Update on First Budget Workshop in New Reality

As you all know, we had our first (remote) workshop on the City budget on Wednesday night and we all had some important discussions about the challenges facing our City.  The article in Foster's yesterday summarizes some of that discussion.  The full video is available online. Budget discussions are always difficult, but this year we have the added challenge of a public health emergency and a new economic landscape.

Everyone on City Council and School Board takes our roles very seriously when it comes to budgets and we are each trying to look out for what we think is best for the City.  I appreciate the Mayor's leadership in keeping us focused on reviewing all the proposals carefully and looking at the budget as a whole while also recognizing that we face a few reality.  

While these latest discussions are being characterized by some as a win in regards to the tax cap I want to underscore that the tax cap has never been what this is about for me (you can see my full comments from Wed at about 43:30 in the video).  This is about doing what is right for our residents in a time of crisis while not setting back important progress our school and city departments are making.   

This is not about cutting punitively or meeting a tax cap for me. It's about finding a final number through careful discussion that our community can live with when the rug has been pulled out from so many of our neighbors. 

This is the time to lean on important relationships that have been developed and strengthened across the City Council and School Board over the past several years.  By working collaboratively together across the two bodies and drawing on those relationships I hope we can come to an agreement that works for the schools, the city departments, our small business and most importantly, our residents.  

As always, do not hesitate to reach out to me or any member of the Council or School Board.