San Benito city manager working to trim $9.6M budget

SAN BENITO - City Manager Manuel Lara said Monday he will try to trim the city's $9.6 million general fund budget and review city contracts for ambulance service and garbage pickup.

"I'm streamlining the budget," Lara said two months after he took office. "I'm going to structure it so it's lean."

A series of personnel changes may have forced officials to approve a budget that needs tweaking, Lara said.

After city commissioners asked City Manager Victor Treviño to resign in August, interim City Manager Hector Jalomo steered officials through the budget process, Lara said.

"I think it was very fast-paced," Lara said.

Lara said he will review city contracts for ambulance service and garbage collection.

"I want to make sure we're getting quality service for what we're paying," Lara said.

Officials budgeted $1.9 million to pay Allied Waste Services in 2007-2008, he said.

"I want to reevaluate their performance," Lara said.

The city budgets a monthly sum of $4,000 to pay Pro-Medic EMS for ambulance service, he said.

"I want to review the service and response (time)," Lara said.

Lara said he will meet with department heads to revise the budget.

"I'm going through the budget and I have some questions," Lara said. "I want some explanations."

Lara said he will determine how the city could fund the salary of a police chief, a vacancy that arose after commissioners stripped Fire Chief Orlando Garcia of his job as public safety director.

Officials failed to budget for the job, Lara noted.

"Where am I going to get the resources to fill the chief's position?" Lara asked. "It hasn't been funded."

Garcia drew a salary of $69,752 to work the dual role. Acting Police Chief George Gomez, who holds the post of police commander, makes $55,900.