Davis Budget Forum Draws Small Crowd, Mixed Opinions

There were between 18 and 24 people at the city’s budget open house yesterday, but many of them were staff administrators and members of the media. 

The exercise, which took place at the , was meant to get a feel for how the community would like the city to make  next month. But the sample size was small and opinions about the exercise were mixed.

Discussion among those in attendance centered on the process itself as much as it did the results of the exercise. 

Interim City Manager Paul instructed the attendees to place green and red stickers on large lists of city programs to indicate the least and most important programs. The results can be seen in the slideshow to the right.

Some in attendance said they appreciated the city’s efforts to get the community’s opinion prior to making the cuts, while others called the meeting a disappointment. One said it was nothing but an attempt to “cut the flack” before making the cuts, suggesting that the results to the questionnaire would be treated like toilet paper.

Navazio and Mayor Pro Tempore Rochelle Swanson said this was just the beginning of a larger process. It is the first step in a smarter approach to the city’s financial future, which will require the education of the masses as it pertains to the city’s budget and the economic situation as a whole.  

But to be educated, the masses must first show up. Swanson said as much, gesturing to the sparsely populated room.

Next week’s meeting will not be a continuation of Tuesday night's meeting. It will be a replication of the same exercise. We’ll see if it draws a larger crowd.

Here’s the information about the meeting:

Wednesday, September 7
Veterans Memorial Center, Multi-Purpose Room
203 East 14^th Street
7-9 pm