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Home My WebLink About120809 FY 2011 BUDGET II I, C itize:n;IIlPut,.~ntp the FY 2011 Opera:t;tlfJ~!B:t Briefing to City Council December 8, 2009 Coftll'lunity Meetings. . · Held four meetings which were attended by 227 citizens 26 people attended more than one meeting Not a random sample so can not extrapolate to the entire population Format Staff provided a short briefing on the Operating Budget, the economy, the projected impact on FY 2011 and possible strategies to balance Small groups of 10 to 15 citizens discussed concerns about the upcoming budget and suggestions to balance Individuals were requested to fill out a survey and leave it at the table 1 II HoW'!"_ summarized;t'- input: Like comments and suggestions were tabulated together into three categories: Major Themes - those that were recorded 30 times or more at the four meetings Moderate Themes - those that were recorded 20 to 29 times Minor Themes - those that were recorded 10 to 19 times Comments, no matter how many times they were recorded that would require additional authority to be provided to the City by either the State or Federal Government Comments and suggestions that the City is already doing Smal:'~~,...,up Question 1: 'nthis recessiory, whatsll,ould the City be doing and not do'ing? I Major Themes Look at postponing or eliminating capital projects -- 54 comments Moderate Themes Reduce pay and benefits for city employees --27 comments Maintain Mental Health and other programs for at risk individuals -- 52 comments Prioritize needs and define core services -- 24 comments Reduce waste and improve efficiency -- 31 comments Reduce non core services examples included: libraries, parks, landscaping, museums-- 23 comments City should reduce or maintain current tax rates -- 23 comments 2 II .. I': Small~rQup Question 2: Wbat, if any, revenpe soure-esshould be considered .to close the I ':"""'''-';.:p-' ','-;e.';-"'" ',. ;".. _._ :- .. , fundiriggap? I Major Themes Moderate Themes Consider reductions rather Raise taxes on Hotels, than revenue increases -- 47 cigarettes, alcohol, gasoline, comments sales tax -- 28 comments Raise real estate or personal property only if necessary and only to revenue neutral -- 26 comments Implement a solid waste fee -- 25 comments Smalil Group Question 3: What oth~r budg.etideas should be considere~? Major Themes Due to the open nature of this question no single response received over 30 comments Moderate Themes Implement various user fees or fines, examples included library fees EMS service fees, and parking fees where they do not currently exist 3 II Ii Small Group Comments Beyond Major and Moderate Themes: Needs Legal Authority Retirement Costs Tolls Court Fees Direct School Spending Bifurcate the Real Estate Tax Rate Limit access or time in programs for at risk individuals Local option Gas Tax Raise tax on Alcohol Consolidate Constitutional Offices with City Departments Already Underway Charge for false alarms Look for utility savings Hire an External Auditor Compare and report how City services compare with other cities Provide for elderly tax credits Defer employee raises Eliminate city vehicle exemption to Red Light Running Program Look at the recommendations of the Blue Ribbon Committee Survey Question 1: Base on your opinion of the services provided by the City, would you be willing to pay more, the same, or less for the following services: Fire More funding - 37 Same funding - 94 Less funding - 17 Police More funding - 46 Same funding - 90 Less funding - 13 EMS More funding - 55 Same funding - 84 Less funding - 9 Schools More funding - 30 Same funding -74 Less funding - 42 Roadway Construction More funding - 32 Same funding - 72 Less funding - 41 Garbage Collection More funding - 52 Same funding - 75 Less funding - 20 Libraries More funding - 14 Same funding - 82 Less funding - 50 Recreation Centers More funding - 25 Same funding - 62 Less funding - 63 Parks and Open Space More funding - 11 Same funding - 65 Less funding - 72 Economic Development More funding - 25 Same funding - 61 Less funding - 59 Mental Health & Development Disabilities More funding - 53 Same funding - 80 Less funding - 16 Social Services-help to low income families More funding - 43 Same funding - 72 Less funding - 33 Mass Transit (bus services) More funding - 21 Same funding - 70 Less funding - 56 Museums/Cultural Activities More funding - 8 Same funding - 62 Less funding - 79 Public Health More funding - 42 Same funding - 79 Less funding - 29 Write-Ins More funding - 1 No response No response Animal Care I Mass Transit (light rail) each 4 , II II, Survey Question 2: Due to hQme assessmer)ts declifl,';" ""City Council co~I,~.^taise the real I . "',, ' """ " ,I estaf.: "rate, and you weu.';::pay no more teal estate taxes than the previous year. Would this be an acceptable budget solution if it prevented the City from incurring significant service reductions? Yes -- 71 No -- 29 No Response -- 17 Comments generally were. . . only after ensuring efficiencies and considering non- core service reductions I HOI,/i'lWe plan to use _ informatf~n? Send School related comments to the School Board Post full report on VBgov.com under hot topics Notify Departments of results & discuss in Budget Hearings with City Manager Reflect use in the Proposed Budget Follow up with citizens who requested it 10 5 II Fini'~~oughts frorn:~ the Ci!~m SUrYer"and the Town:HaU Meeting$: Everyone would like to pay lower taxes People generally like and value municipal services and don't want to see them reduced Assuming that we can demonstrate efficiencies, many citizens are willing to support paying more to maintain core services 11 6