OK, we’re getting down to the wire on the budget. Today is the last of the departmental presentations and Wednesday is “Markup”. Markup is the end of the budgetary line where the Council as a whole goes through everything that has been put onto the open items list. Of course, nothing is set in stone until we vote after the public hearing but markup is a very important point in the process. Two VERY important dates:
April 14th – 6:45pm – presentation of the Council’s budget. This will be followed by Citizen’s time @ 7:30.
April 21st – 7:30 – Public hearing on the Council budget.
If you have something to say about the budget, these are the two days to come and speak your mind.
BTW, so far we have had a grand total of 4 (!!!) citizens attend budget work sessions…..
April 8, 2008 at 8:57 am
Perhaps a contributing factor as to why so few citizens have attended the work sessions is that they are not held at a time when it is convenient for them to attend. If the work sessions start at 5:30 pm, but one works in DC and gets off work at 5 pm and commutes, there is no way one can attend a work session. Pehraps if theses work sessions were held later in the evening and/or on a Saturday with appropriate publicity through the city’s monthly utility newsletter, attendance would be higher. At least the public hearing is being held at a more reasonable time.
April 8, 2008 at 10:37 am
Tom:
I can sympathize but also remember that the sessions that start at 5:30 don’t end until 9:00 or later. If we started at 7:30, it would quickly become unworkable for Council as well as the Staff who are presenting.
Public hearings are at 7:30 and I don’t recall that there were more than 4 or 5 there for the hearing on the Manager’s budget….
April 8, 2008 at 3:31 pm
Hold the work sessions in Council Chambers and broadcasted on the cable channel. The room’s kinda formal compared to 2nd floor conference room, but that way at least those who WANT to view and can’t due to the time can perhaps TIVO/DVR them and get comments to Council members indirectly via blog comments or email or whatever. Plus we can fast forward through the commercials (err…restroom breaks). 🙂
Just a thought…
April 9, 2008 at 12:03 am
Your response above sounds like you believe that accomodating city staff is more important that involving city residents. That is troubling and revelaing and why I anticipate a tax increase from this Republican run Council. This Council belives that government needs to grow rather than perform effectively with the dollars it has been given previously.
If I interpret your earlier comment correctly, it is more important that staff and Council members not be inconvenienced if the start time for Budget work sessions were held later that 5:30 pm; yet you have the gall to state that only 4 citizens have attended Budget work sessions!
Very revealing where your real priorities are.
I shall be going to City Hall to get a copy of the proposed budget. If it is lacking any kind of detailed explanation of the assumptions which the figures are based upon, then it is small wonder that only “4 or 5 there for hearing on the Manger’s budget.”
Are citizens going to be limited to the usual 3 minutes of citiizens time to comment on the Budget? Given the importance of this matter, do you or any one on City Council really think that is adaquate time for a citizen to critique your work?
Please do not think that you have done a good or great job on this budget if you do not provide access to budget work sessions at a time or times that actually are conductive to residents participating; nor distribuing upon request a budget which is lacking detail and assumptions so that one can understand how the numbers proposed have been arrived at.
You and your tax increasing cohorts are fortunate that there is no oppositon in the May elections. Nice to know that Republicans actually have no problem increasing taxes during tough economic times.
April 9, 2008 at 2:30 pm
I give up. You win.
April 10, 2008 at 7:52 am
Andy,
Don’t let Tom get you down. He’s SO FAR out there, he’s in no way representative of even a fraction of the populace.
Keep trying your best and when Tom puts his money where his mouth is and runs against you worry about him then. But not now.