lineitemveto Four members of the Long Beach City Council — Patrick O’Donnell, Gerrie Schipske, Rae Gabelich and Steve Neal — have placed an item on the September 28 meeting agenda to “consider and discuss” and potentially attempt to override Mayor Bob Foster’s veto of one percent of the general fund spending in the city manager’s proposed budget that the Mayor forwarded to the Council without dissent in July.

The council members write in pertinent part:

“The City Council deliberated for nearly two months over the budget that was presented by the Mayor and City Manager to the Council, and the Council approved a budget that made cuts in the amount recommended in the Mayor’s and City Manager’s budget.

“At no time during the budget discussions by the full Council or the Budget Oversight Committee did the Mayor express any opposition to the Council approving appropriations in the amount of his proposed budget. Moreover, city management has indicated to council members that … no additional financial figures have been issued indicating that the fiscal year 2011 budget needed to be reduced further.

“The Council and the public need a complete review of why the additional cuts are being made and how the cuts will impact services and jobs.”

In their agendizing memo, the council members’ say the Mayor’s veto will mean an additional $1.2 million reduction for the Long Beach Police Department ($650,000 in non-sworn positions and $610,000 for overtime, meaning an additional seven percent reduction in LBPD’s overtime budget).

They also cite a nearly $400,000 additional reduction to the Long Beach Fire Department ($54,000 in non-sworn, $337,000 in overtime), as well as another $283,000 cut from public works, $247,000 cut from Parks & Recreation and $123,000 more cut from libraries.

To view the council members’ memo in full, click here.

The council members’ action will force a debate/discussion of the impacts of the Mayor’s cuts — which the Council hasn’t had an opportunity to discuss since the Mayor issued his veto message last Sunday.

It could also culminate in a recorded vote on the Mayor’s veto. Six votes (two-third of council members) are needed to override the Mayor’s veto; those would have to come from among council members Robert Garcia, Gary DeLong, Dee Andrews, James Johnson or Suja Lowenthal.

The Sept. 28 Council meeting was a special meeting initially scheduled to hear an appeal of the Harbor Commission-approved Environmental Impact Report on the Desmond Bridge project. The four council members used the opportunity to agendize the veto override item as well.

The meeting is scheduled to start at 3:30 p.m. — with the hearing on the EIR the first scheduled item. A 4:30 p.m. closed session is also scheduled on negotiations with several city employee unions. It’s not immediately clear what the Mayor/Council will do to accommodate the two time-colliding items.