Remarks by Sanquetta Cowan-Williams
111 remarks on the record, newest first · Page 4 of 5
- Play at 1:50:30
“My question is about the budget. The money that we're raising from football, is it included in that? the budget that we have we projected at what we're going to be making I see we have here is it in the capital project fund or is that money not included in this budget at all that that's what I'm trying to find out.”
City Commission · Jul 17, 2026
- Play at 1:51:41
“So then how, if we wanted to know what they're actually bringing in so that, because we want departments to be sustainable for themselves. So the money that's coming from general fund for them, we want to be able to see when we're doing our budget, are they able to sustain a lot of themselves instead of just putting the money in the general fund is what I'm wanting us to see. What are they actually bringing in a year and compare that to what their expenses are and then maybe that's some money that we can free up somewhere else because Parks and Rec is able to sustain on their own.”
City Commission · Jul 17, 2026
- Play at 1:53:05
“So let me ask a question. Over the last five years, you're looking at this. We're saying that they only going to bring in $1,500 this year. We went from $16,000 to $1,500. And so you say you did your research for the last five years. What have they brought in that we brought in from $16,000 to $1,500?”
City Commission · Jul 17, 2026
- Play at 1:54:04
“But the paperwork, so we don't have any documentation that we can look at and we have the department head there that you can't get this information for the last year or the year before?”
City Commission · Jul 17, 2026
- Play at 1:54:29
“Yeah, that's a big concern of mine. We're going to go from $16,000 to $1,500.”
City Commission · Jul 17, 2026
- Play at 1:59:50
“And my concern is we had these same questions last year at the budget meeting. We're back again this year with the same concern. We're saying that we have these systems in place, and I know both of you all are new. But we got to hold people accountable when it comes to our monies. Because even though we have new staff here, we should not be at this same point again this budget year. This was a concern last year, and we're back hearing the same thing again this year. It's unacceptable. We have money coming in. Here it is. We have the finance director telling us she don't know where the money…”
City Commission · Jul 17, 2026
- Play at 2:02:07
“Those were my major concerns that those were my major questions that I have. And this is why I was wanting to know that because then we could have seen where we can cut in the budget, but we can't sit here and say we can cut anything because we really don't know what every you know.”
City Commission · Jul 17, 2026
- Play at 2:02:56
“Right. And my next concern is that I have when I look at parks and recreation, we need to stop putting in this budget year after year track. We know we're not doing track. We list these programs on here. We're not following up with it. We keep asking about it. We've even heard the comment track. We can't do track because track costs too much. But we come and put a budget before this commission every year in regards to track. We put basketball on here, and we have basketball at very low. We've asked for soccer. We asked for other programs, and we get these same budgets that came from whoever…”
City Commission · Jul 17, 2026
- Play at 2:04:31
“But why we have it on here if we're not going to do it?”
City Commission · Jul 17, 2026
- Play at 2:04:43
“So why are we even putting it on here if we're not gonna offer it if we're not expecting anything to come in again Just because it was on the budget last year doesn't mean we put it back on here again this year It's a format of the packet so what we will have to do on commissioners is”
City Commission · Jul 17, 2026
- Play at 2:05:21
“But some of the programs that this commission has asked for for this community, that the community have said that they want, We need to see some of these programs go into fruition and not just put them on paper like baseball. They haven't done anything with baseball. We put it on here, but we're not following through with it, and we're putting it on our budget. That's the only thing that I'm saying. If we are budgeting for these items, we need to be doing it. The only thing we're doing on here is the football. And that's where we see all the money going, and it's like the other activities and…”
City Commission · Jul 17, 2026
- Play at 2:06:29
“All right, thank you. And there's nothing with you all because you all wasn't here. But I'm just saying I don't want us to continue doing normal when we say, oh, it was there last year. Because it was there last year, that doesn't mean it's right to keep putting it on here year after year, and we're not doing anything with it. So we're not doing the normal that we normally do. That's the only thing that I'm saying. We want to meet the needs of the entire community.”
City Commission · Jul 17, 2026
- Play at 2:09:35
“And is that included in the capital project fund that you gave where you gave the proposed budget and how much everything? Is that money in the capital project fund?”
City Commission · Jul 17, 2026
- Play at 2:09:45
“that he's talking about with the F. P. N. A. O. and uh... that's general fund the only thing we have in capital projects are the two grants that we have which is mature and phase four okay so now I have another question so that you put that in on the general fund so let me just ask a question let me see if I missed it so did you break down for us to tell us exactly let me see So what was that call again where he was just talking about?”
City Commission · Jul 17, 2026
- Play at 2:10:46
“And so up under here, what did you put that up under? When I'm looking at it, I see you got Avalora sales and use tax. That's what you got it up under?”
City Commission · Jul 17, 2026
- Play at 2:11:15
“I know, but what I'm saying, when you look on the other pages, it's nowhere on there.”
City Commission · Jul 17, 2026
- Play at 2:11:28
“Okay, so see like right here. That make up the 5.6. But I don't know. Where would it be in here?”
City Commission · Jul 17, 2026
- Play at 2:11:56
“So under utility services. And so utility is considered water, propane, electric. Communication, okay.”
City Commission · Jul 17, 2026
- Play at 2:13:00
“So it goes over here to the 106,300 on that page. Which one are you looking for? Right here for the utility tax on this one. And that goes up to 106,000.”
City Commission · Jul 17, 2026
- Play at 2:14:34
“Okay, yeah, because if it's just them four, that's like 516.”
City Commission · Jul 17, 2026
- Play at 2:15:37
“SO OUR BUDGET IS ACTUALLY LESS THIS YEAR FROM LAST YEAR.”
City Commission · Jul 17, 2026
- Play at 2:16:07
“That was what was budgeted so currently the only thing that was there is the 2640.”
City Commission · Jul 17, 2026
- Play at 2:18:24
“I just have one last question that I have.”
City Commission · Jul 17, 2026
- Play at 2:18:28
“I looked at it for all other departments and she may have answered this so As I look at here, I'm looking through each one for each department for COLA. Now, I noticed that we have, let me see, make sure I'm doing this right. Okay, so when we look at city clerk, we have nothing in for the 3%, but we have $2,225 in for performance increase. When we look over at finance and accounting for cost of living there, we have $7,803, but we don't have anything for the 2.5% increase. And then when we look over at human resources, I guess I'm just trying to determine how is it that for certain ones you…”
City Commission · Jul 17, 2026
- Play at 2:20:27
“So I guess I'm trying to I guess to how is it that how is it that we didn't put it that if they get an evaluation and they deserve one and we haven't put it in here and based on their evaluations are we saying that We're not going to even look at it whether we decide to give it to them or not because nothing is in the budget so because we didn't put it in the budget and A worker has worked and they've been evaluated all year long and they've done well we're not going to even put anything in here at all to say thanks for what you've done and”
City Commission · Jul 17, 2026