At their June 14 meeting, Lakewood City Council Members unanimously passed a two-year budget for Fiscal Years 2022-24, which starts on July 1. The budget maintains full city services and continues to carry out improvements to parks, public safety and other community services promised as part of the 2020 passage of Lakewood Measure L.
Lakewood’s budget remains evenly balanced between recreation, public safety and public works/infrastructure, with each continuing to constitute approximately 25% of the budget.
Improvements in the new budget include renovations to the Weingart Senior Center and Palms Park community center, and building repairs at four parks and the Nye Library. Public Safety enhancements include purchasing additional Automated License Plate Reading cameras to place at major entries to the city. The cameras spot wanted vehicles entering Lakewood and have enabled Deputy Sheriffs to make many arrests in recent years and catch wanted suspects before they commit crimes in Lakewood.
Lakewood Finance Director Jose Gomez told the council that the city will end the current fiscal year and the next two years with a surplus.
“That surplus is very strategic and part of the whole rationale for Measure L,” said Gomez. “We need that surplus in the early years of Measure L in order to pay down long-term costs so that we extend the benefits of the measure for many years into the future, as promised. Lakewood is in good financial shape now, and we have the means to stay in good shape for the long term if we continue to be careful.”
See Lakewood’s full budget at www.lakewoodcity.org/budget.