Remarks by Spencer Duncan
308 remarks on the record, newest first · Page 10 of 13
Right. Removing the item seven is not going to preserve the SRO program. Okay.
So here's what we're going to do because we can make any changes at any time before this budget discussion is over. So if you'd like to think about it for a little bit, we can still adopt this and then still make any change, whether it's a proviso or whether it's an actual budgetary request before this evening is over. Wow. That would not, that would not impact this decision, but still didn't allow you to, take some time to see if there's a better approach.
I do think if it helps, everyone has continued to say that the door is still open to continue conversations with 501. The chief hasn't shut that door. City Manager hasn't shut that door. And I don't think those of us who have issues have shut that door. But what we have said is we have to plan. They just haven't been at the table as much to help us make that plan. So we've got to move forward with the goal of maybe incurring some of those conversations. So I will say I don't take this as an all out. We're done with 501 and talking to them. for whatever that's worth, if that helps. It seems…
Right. I mean, you can make that motion for it's worth the authority happening. So...
So the motion I was going to... I just want to move forward. The motion I was going to make then, so we don't forget it later or make the wrong motion, is to simply adopt this amendment. I'm going to move to adopt the amendment in front of you. So that way it's in our budget, and then when we adopt it later, we don't leak something out on accident. Gotcha. Okay. That's the motion I'm making, is to adopt this amendment. You've got to take away your motion there.
Oh, OK. So if I have a second for my motion.
All right. Any questions about the motion or comments? Councilmember?
Okay. Respectfully, this is your 17th year. Anyone is allowed to offer an amendment at any time and adopt it into the budget any time during this process. Okay. City manager and staff have offered an amendment. Okay. And technically, we could wait until the end and hope that we don't forget to make a motion that says, I move to adopt the budget with all these amendments that have been offered. I think that's sloppier. I would prefer if the amendments presented, whether it's from the staff or from you or from anyone, that we deal with it in the moment and adopt it. And then that way, when we…
Thank you. So that's how I'd like to. All right. Make sure we all know what we're voting on at the end of the night, what's in front of us.
So any other comments or questions on this amendment, which is to just adopt the amendment in front of us? If there are none, I would ask the clerk to take our vote, please.
This is the vote to adopt this amendment.
So that amendment has been adopted and is now part of the budget. So we're back to just general conversation, discussion, suggestions, recommendations, amendments on our 27 budget. Anyone? Council Member Hiller.
Things now I would second that I mean I think it's in line with things we've talked about that this is a living breathing budget and that while we've got this balanced budget we know we've got challenges in the coming year just as we talked about whether it's sales tax or whether it's additional efficiencies cuts revisions to the budget so I think that's what this proviso does is just say that we're committed to working through the budget as the year goes on and making decisions as the budget goes to help defer our 28 issues, if we can, to whatever level that means. So that's all this proviso…
Well, to that point, provisos like this, I guess from a legal perspective, are not, it's not legally binding. Correct. But it is direction for staff and for council as we work through it.
So we have a motion and a second on the proviso. I don't know if either Councilmember Hiller or the city clerk would like to read it back to us before we take a vote.
This is just on the proviso. We have a motion and a second just to adopt this proviso. Hold on. Don't want to mess this up. It's the budget. We're going to get it right. So were you going to read that?
All right, so is everybody clear? We're just voting on the proviso to adopt it with the budget. So unless there are any other comments or questions on that, I will ask the city clerk to take a vote, please. We had a motion and a second.
Either comments, amendments, suggestions for the budget? I'm going to make a few comments, and then we'll see if we have a motion or what we want to do next. But I want to remind everybody, the public out there and everybody, that this budget is about cuts. We said from day one, I repeated it as many times as I could, everywhere I could, so that everyone was prepared in terms of the public that we were going to have to make tough decisions. This budget does that. We did not increase the mill levy. Yes, we did not stay revenue neutral, but for the 15th year in a row, we did not increase the…
There's no other questions or comments. A motion to approve the 2027 budget from Councilmember Kell. A second from myself. Any other comments or questions before we take a vote on the 2027 budget? Council Member Valdivianco.
Any other comments? Council Member Ortiz.
Anybody else? If not, then I'm going to ask the clerk to take the vote, please. Just to be clear, we're voting on the 2027 budget.
Yes. Because we're voting on the 27th budget as amended, by the way. Correct. I know the city clerk already knew that. She's been here a little while, too. She knows what's up.
All right. With that, we will move on to public comment. We have several people signed up this evening. We'll begin with Reverend Julie McCullough. Oh, you're done? All right. Well, then we're up to... No, you're good. Ralph Anderson is next on my list.
Leave your email and I can answer both those questions for you. I think I even have your email still, but if not, if you could leave your email with the clerk before you leave tonight, I'll make sure I get your answers on what's happening with both of those projects.
Not quoted here: it may name a member of the public. Hear it at the meeting.