Diamond Bar Cityhood Seen as Viable

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

The report 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 in revenues while spending $7.01 million, said Michi Takahashi, a LAFCO administrative assistant.

The greatest single expenditure would be for 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 was law enforcement, which would have cost $2.9 million.

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