Survey Asks Residents to Decide City Spending

On the steps of City Hall Monday, members of City Council joined with St. Pete civic and business groups for the final push of the People's Budget Review before the Sept. 13 budget hearing. 

to get citizen input on the city's fiscal year 2013 budget. 

As Mayor Bill Foster's budget proposal became clearer, the group refined the questions and surveys to be more specific. 

On Sunday, the group released its third survey, which includes 28 questions. The key focus of the newest survey is to figure out if the or the . Council has also should the fire tax fail. 

The survey also asks questions about where cuts should be made, departments consolidated and what investments should be made. 

Earlier survey results concluded respondents were tired of lay offs and cuts to city services. 

"The public is very concerned about the threat of more serious, deep cuts to services in the budget," said St. Pete President of the League of Womens Voters, Darden Rice. "Now we are getting into the details of what people think about adjusting the millage rate, what people think about the fire readiness fee."

Council members Charlie Gerdes, Steve Kornell, Leslie Curran, Jeff Danner and Karl Nurse were standing on the steps of City Hall with the People's Budget Review Monday because they said it is important that public leaders know what the public wants in its budget.

"City Council, we’ve already listened," Gerdes said at the press conference Monday. "(We are) considering not one, but two possible revenue sources to increase the revenue for the city because it has been made clear to us that continued cuts and cuts and cuts are not what the people want anymore." 

Results of the third budget survey will be announced during the Sept. 13 public hearing on the budget. 

The People's Budget Review has had more than 4,200 people take its survey. If you wish to do so, go to PeoplesBudgetReview.org.