Mayor Seeks Residents Input in Solving Deficit
A new website lets residents make suggestions on how to solve the city’s $52 million budget deficit.
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Think you know how to solve the city’s $52 million deficit?
Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake’s office wants your input on how to balance fiscal year 2013's budget, and has created a website that allows residents to make a series of choices on how they would go about erasing the gap. Residents may participate in the exercise through Jan. 31.
“Hearing citizen input is a vital component as I draft the budget,” Rawlings-Blake said in a news release announcing the website. “I encourage citizens to share their priorities through this exercise. By doing so, residents can step into my shoes and help develop a responsible budget that will help our city grow.”
Justin Q
3:41 pm on Friday, January 6, 2012
I could only get it down to a $9.5 million deficit... not willing to cut fire and police, but city employees need to take the hit for the time-being... Property taxes need to go down to entice repopulation of the city.
Adam Bednar
3:50 pm on Friday, January 6, 2012
I was able to "balance" the budget, but I didn't think it was easy. Some of our readers on Twitter and Facebook have said they were able to do it without much fuss. But I think they favor more draconian cuts. Others have been critical of the way the questions are phrased, and argue it's worded to make users select the choices the mayor wants.
Justin Q
4:16 pm on Friday, January 6, 2012
Yea I noticed the phrasing is meant to sway you for or against cutting certain items, but I still enjoyed trying to 'balance' the budget, however unrealistic these figures probably are.
Sean Tully
4:13 pm on Friday, January 6, 2012
I have a $2 million surplus with property tax reduction (see coming blog on how). Lots of false and misleading choices offered (see coming blog for examples).
IamGayle
3:42 pm on Saturday, January 7, 2012
Simple. Follow the money. Adam, you could probably fill us all in on the numbers/money that the BOE approves. For example... $667.000.00 given for an accounting error????
IamGayle
12:49 pm on Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Adam..... I think most of us would rather see the BOE reports and how the city has been spending our money, rather than seeing a report on Bill Henry's facial hair.
Is anyone actually going to look into this???