The Ventura City Council adopted a balanced $303.3 million operating and capital budget for Fiscal Year 2021-22 at its Budget Hearing on June 21, 2021.
For the upcoming fiscal year, the General Fund will have a balanced budget of $124.1 million, allowing the city to deliver several upcoming projects, advanced planning work, pandemic recovery, and core services and programs.
“This budget provides the resources to support the ongoing services our residents have come to expect. It was prepared in support of the City Council’s established budget principles and strategic annual goals, which were both identified earlier in the year,” stated Ventura City Manager Alex D. McIntyre.
The FY 21-22 budget allows for technology investments, homeless services, public safety enhancements, upgrades to the fire department’s alerting system, investments in downtown Ventura for Main Street Moves, support for an economic development strategy, and additional staffing support for business technology innovation, community development, and human resources.
The budget also includes funding from the American Recovery Plan Act (ARPA). City Council approved a plan to use ARPA funds for one-time expenditures for community beautification, a one stop shop permit center, parking improvements at Mission Park, Main Street Moves, facility improvements and repairs, fire station enhancements, and upgrades to the City’s information and technology systems. The City will receive $16.3 million in one-time funding over the course of the next two years.
The City continues to invest in Ventura’s infrastructure, and added nine new projects to the 2020-2026 Capital Improvement Program. Projects include Promenade repair improvements, citywide bridge preventative maintenance, parking lot light improvements for Paseo de Playa and the Pier, stormwater mitigation, sidewalk ADA improvements, water and wastewater service repairs, and coastal facility improvements. Eight of the projects in the six-year workplan are funded by Measure O.
“The City remains focused on recovering from the recent pandemic and continues to use multi-year forecasts and budget principles to ensure long-term financial viability,” said Finance and Technology Director Michael Coon.
The City Council also recently adopted the Fire Department Operational Performance Study on April 21, 2021, which outlined a need for facility improvements and three additional positions to optimize service delivery. As a part of the FY 21-22 budget, $3.5 million has been set aside for fire station facility upgrades and additional operational enhancements. The City will present a strategic plan for fire operations during the mid-year budget review in January 2022.
In support of the Council’s current goals, the City completed a comprehensive Information Technology (IT) Strategic Plan and scoping for an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system, which was presented in May 2021. The IT Strategic Plan assessed the City’s existing technologies, operational requirements, and service delivery needs, and outlined a strategy to address unique business need requirements by the public and customer relationship management through new and improved interfaces.
For additional information about the City of Ventura’s budget or financial documents, visit www.cityofventura.ca.gov/FinancialTransparency.
