Citizens Speak Out at Community Budget Hearing
Commitment to continually improving city services was the underlying theme of last night's District 9 Community Budget Hearing, held at Tejeda Middle School. The City of San Antonio is hosting 10 such community meetings to share the proposed budget and receive valuable comments from its citizens. “This process didn't just happen overnight. The staff and council have been working on the budget for over six months,” commented City Manager Sheryl Sculley. During a council retreat a few months back, city leaders were charged with the task of ranking and prioritizing the city services by their importance. After identifying inefficiencies and low priority programs, nearly $9 million over a two year period was cut and will be redirected.
The new proposed budget will direct resources close to home by increasing funds for street maintenance and traffic control, adding more police officers to neighborhood patrol efforts, improving fire protection and emergency medical services, enhancing neighborhoods by addressing code compliance and graffiti issues, and continuing to invest in parks and youth enrichment programs. The funding for the majority of these basic services will be paid from the $852 million General Fund. The City receives its budgeted funds from sales tax revenues, property taxes, CPS electric revenues and other resources like Municipal Court Fees, licenses and permit fees, business and franchise taxes and other revenues.
Citizens were given an opportunity to comment on the budget and the process and in most cases those who spoke were very complimentary of District 9 Councilman, Kevin Wolff and his efforts to support education, workforce training, basic services and a 6/10 of a percent tax rate cut. Teddy Stewart, President of the San Antonio Police Officers Association, thanked Mr. Wolff for “fighting for basic services in the budget.” Mr. Stewart stated, “We have one of the best Police Departments in the country, but we still need about 500 more officers on the street right now.” Other residents were grateful for the budget funds dedicated to children's services, early childcare development and education programs and senior programs, but they each would like to see more of the budget going to their important programs.
One citizen was critical of the Councilman's alleged “deceptions and shell games.” Jack Finger has attended most, if not all of the public hearings to express his displeasure with where the city funds are being spent. Finger believes the proposed 1% tax cut is not a tax cut at all and in fact that local government expenditures have grown 25% over the past few years. From garbage collection rates, to toll road funding, to lobbyist money, to city funds supporting the local cultural arts, Finger stated, “There are plenty of places to cut the budget and give the taxpayers a real tax cut.”
The City will continue with two similar hearings before the official City Council public hearing at the City Council Chamber on September 5th. The proposed adoption of the budget is scheduled for Thursday, September 13th. For more information on the Proposed FY 2008 Budget visit www.sanantonio.gov, or watch for the video presentation on TV21SA, the City of San Antonio public access channel on Time Warner Cable.
