Here is a link to the full budget that the Council will be reviewing. It is not a line-item budget but one level of abstraction up. If you want the line item budget, I’ll find a link but it is an enormous pile of data and kind of difficult to understand without help from staff. Municipal accounting is done on a modified accrual basis and it can be a real challenge.
We’ve had our first budget meeting and I’m pretty comfortable about our starting point. Lots more meetings coming up soon. Links for the schedule in post below.
February 27, 2009 at 11:45 pm
Andy,
Is there anywhere in the budget that breaks down the per cost of a ESL student and a non ESL student? I simply do not understand why in the face of such economic times, the City is letting go tax paying employees and services and does nothing to reduce the cost of illegals that do not pay their fair share in taxes and cost much more to educate then a non illegal student.
February 28, 2009 at 9:29 am
If that data exists, it would be in the school budget.
February 28, 2009 at 11:07 pm
Andy,
Thanks. But, would that not also be part of the larger budget?
February 28, 2009 at 11:14 pm
Not on the city side. Best way to find out would be to ask the school board folks
March 2, 2009 at 8:08 am
Andy,
Does it bother you the City is laying off tax paying Citizens because of the economic issue, and keeps educating at a higher costs illegals who are not paying taxes?
I sure hope you and our fellow Council members are working more at keeping our Citizens employed and are raising objections to the school budget which equals the rest of the larger budget.
March 5, 2009 at 9:13 pm
I’ll take the lack of your answer as you really do not mind giving the shaft to tax paying Citizens while providing a free education to illegals.
March 6, 2009 at 8:15 am
Com:
My “reading into” Andy’s last comment and none other since was “go complain to the school board”.
I’m not aware that Council has line item veto authority over the school budget. If I recall past budget years its pretty much lump sum. Council can suggest changes but I doubt think they can just flat cut items. The place to get that done is school board budget meetings. School Board members are elected also right? So public political pressure ought tp be able to be applied there.
Also, keep in mind that $1 cut from school budget is not $1 of cut to overall General Fund budget. Cutting funds for ESL isn’t going to save any City jobs. Cutting funds for ESL MIGHT save a teacher or other schools job though.
March 6, 2009 at 10:42 am
David is essentially right. The council doesn’t have a line item veto on school spending. The other thing to remember is that ESL is federally mandated. I will not engage the federal government in a lawsuit over such a thing. We’ll lose in court and spend a ton of money.
COM, you and I have been round and round about this. If you are unhappy about FEDERAL mandates, please contact your FEDERAL representative – they are the ones requiring us to do ESL, NCLB and a bazillion other things.
I would start with Frank Wolf as he is normally very responsive.
March 6, 2009 at 4:40 pm
Andy,
Where does it say we need to educate the illegals at a higher cost then anyone else? And put them in special classes? Put them in the regular classes, they will get a better education and we will save money. I don’t agree with that, but at least they are not busting the budget that way.
No wonder illegals are coming here. We are suffering, and they are getting a free education along with many other services. I guess I should renounce my citizenship, come back into the Country illegally, not pay taxes and start to send my child to public school.
The City is going broke, who cares about the Federal Government. Yet, our “leaders” are all to willing to stand up and ask the Government for a piece of the “stimulus” bill. Where do you think that money is going to come from? From you and me, and our children. And politicians are shocked to find out the public has such a low opinion of them.
Are you willing to work to get rid of the silly agreement the Council has with the school board that entitles them to way too much money? I find it hard to believe the Council does not have control of the money that different departments get.
The less money the school board gets, the more money the Council has to spend on the general budget or more importantly return the money to the rightful owner, the tax payer.
March 6, 2009 at 10:40 pm
Head -> sand, sand -> head
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