{"id":14844,"date":"2026-06-13T14:31:29","date_gmt":"2026-06-13T14:31:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=14844"},"modified":"2026-06-13T14:31:29","modified_gmt":"2026-06-13T14:31:29","slug":"credit-card-fee-increases-paid-parking-at-the-great-park-and-more-ideas-from-irvine-council-to-solve-a-budget-problem","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=14844","title":{"rendered":"Credit card fee increases, paid parking at the Great Park and more ideas from Irvine council to solve a budget problem"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Irvine councilmembers this week brainstormed how to bridge a budget deficit that only promises to climb if left unaddressed and ended that lengthy discussion entangled in a slew of ideas.<\/p>\n

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Councilmembers in March learned the city overspent by $6 million this fiscal year, with staffers attributing much of the gap to labor costs outpacing revenue gains. But staffers have also characterized that shortage as a \u201cdrop in the bucket\u201d for Irvine, a city with ample reserves.<\/p>\n

But councilmembers say they fear the deficit\u2019s potential to grow to $47 million by 2030 if nothing is done.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can\u2019t keep operating on a deficit and not expect to go into a hole,\u201d Councilmember Melinda Liu said, echoing her colleagues\u2019 concerns.<\/p>\n

Councilmembers have already agreed on some steps forward, including implementing a hiring freeze, delaying the replacement of city vehicles and to audit several city projects to explain how they\u2019ve arrived at a deficit.<\/p>\n

More moves taken Tuesday, June 9, included the council deciding to dip into city reserves to balance its general fund for this fiscal year and some councilmembers saying they\u2019d tighten their own spending.<\/p>\n

A council majority also supported a 2.4% charge on credit card transactions for city services. Staffers clarified that charge wouldn\u2019t apply to everyday spending in Irvine, such as \u201cbuying a gallon of milk\u201d at a grocery store, but only services that the city provides, including permits or taking city classes.<\/p>\n

Councilmember James Mai was the most vocal opponent of the idea, saying, \u201cWe don\u2019t have a revenue problem. The big elephant in the room that\u2019s not been addressed tonight is workforce.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n<\/div>\n

The city grew \u201cby nearly 250 positions in the past five years,\u201d he said, adding that \u201c30% increase\u201d has strained city coffers and \u201cyou don\u2019t solve that by charging residents more for permits and credit card transaction fees. You solve that by getting control of the cost structure.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mai also said he\u2019d like to wait until August, when councilmembers are due to receive a \u201ccomprehensive report\u201d of the general fund and expenses, including staffing and labor costs and a breakdown of discretionary spending, before making further decisions.<\/p>\n

Councilmember Mike Carroll, who received some support from colleagues, pitched the idea of raising parking fees for out-of-towners who want to park at the Great Park.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d like to know why we\u2019re not charging parking \u2026 to understand why everybody going to these lacrosse tournaments from Yorba Linda and everywhere else are not paying $40 to park their car so we can plus this budget crisis,\u201d Carroll said, referring to a recent lacrosse tournament he\u2019d attended at the Great Park.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Liu said those increases could also extend to Fieldhouse, an under-construction sports complex set to open in Spring 2027.<\/p>\n

\u201cI believe that\u2019s not so much raising revenue. It\u2019s to make things fair and not allocate the burden of these facilities on taxpayers who don\u2019t use these facilities,\u201d she said, adding, \u201cWe can do both. We can raise revenue and we can also cut spending.\u201d<\/p>\n

The council agreed to continue their discussion to their next meeting, where they plan to approve the budget for the 2026-27 fiscal year and whether to spend $218,552 on a pilot bus program for the Irvine Unified School District.<\/p>\n

Read more Head of Palestinian soccer says he wasn\u2019t granted US visa to attend World Cup<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Though flush with ideas on how to solve their budget problem, councilmembers aren’t always on the same page.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7522,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[43,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14844","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-based-on-facts-either-observed-and-verified-directly-by-the-reporter-or-reported-and-verified-from-knowledgeable-sources","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nCredit card fee increases, paid parking at the Great Park and more ideas from Irvine council to solve a budget problem - Silicon Valley Moving Post<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=14844\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Credit card fee increases, paid parking at the Great Park and more ideas from Irvine council to solve a budget problem - 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