WESTLAKE VILLAGE : Cuts Proposed in Public Safety Funds

The proposed budget for Westlake Village next fiscal year includes a 20% cut in public safety funds, a move that could result in slower response times during some emergencies, sheriff’s officials said.

But City Manager Ray Taylor said paying for deputies to patrol for traffic and criminal violations for 200 hours a week instead of 264 hours a week would not significantly alter the city’s overall public safety services, because one deputy can be removed from shifts during which two ride in the same car.

“Having a two-man car is really a luxury,” Taylor said. “Going with the one-man car won’t really have that much impact, because that’s what we had several years ago.”

However, Lt. Jim Pierson of the sheriff’s Lost Hills/Malibu Station said the cuts would also mean fewer hours during which two cars patrol the city--an absence that could be felt in case of an emergency in Westlake Village or a neighboring area.

“In the case of a robbery or a burglary or other life-threatening emergency, it could mean a waiting period while another car is brought in from a neighboring city or an unincorporated area,” Pierson said.

The proposed $2.6-million budget, scheduled for official submission at the City Council’s meeting Wednesday, attempts to offset an anticipated budget shortfall of 23% next fiscal year. Along with about $200,000 trimmed from the public safety budget, which represents 40% of general fund expenditures, the spending plan includes caps on legal and engineering fees and a freeze on capital improvement projects.

The city also will save about $80,000 by paying for maintenance of its three parks with landscape fees, which are expected to increase due to higher water costs and state cuts, Taylor said.

The council is scheduled to hold a public hearing and consider approval of the budget package June 9.