As your city councilor, I am conservative with your tax dollars and ask the hard questions. I believe taxpayers and residents expect and deserve this. Looking at this budget I would only add that the budget is not balanced because revenues offset expenditures in normal budgets — and that is not what I see here. We’re spending far more than we take in.
The city has continued to move money budgeted to hire staff who were not hired. The number of full-time equivalents (FTEs) has fluctuated between 263 to 264.07 between the 2017-2019 biennial budget and now the city requests 264.07 FTE’s.
At the May 1 Citizens Budget Committee meeting, I asked the city manager how the money is being used and he said “part of it” goes to salaries. I understand carryovers, but this is not a sustainable balanced budget.
To be transparent, each department needs to show the details of how these funds are being handled. If not, this is a misappropriation of tax payers money.
I see only increases, no cost saving cuts:
- Community Development, up 38%
- Parks, up 19%
- City Recorder’s office, up 67%
- Public Works, up 70%
- Fire and Rescue, up with six new positions at $200,000 each
The biggest increase is the Capital Improvement List — $178 million — which only reflects six years of Capital Improvement Projects (CIP). Keep in mind it is used to calculate increases in utility rates and monies the city needs to borrow.
We don’t want a budget that prices people out of our city. We want a livable, robust, thriving Ashland and the only way to get there is to live within our means — we have to get to black.
Gina DuQuenne
Ashland
