Shortfall is more than initially thought, and it might seem a rather confusing way to define deficit, but if you have money to cover the shortfall (even if it is in reserves), then your budget isn’t really in deficit.
So, our revenues weren’t as large as we had hoped, but we had planned for just such an event by developing a reserve, therefore we won’t be in deficit this year.
Good news, good planning.
City deficit redefined upward
By Terri Hardy - Bee Staff Writer
Published 12:00 am PDT Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Sacramento's top finance official acknowledged Monday that the city's projected deficit for next fiscal year is $29 million -- more than six times the figure cited publicly last week.
Assistant City Manager Gus Vina said Monday that the difference between city revenues and expenditures projected for 2007-08 was $29 million, not the $4.5 million stated at last week's City Council meeting.
Vina said Monday that the $29 million figure was not used because money in special planned reserve accounts was being used to cover a $22.5 million portion of the deficit. Another $2 million in savings from the current year will roll over to next year.
That left $4.5 million in unanticipated expenses -- the amount that he said would be covered out of the city's emergency reserves.
Because the city had planned to use special reserves to pay for expected additional costs from such things as new labor contracts, Vina said he didn't include those expenses as part of the budget shortfall.
"We don't call (the $24.5 million portion) a deficit," Vina said.
