I’ve often talked about the need for our City budget to reflect our community’s values and prioritize our year-round community. For that to happen, the Council must make time to discuss the budget regularly and include the public in the conversation. I have been working on tasks related to the budget throughout my time on the Council because how we allocate the City's funding reflects our goals and values.
This Wednesday, January 20, at 5 pm, we are holding a Mid-Year Budget Review. The workshop will include a presentation from the City Manager and our Finance Department, as well as discussion on homestead exemption. There is a lot to discuss; our budget in FY21 and FY20 has been strongly affected by the pandemic and the budget uncertainty at the State and Federal levels. There will be lingering effects on our City.
The City’s fiscal year runs from July 1 to June 30, so departments are beginning to prepare their budget proposals for next year. The Council will likely begin holding workshops with the departments to discuss the upcoming budget in March, and I am pushing for those workshops to be expansive and have ample opportunity for Council and public input. In the past, these workshops have occurred once the budget is nearly complete and have not allowed for substantive Council input. The effects of COVID-19 and the Council discussions that occurred last year when passing our current budget led me to reevaluate our process. I want us to build a new process that allows for time for the Council to make changes. It is our responsibility as elected officials to ensure that the community’s money is used on the community’s priorities.