By Holly Boitano - The City of Sutter Creek approved a shaved down version of the 2008-2009 draft budget Monday night, after receiving word two weeks ago of a nearly half-million dollar budget deficit for the 2007-2008 fiscal year. City Finance Director Jeff Gardner went over changes made since the budget was originally discussed at a special meeting two Fridays ago. Gardner said that as it stands now, the city has budgeted $1,743,350 in revenue and $1,732,370 in expenditures for 08-09. He said that the adjustments were made possible by reducing contracting services and requiring several city employees, including himself, to become no-benefit contractors.
To offset over-spending in the Police Department’s budget, the City will sell a Toyota Hybrid it purchased through a state program that they haven’t yet implemented. The City also reinstated Bruce Baracco as City Planner, eliminating a costly planning contractor that the City retained for the General Plan update. “What happened was that last year, we made some projections that didn’t hold up,” said Mayor Gary Wooten. “Sutter Creek is not bankrupt, it’s not broke, and it’s not going broke. We have a balanced budget, though it is unfortunate that our employees will not see any raises this year.”
By Holly Boitano - The City of Sutter Creek approved a shaved down version of the 2008-2009 draft budget Monday night, after receiving word two weeks ago of a nearly half-million dollar budget deficit for the 2007-2008 fiscal year. City Finance Director Jeff Gardner went over changes made since the budget was originally discussed at a special meeting two Fridays ago. Gardner said that as it stands now, the city has budgeted $1,743,350 in revenue and $1,732,370 in expenditures for 08-09. He said that the adjustments were made possible by reducing contracting services and requiring several city employees, including himself, to become no-benefit contractors. 
To offset over-spending in the Police Department’s budget, the City will sell a Toyota Hybrid it purchased through a state program that they haven’t yet implemented. The City also reinstated Bruce Baracco as City Planner, eliminating a costly planning contractor that the City retained for the General Plan update. “What happened was that last year, we made some projections that didn’t hold up,” said Mayor Gary Wooten. “Sutter Creek is not bankrupt, it’s not broke, and it’s not going broke. We have a balanced budget, though it is unfortunate that our employees will not see any raises this year.”
