In his office, Fontana City Manager Kenneth Hunt, keeps a reminder of how far Fontana has come and how difficult life was during the 1990s economic slowdown. The newspaper features an article declaring Fontana’s own hardships when many of the staff and much of the programming had to be laid off or shut down. Ken has vowed to never forget those days and to do everything he can to make sure those difficult situations are not faced by the City or its residents again.

Careful planning has allowed Fontana to stay ahead in these more difficult times.

In June, the Fontana City Council adopted the City’s Annual operating budget for Fiscal Year 2008/2009. The balanced budget did not include any staff layoffs or major program cutbacks. This is extremely good news considering the overall climate of fear and financial uncertainty facing many cities throughout the United States. Hunt did warn the council that there is a concern for Fontana and many neighboring cities that stems from budget proposals being considered in Sacramento.

The State of California’s budget deficit does not bode well for municipalities. With dwindling of resources and an existing structural deficit, cities are very concerned that the state may return to a practice of taking monies from local governments to balance their budget. Mr. Hunt stated, “It is very frustrating when cites like Fontana work very hard to live within their means and then get blind sighted by budget deficits at the state. The best government is local government and the state needs to look at other options than to reach into our pockets.”

For Fontana, if the state takes money from the city, the result may well end up putting the city’s balanced budget into a deficit position. The Council would be faced with the decision of cutting staff, cutting services, or using money from the reserve funds that have been building up over the last decade. Mr. Hunt’s recommendation to the City Council will be to initially draw from reserves so that programming can continue.

A delay in budget adoption by the state could also create other potential problems. A delay in the payment of state funds for such things as police programs will cost the city vital resources and create additional financial hardships.

For now, the city will continue to provide quality services and to live within our means. The new Senior Center is still moving forward as planned. Fontana Park with Jessie Turner Fitness Center and Aquatics Center will still open in 2008 and both will be fully staffed. Construction along the I-10 Corporate Corridor is still planned as scheduled. In short, changes are not being made but the City will watch carefully, wait, and adjust accordingly for any changes that may arise from the Capital.

To find out more about the City of Fontana budget please visit www.fontana.org.