The price tag on a softball and sports complex the city plans to build now looks to be 40 percent more than the prior estimate provided to the city, pushing the cost to over $36.7 million and sending next year's budget projections into the red, officials said during a budget workshop Monday.

Big League Dreams will operate the complex that will replace 30 acres at Freedom Park, which will feature six softball fields to simulate Major League stadiums.

It is also to have an indoor soccer arena and restaurants that will be operated by the for-profit California company.

The cost increase comes after the city did its own engineering study, which found that it would cost an extra $11 million to build the complex, said Mark Vincent, finance director for the city.

Previously, the city used the company's cost estimate.

The added costs will be factored into the city's next budget, which begins July 1 and runs until June 30, 2007, if the City Council approves its budget at the May 16 meeting.

The city's total budget, including large one-time projects and separate funds such as the one for sewer service, is expected to be roughly $1.3 billion.

But much of the high-profile city services, like police, fire and park maintenance, comes out of the general fund.

Revenues are projected to be $540.4 million for the next fiscal year, an increase of $55.8 million. Most of the projected increase is due to increased sales tax and property tax revenues.

But any windfall will be more than offset by expenses in the general fund, with expenditures projected to be about $3 million more than revenues.

Vincent said he is not concerned because typically 5 to 6 percent of the positions on the city payroll are not filled and the city keeps a large reserve of revenues.

Plus, Councilman Larry Brown said, the city has historically overestimated costs and underestimated expenses.

This year, the city is expected to take in $16 million more than it spent, Vincent said.

The city plans to add 68 positions, including 18 in the fire department and 13 in the detention and enforcement division, which includes the city jail and animal control.

But as it is, staffing has not kept up with the city's growth in demands.

The extra revenue was also offset additional employee costs and the extra $11 million in Big League Dreams costs.

Vincent said that the city's staffing has not kept up with the city's growth.

Under the proposed budget, seven unfilled positions will be eliminated, but no one will be laid off.

"It's clear to me we're having difficulty keeping pace with the needs of our constituents," Vincent told the City Council.

Brown, continued a theme he has preached for years: that at some point expenditures will grossly outpace revenues and tough decisions will have to be made.

He said Big League Dreams, while a significant upfront cost, was in the long run a benefit to the city because the city will not have to shoulder operations and maintenance costs and would eventually get back a percentage of the revenue.

"Are we doing it differently? Are we going to be open to criticism? Absolutely. But looking long-term, this is where we have to go," Brown said of the deal with Big League Dreams. "Or we can be like some other cities in town, and do diddly squat."

Brown had made efforts last year to re-examine programs.

Those results were brought to the City Council, and met with a cool reception by council members.

The city evaluated 12 programs, including the city's cultural division, graphics and special event planning.

Using focus groups, the city came up with recommendations, that included trying to recoup more money through fees for costs or stop programs' expansion.

But council members defended many of the programs.

Councilman Gary Reese argued for Rapid Response, which goes out and does things like clean up graffiti.

Councilman Lawrence Weekly defended the Cultural Division, which he said provides a key outlet for children in his ward, which includes many of the poorer sections of town.

Councilman Steve Wolfson not only defended the Senior Citizens Law Project, which provides legal advice for anyone over 60 years of age in Clark County, he proposed adding one or two lawyers to the program.

Brown, though, argued that this is something that the county should be doing.

"We are going to get to the point where we have to pull back," he said. "A role of the city government is to provide services for the city of Las Vegas."

He warned that with proposals to cut federal grant programs now used by cities and rumblings about spreading money from the sale of land through the Bureau of Land Management nationally, the city could face tough times quicker than expected.