Carpinteria will start running the Carpinteria Community Library on July 1, taking over management from the Santa Barbara Public Library System.
City librarian Jody Thomas said the library at 5141 Carpinteria Ave. will have a robust program calendar, partnerships with local organizations and an enhanced volunteer program. She said she also hopes to increase library usage.
The City Council on Monday is set to adopt its $32 million 2022-2023 fiscal year budget, which includes the independent management of the library along with capital improvement programs throughout the city and millions of dollars for regular municipal initiatives and services.
The council held a special meeting Thursday afternoon to review the proposed budget, and decided to continue the item to Monday’s meeting to give the public another opportunity to comment.
City Manager Dave Durflinger said Thursday that the city is in a “good financial position” with this budget, which allows staff and council members to take on more capital improvement projects and projects that are important to the community.
Parks, Recreation and Public Facilities Administration funds are earmarked for the new Carpinteria Skate Park, the community pool and Junior Lifeguard program, the softball program, and more.
Meanwhile, the General Fund budget totals $9.3 million, with several new programs, including homelessness services, senior and youth services, and a racial equity and social justice program.
The proposed budget includes projected revenues of $26.8 million for the next fiscal year, which is about $6.3 million more than the estimated current year-end revenues. The spending blueprint contains expenditures of $31.8 million, about $9.38 million more than the current year-end expenditures.
Some of the city’s significant increases in recurring expenses include the law enforcement service agreement with the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department, which is a $700,000 increase from the current estimated year-end budget, and employee compensation, with an increase of more than $1 million.
Click here for the full proposed budget and staff report on the city’s website.
The next City Council meeting is 5:30 p.m. Monday at Carpinteria City Hall, 5775 Carpinteria Ave. The public can also view and participate in the meeting online, with information also available on the city’s website.
— Noozhawk staff writer Serena Guentz can be reached at sguentz@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.