City budget up for debate
The City Manager has released his proposed 2010-2011 budget with a combination of service cuts and tax/fee increases. The City Council is currently holding public hearings to get input from residents. The final budget will be decided by the end of March.
The recession continues to take a toll on the City budget. Tax revenue down significantly. On the heels of big service cuts in the 2009-2010 budget, the City Manger is trying to make further cuts while preserving core city services with some modest tax and fee increases. There are no easy choices, and here are some of the important highlights...
More layoffs of City staff. 180 positions would be cut. 80 of those would be layoffs in currently filled positions. The overall city workforce would be down 20% since 2007. Layoffs will result in noticable reduction in city services like filling potholes, repaving streets, etc. The city will also be less able to respond to big emergencies like blizzards, ice storms, or tornadoes.
- Less mowing in city parks
- Higher fees for services like permits and licenses.
- Red trash tags would double to $2.
- Less work to repair roads and bridges.
- Elimination of grafitti removal on city-owned property.
- Delay of some TIF payments to developers.
Core services would be protected as much as possible, with a special emphasis on public safety and neibhorhood livability. However, this will require a small property tax increase. The annual rollback of the city's share of property taxes would be waived, keeping it at the maximum allowed without voter approval.
- Low-cost/high-impact things like streetlight and sidewalk repair.
- Extra money for codes inspection and nuisance abatement to combat problems associated with vacant buildings and foreclosed houses.
- Preserve Action Center and animal control budgets.
- Retain housing programs like minor home repair fund and down payment assistance.
- Small increases in funding for police, fire, and snow removal.
- Preserve funding for public hospitals and clinics.
If there is a city program that you feel particularly strong about, be sure to attend one of the public hearings and contact your Council Members and Mayor (Volker is in the 4th District).
