Politics & Government
City Asks for Community Input at Budget Workshop
Around 40 residents attend 'City Budgeting 101' workshop Tuesday, after vice mayor asks residents to get informed and involved in the city budget.
Santa Cruz Vice Mayor Don Lane put out a call to the public Tuesday, asking community members to get involved in Santa Cruz's budget by attending a , and he got his wish.
Around 40 residents showed up at the police department community room in Santa Cruz, readily awaiting the start of the workshop where Lane, along with City Manager Martín Bernal and City Finance Director Jack Dilles, broke down the proposed budget for fiscal year 2012 and explained the rules and laws governing budget decisions.
The budget trio further explained outside forces affecting budget decisions, explored behind-the-scenes costs, reviewed city revenue sources and expenditures, and detailed how council members balance the budget and the process involved.
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They further explained the multitude of different funds and their purposes, and discussed the city's general fund deficit.
“I thought it was really helpful,” resident Mia Duquet, 51, said. “I was really glad that they were willing to come out here and tell us different ways of how the budget works in the short time that they had.”
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Educating the public by breaking down the budget into digestible chunks and gathering community input is exactly the reason Lane put a call out to the community.
“We want your input and your ideas as we make decisions about our city budget,” Lane announced at the start of the workshop. “We believe residents would make better decisions if they are better informed.”
And that's exactly how many of the residents were as they left the workshop, with many saying it helped them better understand the allocation of city funds.
“I thought it was really well presented, well thought out and helpful,” resident Jane Mio, 63, said. “I thought it was clarifying for me, because sometimes I thought, 'Why aren't they taking the money from over here,' so it really helped me know what was taboo.”
Near the end of the workshop, those in attendance were given the opportunity to ask questions, which were numerous. Many questions focused on cuts to public safety, as residents worried about the fate of police and firefighters, who will lose a $44 million dollar grant in June 2012, according to Dilles.
“I was concerned that the police department is getting a cut, and there's grant money that they're going to be losing,” Duquet said. “I wanted to ask that just to get it out there, like 'Yeah, I'm aware of this, and I'm concerned.'”
Lane further announced how 2012 is the first year that the council will consider the budget with five goals in mind:
- To enhance environmental sustainability and resources
- To enhance community safety
- To attract and retain businesses and jobs
- To achieve financial stability and sustainability
- To improve and maintain infrastructure and facilities.
Lane said council members will seek to adopt a budget that reflects the above goals, and he invited the public to participate in the next budget hearing June 7, where they'll have the opportunity to review budget proposals and submit revisions.
“In the long run, what we're trying to do is have a more public and engaged process, so priorities of the city budget are all lined up,” Lane said. “We want to make sure we're spending the budget according to community goals.”
Residents are further encouraged to attend the budget hearing on July 12, which will be the date that the council moves to approve or deny the proposed budget for 2012.
For a breakdown of budget and fund specifics, view The Breakdown: Understanding the Budget.
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