Councilman Rashid Burney has done folks a favor by posting the budget that is expected to be introduced tomorrow night. Even a quick glance will give people pause.
The budget process calls for introduction of the budget prepared by the administration, after which the governing body can hold deliberations and modify proposed expenditures. The City Council has a Finance Committee chaired by Councilman Adrian Mapp and also a Citizens' Budget Advisory Committee. Residents will have a chance to speak on the council's budget amendments once they are formulated, but certainly can also comment before the formal hearing on amendments.
As readers know, I am making do with alternate methods of blogging while my computer is getting fixed. Those who can print out and examine the budget as presented for introduction may see some figures worthy of comment or questions, such as the 23 percent increase in IT salaries and wages or the 343 percent increase in other expenses for IT. The line that caught my eye was an increase from $6,750 to $100,000 for "outside consultants," which helped boost the OE figure from $35,000 for the current year to $154,950 for SFY 2011.
I hope to get a better look at the whole document later today, but I also hope many others will take the time to peruse it. Certainly it is far from the final outcome of the budget process, but at least one can see what the governing body will be facing.
Thanks again to Rashid for putting up the figures in advance.
--Bernice
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As a former official, myself I must say that those who sit in the Ccouncil seat must bear the responsibility of all votes thay cast. You should not hide from that.
ReplyDeleteCollaboration has been going on since 1776 - and responsibility must be accepted by those who ultimately vote for it.
That too is a traditon in America that goes back to 1776.