FLOWERS, BUDGET AND TAX PROPOSALS TAKE ROOT AT LEMON GROVE COUNCIL MEETING

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By Jonathan Goetz

Photo:  Lemon Grove Management Analyst Miranda Evans, smiling, received flowers for her self-taught videography in Lemon Grove's 40th birthday year of celebration and history minutes.

July 5, 2018 (Lemon Grove) -- It wasn’t all flowers Tuesday as the City Council discussed roads, sidewalks, a memorandum of understanding with firefighters and bringing various proposals before voters in order to raise revenue for the City of Lemon Grove, which is forecasting a budget deficit.

Lemon Grove finds itself having to solve a general fund deficit caused in part by contractual obligations which grow the general fund by 3.6% per year, while the main general fund revenues are only predicted to increase by 1.5%, over the coming year, according to a PowerPoint presented at the City Council Meeting on Tuesday, July 3, and noticed to the public.

Options under consideration include increasing business license taxes, a half-cent specialty tax on purchases from non-local vendors, marijuana taxes, and a tax on utility users. Council is expected to return for discussion of these items on July 17.

Photo, right: Karen Pearlman from the San Diego Union Tribune reported at 10:08 p.m. (over 4 hours into the meeting) that they were still discussing the taxes. Find more details on the revenue increasing proposal in her article.

A bright spot in the meeting came when City Manager Lydia Romero presented flowers to Management Analyst Miranda Evans, pictured above, to recognize her self-taught work on her iPhone for Lemon Grove's 40th birthday year of celebrations and history minutes.

Former Mayor Mary Sessom was featured in a clip along with current Mayor Racquel Vasquez, who was also awarded flowers by Historical Society President Helen Ofield and Miss Lemon Grove. You can find Evans' video on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G39hbEtQoU0.


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