Balancing the Budget

My hope is that a change in procedure in how the City balances the budget will include department managers. When the Board of Supervisors reviews the budget, they are presently excluded from the discussion, but Board members can have private conversations with staff. This goes against the basic fundamental practice of being an open and transparent.

With the reduction in grants and other revenue streams that were once available to our City, we must realistically strive to balance the budget and  re-build cash reserves. Additionally, we need to maintain our city services and upgrade the community infrastructure, such as the sewer treatment plant. Another challenge for this Board is - how can this be accomplished, given our expected city revenue shortfall, without increasing service fees?

Making sound business decisions about how City funds are spent is the single most important role the Board plays. And, the Board must stay focused: just as our water fees should not be diverted to unrelated programs; neither should any other city funding be diverted from its earmarked program. If we cannot fund it from an authorized source, we cannot afford it.

How can a Board member make budget decisions without being given the opportunity to have a discussion with those individuals overseeing these individual budgets? Well, they can behind close doors.