City of Orange, CA
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Budget Crisis - Protect Orange
Orange is a full-service city that provides essential services across a variety of areas including fire protection and 9-1-1 emergency medical response, police patrols, property crime and gang prevention and investigation, safe and well-maintained streets and sidewalks, parks and recreation, community events, youth and senior programs, library services, and business attraction and retention.
This high level of service comes at a cost. With increasing financial challenges, our City will need to cut approximately 13% across all departments to balance the upcoming budget.
City Manager's Office
300 E. Chapman Ave.
Orange, CA 92866
(714) 744-2222 / (714) 744-5523 Fax
For general inquiries email us.
Monday - Friday 7:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Closed alternating Fridays
See City Calendar
Budget cuts could impact a variety of our City’s quality of life services including:
Police Patrols & Homeless Outreach
Resources for property crime prevention, homelessness intervention, neighborhood patrol, code enforcement, and traffic safety.
Fire Protection
Resources for staff, maintenance, and equipment purchases needed to keep our City’s eight fire stations open, potentially impacting emergency and hazard response.
911 Emergency Response
The City of Orange is proud to have its own 911 emergency medical services, and not contract out services like many other cities. Cuts could impact service quality and response times.
Street Repairs & Improvements
Maintenance for streets such as pothole repair, sidewalks, traffic signals, street lighting, and graffiti abatement.
Neighborhood Parks
Maintenance and upgrades to our City’s 22 public parks and various facilities.
Youth & Senior Services
Youth services such as afterschool and summer programs, as well as our senior programs offered through the Orange Senior Center.
Community Programs & Events
Community events such as Treats in the Streets, 3rd of July, and Christmas Tree Lighting.
Libraries
Funding for library services and programs.
The current annual structural deficit is $19.1 million. Keeping things as they are, this deficit is expected to grow in future years to an estimated $34 million in 2029.
To make up for some of the shortfall, our City has deferred needed maintenance and drawn down from its reserve, a practice that can only last so long. At the current rate, our City will run out of reserve funding in 18 to 24 months.
Our City is currently exploring ways to help protect these quality-of-life services that our residents and businesses have come to expect.
If our City does not find additional revenue, our City will need to cut approximately 13% across all departments to balance the upcoming budget.
Recognizing the need for quick and decisive action to secure a strong future for all of Orange, our City Council has created a budget ad hoc committee to explore short and long-term financial solutions that will protect public safety resources and other vital City services.
As part of this, our Council is reviewing its options to reduce the deficit through either significant service cuts or revenue enhancements.
The Orange City Council remains committed to holding open conversations about our City’s finances and potential solutions so we can identify the best path forward to protect neighborhood services our community relies on.
Our City will be holding several in-person community meetings in the coming weeks to provide additional information about the City’s finances, as well as what options are currently under consideration to protect the City’s long-term financial future. All residents and business-owners are encouraged to attend these meetings to learn more and offer their input.
Date |
Location |
Time |
---|---|---|
Monday, April 22, 2024 |
Orange Public Library and History Center (407 E. Chapman Avenue). |
5:30 p.m. |
Thursday, May 16, 2024 |
El Camino Park (400 N. Main Street) |
5:30 p.m. |
Wednesday, June 5, 2024 |
Shaffer Park (1930 N. Shaffer Street) |
5:30 p.m. |
Thursday, June 13, 2024 |
El Modena Library (380 S. Hewes Street) |
5:30 p.m. |
Wednesday, June 19, 2024 |
Grijalva Sports Center (368 N. Prospect Avenue) |
5:30 p.m. |
If you’d prefer to reach out to the City directly for more information, please fill out the form below.