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Santa Maria recreation department outlines proposed general-fund cuts, warns service and watering impacts
Summary
Department staff presented a package of proposed general-fund budget reductions including continued vacancies, reallocation of two park positions to special districts and reduced irrigation funding; staff characterized the plan as proposals pending City Council direction and said community-facing services could be affected.
Neville Smeda, the Recreation and Parks department HR and business manager, told the commission on Jan. 14 that the department has submitted a list of proposed general‑fund budget reductions to the City Manager’s Office and that “nothing’s set in stone.”
Smeda said the department’s proposals rely heavily on continued vacancies and a small number of reallocations. “A recurring theme is savings with current vacancies and ongoing vacancies,” he said, adding that projected ongoing vacancies through June 30 represent about $400,000 in savings and that the department will reallocate two park staff members from the general fund to the special districts fund next week — a change Smeda said will reduce the general‑fund footprint by almost $200,000.
The proposals are part of a citywide exercise…
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