City sees slight improvement over previous year's budget

A special meeting of the Carson City supervisors and the Redevelopment Authority is set for 9 a.m. Monday in the Sierra Room of the Carson City Community Center to adopt a final budget for fiscal year 2011-12.

Finance Director Nick Providenti said general fund revenues are expected to increase 2.7 percent over last year's budget, and general fund expenditures are projected to fall 1 percent, leaving the city in better shape than the previous fiscal year.

He said in an April tentative budget presentation to supervisors that he did not expect any drastic measures would need to be taken this year after last year's belt-tightening.

Carson City department heads, officials and employee association leaders came up with a hit list last year of 142 items including personnel, that needed to be cut to help balance expenditures in the 2010-11 fiscal year.

Providenti and City Manager Larry Werner prepared the list based on a 10 percent reduction after tax revenues for 2009-10 indicated the city would not likely be able to operate at its then-current levels.

The $7.9 million Carson City budget deficit had led to targeting 30 city jobs, but the pain was mitigated by shifting employees around.

According to Finance Director Nick Providenti, the goal is to balance the budget by, among other things, reducing programs, freezing salaries and implementing a voluntary separation program and cutback list.

Also on Monday, supervisors are expected to:

• Set the tax rate for the Cooperative Extension for fiscal year 2011-12.

• Approve the Sierra Forest Fire Protection District budget for fiscal year 2011-12.

Acting as the Redevelopment Authority, officials are scheduled to approve the Carson City Redevelopment Authority budget for fiscal year 2011-12.

Go to http://www.carson.org to download an agenda and a complete information packet.

The Carson River Advisory Committee meets at 5:30 p.m. Monday in the Sierra Room of the community center to discuss and/or take action on the following items:

• A plan to organize a Carson River Advisory Committee workday project Sept. 17 in conjunction with the Kiwanis Club's River Cleanup.

• The progress of the Carson River Coalition's Education Working Group to develop educational signage and/or pamphlets regarding inappropriate motorized uses in the Carson River.

• An update of the Unified Pathways Master Plan in 2012 as it relates to the Carson River area.

• An update on the status of current Parks and Recreation Department projects along the Carson River.

Go to http://www.carson.org to download an agenda and a complete information packet.