Let's Talk Budget: Last Sprint for the 2025 Season

Hola!

The end of the 2025 budget season is approaching. Tuesday, November 12, the Council meeting includes another public hearing to solicit input before budget deliberations. If needed, the meeting will recess, and deliberations will continue on Wednesday and Thursday.

This budget season included various Council sponsor meetings and multiple Mayor forums. We received 100's of questions about the budget process, City and State policy, funding sources, expenses, and priorities, and we discussed city values. I hope these events are part of future budget processes.

This year's engagement also included a referendum question on the ballot to raise the levy limit. I am grateful to hear back from a larger audience, who often have limited time to move through the system and lack the resources to challenge or support decisions that directly impact them. The referendum was an opportunity to hear from the voices often left behind and who we must commit to prioritizing.

District 10 cast 7,616 votes for the City's referendum question; 4,180 (55%) voted for it, while 3,436 (45%) voted against it. I am proud to live in a city representing a district where most people support and care for each other. As the population grows and ages, the need for services will continue to grow. Most people across the City understand that a cut on community programming is not a saving but a decrease in the health and safety of our communities, which increases the budget for Public Health and Police.

We cannot police our way out of poverty! We must continue to invest in access to food, housing, transit, small businesses, violence prevention, youth, young adults, and older adults services. As Witter Bynner said, "The biggest problem in the world could have been solved when it was small." Many of our problems are minor compared to those of other cities; hence, the time to invest in people is now.

Thank you for supporting your neighbors. Please take steps to stay engaged! Join a community meal in your neighborhood, volunteer, apply for city or county committees, lobby the state for equitable revenue distribution, or become an elected official. Be part of the solution!

"It doesn't matter how strong your opinions are. If you don't use your power for positive change, you are, indeed, part of the problem." - Coretta Scott King.