Producing balanced budgets has become somewhat of an annual ritual for the Cotati City Council. At its meeting on June 27, the council unanimously approved a balanced budget of $4.86 million, marking the third straight year it has done so.

The Cotati Police Dept. is budgeted to receive $2.6 million, including funds for three additional reserve police officers. The budget counts an anticipated extra revenue stream of $756,000 from Measure A, a five-year, half-percent sales tax increase, which was passed by voters in 2010. In 2009, the city was in the red by a total of $530,000.

Measure A brought in $740,444 this year, which is more than $250,000 above the expected total. This year, revenues from Measure A hit $740,444. That's $260,000 more than was projected last July.