City passes 13 percent spending increase

The Petaluma City Council voted Monday to approve a $184.6 million budget for the fiscal year that starts July 1. The budget is a 12.8 percent increase from the current year that incorporates some significant capital projects.

The budget includes expansions to the Ellis Creek Water Recycling Facility that will allow it to take high-strength byproducts from local food and beverage producers while producing fuel for garbage trucks, and will fund building repairs at the Petaluma Community Center, city hall and three fire stations.

The city will also buy a new ambulance staffed by a part-time crew, and will hire a new park maintenance worker and an engineering technician.

Expenditures like the ambulance involve revenue-generating activities, which helps to offset their costs. Spending from the city’s general fund, which supports much of the city’s personnel, will rise 1.5 percent from the current year, to $43.7 million. General fund spending on salaries will rise 1.7 percent, to $21.5 million, and benefits will rise 7.2 percent, to $12.5 million.

The city will enter fiscal year 2016 with a dedicated reserve of $5.7 million.

“I want to thank the city council. It was a good workshop on this, good discussion and deliberation,” said Petaluma Mayor David Glass, referencing a special budget workshop held one week prior.

A final, second reading to adopt the budget will occur during the next meeting of the city council on June 6.

(Contact Eric Gneckow at eric.gneckow@arguscourier.com. On Twitter @Eric_Reports.)