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Lancaster announces balanced budget

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The Lancaster City Council recently adopted its fiscal year 2015-16 budget that reportedly highlights a number of success stories from the previous year.

One of the notable city achievements is the launch of Lancaster Choice Energy, as well as the development of TractionSeal manufacturing, which gives the city the ability to provide its own street maintainance capabilities.

The budget also includes a number of initiatives that the city is continuing to develop as it proceeds along a path of enhanced fiscal responsibility coupled with strategic innovation.

“This balanced budget proves a city can remain fiscally conservative in its approach, while still encouraging growth through investments in infrastructure, innovation and efficiencies,” said Lancaster Mayor R. Rex Parris. “I look forward to the upcoming year of bold approaches to best serve our residents and businesses.”The new budget includes the beginning of the “Revive 25” program which builds upon Lancaster’s efforts to improve the safety and economic vitality of the city’s streets. The campaign features a 10-year strategy for “reviving” every lane mile within the city limits. This plan is expected to ultimately extend the life of pavement thereby resulting in safer streets, an increase in property values, less wear and tear on vehicles, and reduce the amount of overall street maintenance.

Lancaster Choice Energy is a relatively new local power provider that began serving municipal accounts and early enrollees on May 1. It is said to offer clean, low-cost power; all accounts in the city of Lancaster will be transferred to Lancaster Choice Energy by Oct. 1.

TractionSeal manufacturing was another milestone met during the past fiscal year. The new road-surfacing product is expected to realize high demand from government entities across the southwest United States and may represent a new ancillary revenue stream for  the city of Lancaster. Also, the implementation of a Street Light Acquisition Program may enable the city to save money by having maintenance work performed “in-house” while also allowing the city to utilize new technologies and more energy-efficient lighting systems. As well, the ongoing planning of a new “Medical Main Street—a campus-like strategy surrounding Antelope Valley Hospital—could make use of new and existing architecture to provide a medically and economically vibrant center of health and wellness.

“As we continue to seek new ways of making the most efficient and innovative use of city resources, alternative revenue streams and innovative programs will continue to be paramount,” Parris said. “The city is proud of this balanced budget as a testament to our fiscal health, and we are excited about everything the coming year has in store for all of us.”

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