My role in these proceedings is to provide my opinion, insight, history, and feedback for the budget topics. I only vote on the budget if it results in a split vote among the councilors and budget committee.We have also had similar meetings to discuss and approve the URD budget as well.
The result is our 2013-2014 proposed budget.
But these budgets are not final yet. To view the proposed city budget, please click here. This budget also includes the budget for the URD (Urban Renewal District). If you want to be involved, study this budget! We will be voting for all parts of this budget on Wednesday, June 19th, 2013. I urge you to attend and voice your opinion. Some points of interest on this budget include:
- In the URD budget we have money budgeted for several projects:
- Quiet Zones (click here for a blog post I did on the topic in August 2012). This amount has come down considerably from last year, yet I am still not a fan of this project.
- Continued Facade improvement program
- Purchase of additional park land
- The creation of a revolving loan fund (low interest loan) for business capital improvements
- Omission from last year's URD budget is funding of our plan to improve 99E (read my previous article on 99E by clicking here)
- The City Budget:
- Increased revenue that did not keep up with expenses namely, health care expenses and PERS, which resulted in decreases in all departments
- $70,000 for the library to continue to meet current operating hours so they do not roll back to the district minimum
- Conversation of making Transit director for CAT a paid city employee position versus contracting that service out
- Moving CAT from downtown to another building at a cost of $72,000/yr
If these items and a host of others are of interest, I can't stress enough how important it is to get involved. I know it can't be easy to come before the council to state a position.
As always, you can always email or call me directly with your questions or concerns. I look forward to seeing you next week.
After your statements at the April meeting, stating clearly and forcefully that the library issue needed to be decided tonight and that the council needed to come together to support the decision, I find it laughable that you had the gall to vote against making that plan a reality.
ReplyDeleteIf you are against any new library and think the city's money is better spent elsewhere, fine, have the courage to state your convictions. From where I stand it appears you want to make it appear that you are in favor of a renovated library while at the same time you quietly do everything in your power to scuttle the plans.
The result is a government that lurches one way and then another from month to month, leaving those in charge of implementing the plan in constant limbo. It is very difficult to get a job done under those conditions.
It appears that you don't even know your own mind on this issue, as you make contradictory statements from one month to the next. The City of Canby deserves better from it's mayor.
For a history of the new library project and information about its current threatened status, view the July 3rd OCTS interview at: http://youtu.be/Ba6dcniCa24.
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