at all departments with an eye towards restructuring or eliminating certain programs while retaining our level of essential services. Part of the equation of maintaining a balanced budget will be to continue to identify new sources of revenue to ensure that our city remains clean, green, safe and beautiful.
- full text of Mayor's Message - City Government Basics
- Administrative Report - April 1, 2008
- Administrative Report - April 7, 2008
- City Manager Blog - Can't we do better than the State?
- City Manager Blog - Taking action now to reduce costs
- Log into My Ventura Access to express your opinions, concerns, and suggestions to City Council.
Budget Presentations
The following funding priorities were discussed during the City Council meeting Monday, April 7:
- Setting Ventura's Priorities
- Our Natural Community
- Our Prosperous Community
- Our Well-Planned Community
- Our Accessible Community
- Our Sustainable Infrastructure
- Our Active Community
- Our Healthy & Safe Community
On Monday, April 21, staff presented funding priorities to the City Council regarding Our Educated Community, Our Creative Community, Our Involved Community, and Our Accountable Government.