June 29, 2010

SUISUN CITY - Suisun City councilmembers put their stamp of approval on a budget that bigger cities would envy Tuesday night.

The 2010-11 budget manages to avoid imposing furloughs, staff cuts and service reductions that other larger cities have had to do in their budgets.

Suisun City is spending $10.3 million in its general fund budget, which pays for most of the city's services after taking measures that included getting department heads to trim at least 5 percent from their departments' spending.

'This is every incumbent's dream budget,' Mayor Pete Sanchez said, alluding to the November elections.

Councilmembers reiterated the biggest threat the city faces would be if the state decides to make more raids on city coffers to balance its own budget this year.

City administrators described the 2010-11 budget as another bridging budget using reserves and money from land sales to tide the city over until better economic times.

That specifically included the proposed Walmart Supercenter, which still needs to resolve several issues before it can start construction, hopefully by spring 2011, according to City Manager Suzanne Bragdon.

If Walmart does not happen, the city's still significant reserves will allow city leaders time to draw up plans to wind down services and work with the public on what services they consider most important.

In other business, the council approved the tentative subdivision map for the proposed 80-unit Olive Tree Ranch residential development on a 7.2-acre site south of Railroad Avenue next to Olive Avenue.

The developer, Chris Sordi, had already cut the number of buildings on his project from 85 to 80 to allow more space between them, improved parking and added traffic calming features.

Residents across Olive Avenue from the project still said they didn't like how much more traffic this was going to put on the adjacent roadways.

One resident was concerned that the continuing tough economic times may keep the developer from filling up the project and keep it from being adequately maintained.

Sordi said he was building the project in phases to deal with the economy.

Councilmembers voiced concerns about the adequacy of parking at Olive Tree Ranch and its impact on Olive Avenue, but gave Sordi the green light to go ahead with his development.

By Ian Thompson - DAILY REPUBLIC