Diamond Bar : Incorporation Report

The proposed city of Diamond Bar appears able to generate sufficient revenue to pay for municipal services for its 60,000 residents, according to a report released this week by the county Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO).

The report, released Tuesday, found that in the 1986-87 fiscal year--the most recent for which figures were available--the 15-square-mile city would have taken in $7.25 million while spending $7.01 million, said Michi Takahashi, an administrative assistant with LAFCO.

The greatest single expenditure in the hypothetical city’s budget would be public works, which would cost Diamond Bar $4 million a year if not offset by taxes or special assessments, Takahashi said. The other major expense would be law enforcement at an annual cost of $2.9 million.

The report will be among the information considered by the commission at a July 13 hearing on cityhood. Leaders of the incorporation movement hope to receive approval from LAFCO and the Board of Supervisors by Aug. 11, the deadline for placing a cityhood measure on the November ballot.