Continued Budget Work

This past Monday, City Council continued its work of finding ways to reduce expenditures in the required effort to balance the City's FY2010 budget. As everyone knows, we are experiencing a severe economic contraction that is affecting government, businesses and non-profits, as well as families trying to make ends meet. Tough decisions have to be made, ones that are not fun but required.

As one member of City Council, and as I look through the line items that as a whole make up the entirety of the budget, it is important to me that as we reduce services and eliminate programs, we make an effort to do as little harm to as few people as possible. But there is no doubt, and I fully recognize and understand this, that any reductions or eliminations will negatively impact some citizens. We all wish that the economy was robust and expanding, but as we face the reality of the seriousness of the situation, there is no escaping the fact that we are significantly short in our revenue. Additionally, I believe that it is imperative and responsible for the City to do anything and everything we can to provide the school system additional funds to continue progress that is being made to improve our schools and to avoid unnecessary teacher layoffs.

I hope that anyone with suggestions or other input will contact me via this blog, my email or cell phone. I welcome it. Tough decisions will be made, and there will be unpopular reductions or cuts. These are unavoidable.

But now is the time for City Council to step up, make the tough decisions that have to be made, and show that in times of crisis, leaders can and will step forward and work to carry the City forward. I will do my best to be a part of the team that must work to help continue much of the progress we have made.