Budget
I am pleased to present my fourth and final Budget Conversation for my first term in office. When I campaigned for this office four years ago, I promised to enhance communication and transparency regarding the city’s activities. These Facebook conversations, which were subsequently turned into blog posts and newsletters, have allowed me to fulfill that promise. Another benefit of this series is that it has enabled me to gather input from constituents, resulting in numerous…
Read MoreOn June 21, 2022, the Metro Council voted on the FY23 Metro budget, a process that started in April. The process began with introducing the mayor’s budget followed by meetings with department heads, community members, and council deliberations and workshops. Though the council has already passed the budget, I feel it is still important to highlight the differences between the mayor’s budget, the chair’s substitute budget, and the amended substitute budget, which eventually became the…
Read MoreHistorically, communities across the country use police and punitive approaches as the primary tools to address health and social issues. This results in the funneling of millions of people, especially black and brown communities, into jails and prisons. Nationwide protests over police accountability and racial justice have reenergized longstanding efforts to fundamentally change how police departments respond to social issues that include mental illness, substance use, homelessness, community violence, and poverty. There have been increased calls and efforts…
Read MoreLast year , the MNPS budget had many firsts. First budget to ever exceed $1 billion. And for the first time ever, MNPS teachers because the best paid in the state. This year, the mayor added an additional $91 million to MNPS. However, this summer’s conversation by the state about things like “BEP” and “TISA” created a lot of confusion and anxiety about the MNPS FY23 budget. The questions are: What is TISA? What is…
Read MoreHello, everyone. It’s hard to believe its already another budget season. The FY23 season started with the Mayor’s State of Metro address. On May 14, I was joined by my colleague and former Budget Chair – CM Bob Mendes as we took a deeper dive into the mayor’s budget. Below is a summary of our conversation. From 1980-to 2005, the city raised the tax rate every three or four years. This allowed the city to…
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