by Jane McWilliams
A special council meeting has been scheduled for Monday, August 23 at 7:00 p.m. to solicit public comments on the City’s 2011 budget. This is in advance of the City Council establishing the City’s preliminary 2011 property tax levy and well in advance of the formal public hearing held in early December.
The City has experienced significant reductions in state aid and the Mayor and Council have set a goal of achieving a balanced budget without any state aid by the year 2015. This represents a decrease of just over $2 million dollars over the next four years or 20% of the General Fund budget, $500,000 in 2011. The General Fund’s operations cover most basic city services including police, fire, public works, community development, parks and recreation, library and administration.
Given the size of the reduction, all services will be affected to some extent. The Mayor and Council want to know not only what services are important to you, but also what level of service is acceptable. Would you be willing to pay higher taxes to maintain service levels? Would you be willing to pay additional fees and charges? Are you willing to accept reductions in hours of service at City facilities or longer response times?
The 2010 City budget is available on the City’s website and at the Library. The budget document provides details on the various city departments and what services are provided. Read up on it and bring your ideas to the forum.
The format of the public forum will be as follows:
- City staff will make a brief presentation on the current status of the 2011 Budget development and review of the 2011 Budget Policy approved by Council.
- Groups or individuals in attendance are encouraged to address the Council and will be given up to four (4) minutes. City Councilors will then have the opportunity to ask the presenter additional questions to clarify the recommendation.
- Once all formal presentations by groups or individuals have been made, the Mayor will lead an interactive Q&A with the audience and council members on specific budget issues
For more information, go to the city’s web site and click on the notice of the public hearing.
