Victorville finds its coffers half-full as budget year end nears

Victorville finds its coffers half-full as budget year end nears With three weeks to go in the fiscal year, the city of Victorville has found itself in a position many cities will never experience: city officials have not spent enough money.
   At least not the money they promised to spend when they crafted the city's 2006-2007 budget last year. City officials have yet to spend nearly $135 million, or 45 percent, of the money allocated for the 2006-2007 fiscal year, which ends June 30. To adjust, city officials are scaling back spending for the upcoming year by 4.2 percent — a marked decrease from the 38 percent increase in spending that the 2005-2006 fiscal year budget allocated. With a total budget of $245 million, the upcoming 2007-2008 budget now comes in at $245 million, about $10.8 million less than the current under-spent 2006-07 budget.
   Many of the unspent funds are for budgeted infrastructure projects, such as streets and water systems, which have yet to be started.
   Even the rapid development of the Southern California Logistics Airport, designated a priority for the city by officials, did not max out the funds budgeted for the year. Just over $20 million was allocated for improvements at the 5,000-acre intermodal business complex, but only $8.5 million was spent.
   Victorville citizens should not be waiting for a refund check though, as city officials were quick to point out that any unspent funds would be spent in the upcoming year.