Why I Voted No: Councilman Speaks Out About City's Budget

I was asked by an MP resident why I voted ‘no’ on the .
I gave him my perspective and I am sharing it with you so may publish
it for your readers' benefit.

“During the budget discussions last month, I proposed a two-step
solution to address the $126,000 shortfall in funding that was
budgeted and requested by the school board. I suggested 1 cent
increase in the tax rate and 50 percent pay cut to the governing body (mayor
and City council) members. Even though, I don’t support high taxes, I
felt it was necessary to balance the budget and fully fund the
schools.

At that time, most of the governing body members told me that
they would not support any tax increase, and one cent would only raise
$110,000 and no one was willing to take a pay cut either.

It just amazes me that many of those same members did not hesitate in raising
the water fee by $11/month to raise $540,000, which equates to almost
five cent  increase. Additionally, they did not make any attempt
to fix the $868,000 deficit in the Enterprise Fund.

I just couldn’t
support such a budget and that is why I voted no.”

Regards,
Suhas