Citizens In Support of Measure D-20 thank community
–A message from Citizens In Support of Measure D-20–
On behalf of the Citizens In Support of Measure D-20, we would like to thank everyone who supported this measure. Throughout the campaign, we heard many of you that were hesitant to support D-20 citing a general distrust that the funds will be used in the best interest of the community.
The City Council is promoting public engagement, transparency and accountability for this Measure through study sessions to provide opportunities for public input on the expenditure of these funds. The first budget after implementation of the Measure will be the most impactful as new staffing levels and funding priorities are established, which will represent long-term commitments of D-20 revenue.
Through these study sessions, you, the residents that voted for and against this measure can have your voice heard. At each of these sessions, Staff will give a presentation about each department’s service levels and needs to maintain those service levels. The citizens can then ask questions and/or provide comment on what service levels are expected by the community, thereby ensuring your voices are heard in prioritizing where the revenue from D-20 will go.
Kickoff Session: Tuesday, January 12th at 6p.m., during the regular City Council Meeting
Study Session 1: Thursday, January 14th at 10 a.m.
Study Session 2: Thursday, January 14th at 2 p.m.
Study Session 3: Wednesday, January 20th at 4 p.m.
Study Session 4: Saturday, January 23rd, at 10 a.m.
Study Session 5: Thursday, January 28th, at 6 p.m.
Study Session 6: Friday, January 29th, at noon
Study Session 7: Monday, February 1st, at 1:30 p.m.
Study Session 8: Thursday, February 4th, at 4 p.m.
Study Session 9: Saturday, February 6th, at 9 a.m.
Members of the public will only need to attend one of these sessions to voice their opinion.
Staff will gather all of the public input and will prepare a report for the Council’s annual goal-setting session, tentatively scheduled for the evening of February 19th and continuing the day of February 20th. Following the study sessions, the D-20 funding will be discussed at subsequent council meetings and Finance Committee meetings held between March and the end of May where the budget (And allocation of D-20 funding) will be discussed in detail.
Finally, at the June 8th Council meeting, the budgets for FY 2021 and 2022 will be presented for adoption, based upon the public process described above (The city operates on a fiscal year that starts July 1 and ends Jun 30).
We encourage all of you to please make yourselves available to attend as many public forums as you can. The power of our democracy does not end at the ballot box, our local government wants input from its constituents. It is our privilege and responsibility to help them be successful by taking advantage of the opportunities to make your voices heard about where this important funding should be invested.
We want to again thank everyone that helped make this measure successful; and we want to encourage everyone to make your voices heard at the public forums.
Ad Paid For By Citizens In Support of Measure D-20