Costa Mesa announces weekly meetings for budget talks

The city of Costa Mesa has planned a series of Tuesday meetings, starting this week, to present residents with information about the 2011-12 fiscal year, according to a news release from the city.

The meetings are scheduled through June 28. They are expected to cover how the city determined its budget projections, how the $5-million gap in the budget will be bridged, a review of city restructuring, a restructuring projection for the police department, and a five-year forecast, the release said.

The city is billing the meetings as “giving its citizens an unprecedented level of information and input on the proposed budget for the 2011-12 fiscal year.”

The first meeting will take place during the City Council session at 6 p.m. City Chief Executive Tom Hatch will give a general update on the state of the budget process, along with a detailed report on the city’s use of consultants, their cost and the services delivered, the release said.

“In these meetings, we will take the public through our proposed budget in great deal,” Hatch said in a prepared statement. “And we will leave ample time for public questions and feedback during each of these sessions.”

—Lauren Williams