Hollywood Park City Council on Sept. 20 approved a fiscal year 2023-24 budget that features cost-of-living adjustments for city staff, and increases for the police and public works departments.

The background

The new $6.24 million general fund budget, which goes into effect Oct. 1, is lower than the $6.43 million budget adopted for FY 2022-23, city officials said.

The fire department saw a drop in expenses from $2.67 million for FY 2022-23 to $1.77 million for the new fiscal year, a decrease attributed to no new vehicles being budgeted.

The fire department, which recently received a new custom-designed ladder truck, budgeted for new bunker gear storage, scuba mask voice amplifiers, rope rescue gear and other equipment.

Police expenses are rising from $1.60 million last year to $1.77 million this year, with the department budgeting for buying and equipping a new police car.

The public works department’s expenditures are going up from $387,912 in FY 2022-23 to $788,746 this year. Public works budgeted $53,000 for materials for road and pothole repairs, $100,000 for a skid loader, and other capital outlay items. The city also budgeted $104,000 to install a shade structure for the Voigt Center pool, a shade structure at the nearby splash pad and two water fountains at Memorial Park.

Dig deeper

Hollywood Park’s new budget also contains a 3% cost-of-living increase for all employees as well as merit- and market-based pay raises for various employees, city officials said.

The city is keeping its property tax rate at $0.461 per $100 valuation. Local officials said, due to higher property appraisals, the city will raise $347,627 more in property tax revenues than it did in 2022-23.

City officials are projecting $6.29 million in general fund revenues, lower than $6.43 million budgeted last year.

However, general fund revenues and expenses for the new fiscal year are projected to be balanced at $7.68 million for each category when other special funds are considered, according to local officials.