Review: Budget Hearings
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Rachel's Council Review |
As usual for the review, my comments are in red and italicized in the context of the latest Council Preview by Bronwyn Beatty-Hansen.
https://www.youtube.com/ameschannel12
https://www.cityofames.org/channel12
or watch the meeting live on Mediacom Channel 12
Usually some of the agenda items will have a period where members of the public may briefly speak to Council.
TO REACH THE MAYOR AND ENTIRE CITY COUNCIL:
Send email to MayorCouncil@AmesCityCouncil.org
(Note that emails to elected officials are generally subject to Iowa Open Records requests)
The Ames City Council meets on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at 5:15 p.m. at City Hall. The agenda includes the following (and much more). Note that you can generally click on individual agenda items below to get the full staff report or other explanation.
This is the start of three evenings of budget hearings. Note the different start time. The City Manger's letter to council offers a good summery of the budget. You can follow along in the Program Budget document. The Special Reports document also contains valuable information.
On Tuesday, we cover the following:
- Library Services
- Utilities, including Water Pollution & Control, Storm and Sanitary Sewers, and Resource Recovery
- Transportation (public works, traffic lights, and Airport)
- Fleet & Facilities
- Public Safety (law enforcement and animal control)
- Parking enforcement
On Wednesday, it will be:
- Cemetery
- Electric Utility
- Fire & Building Safety
- Finance services
On Thursday:
- Transit
- General Governmental costs
- Community Development
Below are two interesting graphs.
- Note that the highest annual ongoing cost to Ames taxpayers is roads. This underlines the importance of efficient development and increasing active transportation as we look to a more sustainable future.
The budget hearings outlined changes from previous years to each department's budget, as well as the most important line items and a recap from each department about the items and services their yearly budget covers. Decisions on the budget will be made at the budget wrap-up council meeting on February 14th.
Communications to Council: The following items are requests and communications to Council that aren't published on the agenda, so we won't deliberate them substantially. This includes staff reports and communications or requests from constituents and developers. Typically, Council will ask city staff for more information, put the item on a future agenda for deliberation and possible action, or just accept the communication, taking no further action.
- Bandshell Park sidewalks .
Council referred this item to Public Works for consideration along with the Bike-Pedestrian Master Plan. - Bike path accessibility .
Council referred this item to Public Works for consideration along with the Bike-Pedestrian Master Plan. - National Mayors Challenge for Water Conservation .
Council moved to let the Mayor to handle this item, 6-0. - Request to continue hearing on Prairie View Industrial Center .
No action was taken on this item at this time.
Thanks for reading,
Rachel Junck
Ames City Council, Ward 4