It appears that both of the cities in San Bernardino County’s extreme southeast corner will utilize their reserves to balance their 2012-13 budgets.
In Chino, a marginal increase in sales tax and property tax revenues will not be sufficient to ensure that income in the upcoming fiscal year will match expenditures. Accordingly, city officials anticipate utilizing  $2.9 million of $22.8 million in available reserves to balance its 2012-13 budget without curtailing critical services.
In Chino Hills, city manager Mike Fleager will recommend to the city council a more modest $442,000 disbursement from that municipality’s reserves to cover the cost of city operations next year.
As in the case of its neighbor, Chino Hills intends to spend more money next year than it anticipates bringing in to ensure that  the city’s law enforcement, community development and construction regulation, code enforcement, park and recreation functions are adequately funded.  It has roughly $15.5 million in available reserves and will tap into that money to make up the difference.
The governmental fiscal year runs from July 1 to June 30. It is anticipated that both Chino and Chino Hills will finalize their 2012-13 budgets by the middle of next month.