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• Area crews continue battling fires; advise clearing weeds when safe

• Blazes fueled by wind, heat forcing evacuations in Northern California

• Lodi Middle students visiting Fresno State for tech camp

• Lockeford Community Park — possibilities endless, but money needed to keep it up

• Agency supplying meals to local seniors to shut doors

• Boy suffers head injuries after being hit by car

• Regional Roundup

• Galt prepares for flat revenue in '09 and '10

• Did petition against groundwater charge qualify for ballot?

November 21st, 2009

• Logbook

• Holiday drive spreads cheer to U.S. troops

• Galt High students want board to approve open-campus policy

• Poisoning victims remain hospitalized

• Expert: Half a mushroom cap can be deadly

• Tokay grad files claim over Lodi's Grape Bowl

• Lodi Middle School holds annual Turkey Trot

• Regional Roundup

• No motive or suspect in shooting

• Sacramento cop arrested for alleged kidnapping

November 20th, 2009

• Acampo woman killed

• Salvation Army Kettle Kickoff

• Advocacy groups sue East Bay Municipal Utility District over Pardee expansion

• Regional Roundup

• Galt plans to help residents with energy-efficient projects

• Stable southeast of Lodi approved

• One year after a heart attack, Lodi's Judy Mims thanks rescuers

• National Guard troops return home in time for the holidays

• Real estate market gets on more solid ground

November 19th, 2009

• Operation: Christmas

• Logbook

• Suspect arrested after hiding in fridge

• Chase ends in crash

• Galt Joint Union High School Distric hires new superintendent

• Sales tax hike yields dividends: 5 new officers join Galt Police

• Lodi Unified School District board votes to cancel summer school for 2010

• Water surges in Mokelumne River yield more salmon

• Lodi City Council will consider redevelopment next June

• Lodi City Council plans to cap number of taco trucks at 22

• Corrections

November 18th, 2009

• Regional Roundup

• Paranormal group conducts second investigation of building

• Congress allocates money for local water projects

• Sarah Palin's book hits the shelves: Locals react

• Lodi man finds wife's ashes during police display of stolen property

• Galt City Council rejects study on rent stabilization

November 17th, 2009

• Paying tribute to a Lodian

• Lodi Budget and Finance Committee to look into ways to save money on employee benefits

• Regional Roundup

• Decision on summer school expected at tonight's Lodi Unified School District meeting

• Clements gets free water rescue boat

• Redevelopment to be discussed by Lodi City Council again

• Court reinstates death penalty for killer of Lodi grad

• Clarification

November 16th, 2009

• Correction

• Public Meetings

• City Council 'triple-dog dared' to ditch cars, use Lodi buses

• Sierra Adventure store to close after four years in Downtown Lodi

• Lodi's First Sip event showcases area wineries' latest vintages

• Three members of Lodi-area family fall ill after eating poisonous mushrooms they reportedly found at Lodi Lake

• Regional Roundup

November 14th, 2009

• Galt school district narrows superintendent search to one

• Regional Roundup

• Despite budget cuts, some Lodi Unified School District salaries continue to rise

• Watchful neighbor in Lodi helped bust suspected burglars

• New Galt city manager juggles job, family

• Despite an increase in homeless students, school districts look to bolster enrollment, raise revenue

• A first look at 2009 vintages at Lodi's First Sip wine-tasting event

The following stories have received the most reader comments during the last 7 days.

• The country's mess is our fault (170)
• Obama is not a moderate (130)
• Public health care is a Christian option (74)
• Sarah Palin's book hits the shelves: Locals react (73)
• Lodi City Council plans to cap number of taco trucks at 22 (52)
• The haves should help the have-nots (31)
• Tokay in, traveling to unbeaten No. 3 Grant for football playoffs (25)
• Government-run health care is a bad idea (25)
• Young woman fatally shot at Acampo home (18)
• Sierra Adventure store to close after four years in Downtown Lodi (16)

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Galt prepares for flat revenue in '09 and '10

Galt city officials are preparing for two years of relatively flat revenue, something they say isn't all bad considering the sliding economy.

For the next two fiscal years, Galt expects property tax to falter only slightly from $2.5 million to about $2.49 million per year. City sales tax projections show a small uptick from $1.7 million to $1.87 million.

"We're feeling very lucky, because (other cities) had significant drops," Galt City Manager Ted Anderson said Wednesday.

Indeed, in Lodi, city officials expect sales and property tax revenue to be off by a combined $1 million during the next year.

Anderson said the lack of recent new home construction in Galt has kept property values — and thus revenue — from plummeting.

At least one city leader, however, said she's not convinced Galt's revenue will remain stable.

"That is only a projection," Galt Councilwoman Barbara Payne said of Anderson's figures. "I think reality may be a little different."

The Galt City Council received an overview Monday of the proposed budgets for the 2008-09 and 2009-10 fiscal years.

The council will take a more detailed look at the budgets at its June 24 meeting.

A council vote on the spending plans is not expected until July 1.

Anderson said no layoffs will be required, though he expects four positions could remain open. Those would affect the police, public works, building and planning departments, he said.

Also, the city will need to shift about $1.5 million from the General Fund to Galt's parks and recreation department over the next two fiscal years.

That's because revenue from the Galt Flea Market — which has funded parks and recreation in the past — has "maxed out," Anderson said.

The scarcity of applications for new homes has led to declines in development fee revenue, Anderson noted.

He estimated there will be "almost no" new home building in the city over the next two years.

That will impact more than just revenue, Payne noted. Much of Galt's industry is tied to home construction and jobs could be at stake.

Galt Councilman Don Haines, who was not able to attend Monday's budget overview, said Galt is likely in for two tough years.

"I think that we're going to have to struggle through it like everybody else," he said.

Contact reporter Chris Nichols at chrisn@lodinews.com.