News release from Mayor Finch:
During the next five weeks Mayor Bill Finch will once again be hosting a series of public budget presentations to be held in locations around the City to provide Bridgeport residents with information about his proposed budget. The first budget overview session is set for April 10 at Luis Muñoz Marin School. A complete schedule follows at the end of the release.
“We want to give residents an opportunity to participate in the budget process,” said Mayor Finch. “We have persevered through some very tough economic times, and we continue to work to bring new jobs and new businesses to the City. This year’s budget presents us with some very tough challenges due to the funding cuts proposed by the Governor. These sessions will allow us to speak face-to-face about these issues, while allowing residents to voice their concerns, ask questions and provide City officials with feedback.”
The Mayor delivered his proposed FY2013-14 budget to the City Council on Tuesday. The City Council’s Budget and Appropriations Committee will hold a series of review sessions during the month of April and early May. The full City Council must vote on the budget by May 14. For a complete list of Budget and Appropriations Committee meetings click here.
Mayor Finch will also host a telephone town hall on Tuesday, April 16 from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. An online sign-up form for residents will be posted on the City’s website www.bridgeportct.gov on Monday, April 8.
For the fifth year in a row, the City has received the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award from the Government Finance Officers Association of United States and Canada. The GFOA award recognizes how well the City’s budget serves in the following categories: as a policy document, a financial plan, an operations guide and a communications device. The City received a ‘proficient’ rating in all four categories, and the 14 mandatory criteria within those categories, to receive the award.
“This award reflects our commitment to meeting the highest principles of governmental budgeting,” said Mayor Finch. “I am very proud of the work we’ve done to make our budget easier to understand and more user-friendly.”
The schedule for the general budget overview sessions is as follows:
Wednesday, April 10 – 6 to 8 p.m., Luis Muñoz Marin School, 479 Helen Street
Tuesday, April 16 – 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. – Mayor Finch hosts a Telephone Town Hall
Tuesday, April 30 – 6 to 8 p.m., Discovery Interdistrict Magnet School, 4510 Park Avenue
Tuesday, May 7, – 6 to 8 p.m., Jettie Tisdale School, 250 Hollister Avenue
What, he’s not coming back to Black Rock again? And these look like genuine public meetings without any Mayoral invites? Could that be true? I guess it is not what you call any of these meetings as long as the public has little chance to converse with their leader and he has all the time to make a presentation.
The budget as a communications device? Several hundred pages long. How many hands does it get into? And, not for nothing, the April 10 Mayor’s meeting competes with Board of Education budget meeting. The April 16 meeting competes with Public Facilities, those folks who brought you the City response to the historic blizzard, right? And the April 30 competes with Labor Relations, Civil Service and benefits budget meeting. The May 7 is a direct competitor with one of three public hearings on the General Fund. Did anyone coordinate with the Council? Hello? Public Relations people? Hello?
Of course if the budget had been released a few weeks ago, like many neighboring communities, collaboration on this would have been possible and everyone would be happy. Oh, you don’t think so? Well maybe if Tom Sherwood is instructed to draw up a Zero-based budget approach and see what that looks like, we’d be better off. Time will tell.
Maybe he should schedule a private audience for you and Walker. Frankly I think the three of you deserve each other.
*** Who and why picked these sites of which at least one will probably be canceled, no doubt, like maybe the Discovery Magnet School site? Awards for ghost line positions and hidden pots of line item revenue, along with obvious clear State cuts that will cover “past” city revenue mismanagement and unfunded future contract agreements. *** TRANSPARENTCY AT ITS BEST ***
*** The council’s B&A committee will go through the budget motions, listen and ask all the “wrong” questions, make some small changes that will just move a few line item’s money around, concluding with “we did everything in our power speeches!” Vote to accept the Mayor’s revised budget proposal, then later set the 2.5 mil rate as planned from the beginning. So without seeing the Mayor’s budget proposal, I believe after all is said and done they probably should just give it back to the Mayor and vote “no” on the budget! Now that’s playing your political trump card for the upcoming city council elections since the Mayor’s throwing everybody under the bus anyway, no? *** SEND IT BACK, JACK! ***