Martinez City Services Safe Under Proposed Budget

City Manager Philip Vince would like to assure residents that the City of Martinez isn't cutting any services any time soon. Keeping a promise like that could be difficult, however.

The Martinez City Council meets Thursday at 6:30 p.m. for a budget workshop and a look at the proposed budget for fiscal years 2013-15.

"It's a no-frills budget," Vince said. "We're keeping the current service levels we've been providing for the community. We're not eliminating any programs or people."

Vince did concede that if the State's purse strings remain taut, the City of Martinez might have to find new sources of revenue or consider consolidating services with neighbor cities.

"(Consolidation) is something that might loom large," he said. "It's a buzzword in our industry. … Consolidation is a lot more complicated than accounting and chopping numbers, though."