Hollywood Park City Council convened a budget workshop to review the proposed fiscal year 2024‑25 budget and related items, including capital projects, personnel pay options, information technology costs, sanitation services and public safety needs.

The discussion covered proposed cuts to capital outlays, the timing of any salary increases, an expanded information‑technology and cybersecurity package, use of seized funds to buy a police vehicle, and a recommendation to fund advanced life‑support (ALS) services for the fire department by contracting with a medical director.

The council heard public comment from resident Tonya Cummings, who said she is not opposed to residents paying for their own trash pickup if details and costs are clearly presented. She told the council, “I am not, the the trash pickup, I personally don't think that's a major issue for residents.”

Fred, a city staff member who presented the budget material, walked council members through line‑by‑line changes and a series of proposed capital reductions. He said some items were removed to pare a roughly $380,000 operating deficit down to about a $16,000 shortfall after recommended cuts. Among the specific capital items proposed for removal were $90,000 for new pool furniture and bistro tables, swing sets and striping of courts in parks, and several equipment items in public works and parks. He also said the 3% cost‑of‑living adjustment (COLA) shown in the packet remains a placeholder pending separate discussion of payroll items.

Information technology and cybersecurity emerged as a focal point. Patrick, the city's IT contact, explained the budget line that was reduced from an initial $122,000 proposal to $85,000, representing an annual support agreement, subscriptions and some recurring license costs. He said recent security work and a security risk analysis identified services and subscriptions the city lacked and that some items (one‑time “roadmap” projects such as cable cleanup) were removed from recurring costs. Patrick summarized the change: the planned recurring support and subscription package would be about $85,000 a year after trimming one‑time projects.

Council members pressed for more itemized back‑up and asked staff to provide a clearer breakdown before final adoption. The council also discussed using remaining ARPA funds to cover some IT costs; staff said about $23,000 of ARPA remained and could be applied where eligible.

Public safety budgets drew extended attention. Staff proposed buying a new patrol vehicle (listed at $55,000) using federal/state seizure funds rather than the general fund. Police Chief Richard explained many technology and software subscriptions used by the department—records and ticketing systems, leads and analytics services—are recurring costs and affect the department’s contract and subscription lines.

Fire department leadership outlined a proposed move to advanced life‑support (ALS). A speaker identified as Fire Chief (unnamed in the transcript) described ALS as enabling firefighters to perform procedures and give medications typically available only in ambulances or emergency rooms. “We will in essence be no different than an emergency room, except we'll be doing it in your kitchen,” the chief said when describing what ALS‑equipped crews could provide. The chief said the recurring cost to credential the department under a medical director and maintain that relationship would be about $18,000 per year; initial supply and training purchases were estimated separately (training equipment and initial medical supplies were included in the fire supply budget). The chief said the contract with a medical director also shifts associated medical‑liability exposure to the doctor and is a continuing, renewable obligation that would need council approval before execution. Several council members asked for the medical‑director contract and detailed costs to be returned as a separate agenda item for formal review and approval.

Streets and long‑term infrastructure funding featured prominently. Staff reviewed an engineering list of candidate street repairs and recommended a dual approach: a recurring annual maintenance allocation for preventive work (crack sealing, seal coat, pothole repairs) and a one‑time or staged allocation to address larger reconstruction projects. Under the proposed plan staff discussed, the street tax fund would provide $275,000 a year for maintenance (including a $75,000 transfer for routine materials and crack sealing) and the council would consider transferring roughly $2.3 million from general fund reserves combined with $300,000 from street fund reserves to create a $2.6 million capital pool to pursue two major street projects identified in the engineer’s report. Staff and council members debated phasing the larger projects and the merits of completing engineering and plans first versus committing larger sums immediately; one councilmember recommended staging engineering work and waiting for potential construction cost declines before committing all construction dollars.

Sanitation and curbside services also were discussed. Tiger Sanitation’s current monthly charge translates to an annualized figure the staff estimated, and council members discussed options to reduce costs—such as switching recycling to every other week or reducing brush/bulk collection frequency—while noting some residents report their recycling bins fill weekly. Staff said the sanitation contract is due for renegotiation and that the city would attempt to balance service levels and cost impacts to residents.

Staff reviewed special and restricted funds: hotel/venue tax dollars currently support Voigt Civic Center advertising and improvements, court technology and court security funds pay for court‑related hardware and software (such as e‑citation and mobile ticket printers), and federal/state asset‑forfeiture proceeds are earmarked for police and fire equipment purchases where eligible. Staff said five‑year seizure receipts totaled roughly $345,000 and current pending forfeiture cases had combined estimates in the low millions; seizure receipts are irregular and depend on case outcomes.

Council requested additional financial detail and follow‑up materials before adoption: an updated budget packet reflecting the capital cuts discussed, an itemized breakdown of the BridgeHead/IT support and subscription costs, the medical‑director contract and recurring ALS costs for fire, and firm figures on the sanitation contract and proposed changes. Council scheduled follow‑up workshops and asked staff to email revised materials several days before the next meeting.

Ending: Staff will return the revised budget and requested backup at the next workshop to allow the council to finalize decisions on pay, capital additions or restorations and any transfers into the street fund; any formal contract for the fire medical director or changes to sanitation service would be brought back for separate council action.