Council to Analyze 2012-14 Budget Tonight

The Newark City Council will gather tonight for a special work session to discuss the 2012-14 Biennial Budget and the city’s Capital Improvement Plan.

The meeting will begin at 5:30 p.m. at , 37101 Newark Blvd. in Newark.

This year’s operational budget for the City of Newark has been estimated at $34 million, . In 2010-11, the operational totaled $33 million – about 12 percent less than the adopted budget of 2009-10.

Since 2008, Newark has made approximately $8 million in budget cuts.

But since voters approved Measure U, a 3.5 percent utility users tax in November 2010, a number of services have been restored. The measure is expected to generate an estimated $2.3 million every year for five years.

The 5:30 p.m. work session will be followed with the city council’s regular board meeting, which is scheduled to begin 7:30 p.m.

At that council meeting, two public hearings will be held – one to consider whether the League of Volunteers can hold a fundraiser circus at from June 15-18 and another to consider a text amendment to regulations regarding domestic animals and domestic pets.

The amendment proposal is to allow four hen chickens and consider them as household pets without requiring the owners to Animal’s Fancier’s Permit. City ordinance allows residents to have four animals maximum without having to get an Animal Fancier’s Permit.

For more information about the council meeting, see the full agenda above or download it on the City of Newark website here.