City Budgets for Child Safety Officer; Projects $340K Surplus

A marathon budget study session last week yielded some positive news for the residents of Rancho Santa Margarita. 

The six-hour meeting, in which members of the City Council scrutinized the proposed budget line by line, produced a surplus and a new member of the police force devoted to RSM's younger residents.

Following a $1.2 million budget surplus last year, there is a projected budget surplus of $340,000 for the next fiscal year.

As a result, council members authorized the funding of a new position on the police force, a Child Safety Officer dedicated to "ensuring the safety of all children and students in the city," said Mayor Tony Beall.

According to Beall, nearly 50 percent of the budget is allocated to public safety. 

"Since Rancho's incorporation in 2000, our city council's number one priority has always been public safety," Beall said. "This isn't just an empty slogan—we put our money where our mouth is and continually seek to provide law enforcement every possible tool to ensure our homes, families and children remain safe."  

The city is in pretty good shape financially. It has about a $19 million budget, and has about $19 million in reserves.