Tuesday afternoon, just hours before city council members were scheduled to vote on a tentative capital budget for the coming year, they still had questions. Lots of questions.
The council voted unanimously at the regular meeting to approve the $59 million capitalbudget.
Councilwoman Deborah Scott, at the committee meeting, wanted to know why the city feels bound by its earlier promise to allocate $150,000 this year toward the purchase of Stringers Ridge, so the site will not have to be sold to developers.
The Land Trust should feel lucky to get $100,000 as originally proposed, she said.
On the other hand, she argued, the city should commit – firmly – to a 5-year or 10-year program aimed at installing fire hydrants in spots inside the city which do not now have them. And $50,000 of the money proposed for Stringers Ridge could be shifted to that effort, she noted.
“I’m sorry . . . but this is not my priority,” she said, referring to Stringers Ridge. “We’re talking about fire hydrants here.”
Other council members also had questions.
Some wondered why the city should spend part of its scarce budget dollars for public art. Others wanted to know whether the security needs of police officers, firemen and other workers are adequate to justify the cost of creating a 10-square-mile wireless security grid.
Others, however, are tired of all the dithering.
“This is decision day, people,” said finance committee chair Carol Berz, in the uncomfortable position of a woman herding cats as she tried to tactfully steer reluctant council members toward completion of a budget.
Veteran councilman Jack Benson, who has been through numerous capital budget processes, was more blunt.
The capital budget must be approved by the end of this calendar year, he said flatly, and council members already have decided that they will not hold at least two of their regularly scheduled members during that time period.
“Tonight is just first reading,” he explained. “Whatever we allocate tonight, we can unallocate later . . . But we don’t have any more time. We have to vote on this tonight!”