Full Text: (Q2) Budget Transparency

This year's budgeting process included the city council's passing a 500-page school budget without reading it, announcements about unanticipated deficits and a one-time calling in of debt to balance the books for 2007. What are your ideas on how the city's budget process could be improved and made more publicly transparent?

in Mayoral Questionnaire, Mayoral_Q02, Mayoral_QA |

McGlynn: (Q2) Budget Transparency

THE COUNCIL IS VERY KNOWLEDGEABLE REGARDING THE SCHOOL BUDGET PROCESS. UNANTICIPATED SHORTFALLS, HAVE RECENTLY OCCURRED, SUCH AS THE RISE IN COST OF UTILITIES AND OIL. FOR EXAMPLE, TWO YEARS AGO, OIL WAS $27 A BARREL AND TODAY IT IS $80. WHEN THE BUDGET WAS PASSED, OIL WAS NOT THAT HIGH. I’M NOT SURE WHAT THE THE ONE TIME CALLING OF DEBT TO BALANCE THE BOOKS FOR, OR RELATES TO? WE DID HAVE A LAW PASSED ALLOWING US TO BORROW OUR OWN MONEY WHICH TO DATE HAS NOT HAPPENED. THE BUDGET IS ON THE WEBSITE. IT IS DISCUSSED AND PASSED IN A PUBLIC MEETING FORMAT THAT ALL ARE WELCOME TO ATTEND.

in Mayoral_Q02, Mayoral_QA, McGlynn |