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A few weeks ago, Mayor Coleman presented his $655 Million 2010 City Budget, and a hearing schedule has been announced that will begin next week and include ten hearing dates. A flurry of Dispatch articles over the past few days have revealed more information on how the city is saving money with cost cuttings, and keeping the budget lean in 2010.
An article published today tells about the shortfalls of the income tax increase that was passed in August and how it’s not making as big of an impact as originally projected.
For anyone interested in sitting in on the upcoming budget hearings, below is the list of dates and areas of focus. All dates are subject to change.
- Tuesday, December 8, 2009 – 5:00 PM
Development Committee and Public Safety Committee Budget Briefings - Wednesday, December 9, 2009 – 5:00 PM
Public Serve & Transportation Committee and the Minority & Small Business Development Committee Budget Briefing - Thursday, December 10, 2009 – 5:00 PM
Budget Hearing – Public Comment*
(speaker slips will be accepted until 6:30 p.m. and meeting will last until all speakers have testified) - Tuesday, December 15, 2009 – 5:00 PM
Health, Housing & Human Services Committee and Workforce Development Committee Budget Briefing (Session 1) - Wednesday, December 16, 2009 – 5:00 PM
Health, Housing & Human Services Committee and Workforce Development Committee Budget Briefing (Session 2) - Thursday, December 17, 2009 – 5:30 PM
Recreation & Parks Committee Budget Briefing - Tuesday, January 5, 2009 – 5:00 PM
Administration Committee Budget Briefing (Human Resources, Department of Technology, Civil Service Commission, and Community Relations Commission) - Wednesday, January 6, 2009 – 5:00 PM
Judiciary & Court Adminstration Committee Budget Briefing - Thursday, January 7, 2009 – 5:00 PM
Utilities Committee Budget Briefing - Thursday, January 21, 2010 – 5:00 PM (Tentative)
Budget Amendment Public Hearing*
Additional information about the hearings can be found online at ColumbusCityCouncil.org.
Great, the city told me how everything would be great if I just gave them more money. So we gave them more money and they still have problems. I was promiosed things for that money that have not materialized.
I feel like a paid a cheap hooker, in advance, and she ran off with the money.
Tenzo : “So we gave them more money and they still have problems. ”
Like the man said, “Mo money, mo problems.”
While not happy, I am not upset either. The City is, in general, plotting out a fiscally sound course. They are not treating the new money with a kid-in-a-candy-store mentality (which you and many more would have blasted) by saying we are getting X$ (even if less than Y$ we wanted) and we will make choices within that. And the City did not say everything will be great (you may have heard that – a you problem), but that we need that money to be even at an acceptable level.
A.
Tenzo Says: Great, the city told me how everything would be great if I just gave them more money. So we gave them more money and they still have problems.
Are you saying that if the tax increase had not passed, the city budget would be in better shape?
Personally, I’m glad to hear that the Recreation Centers and Yard Waste Removal services are being restored. I’d love to hear a more long-term (50 year plan) solution for resolving the tax base problem come uut of City Hall.
Not at all.
But I think the yard waste removal should have been reinstated when the increase went in. That was one of the items that I felt I would be willing to pay more for.
So here I am paying more, but not getting what I felt I paid for.
Got a lotta winter yard waste, doya? ;)
I think Tenzo is referring to the fall leaves, which are a pretty large problem. I’m not sure why paid garbage pickup is the third rail in Columbus, but free yard waste and recycling can only be good for the city in the short and long term.
I totally agree. I’d love to see “garbage reform” in Columbus. ;)
I’ve preached this for years; kind of ironic that you pay additional to recycle, but trash service is “free”. What if it were the opposite? Could really change some behavior.
Bristol has it right – its like you are penalized for being a good person. However, the schools have large recycling dumpsters and my local Kroger (Chambers Rd, Grandview) has a mass amount of recycling dumpsters. I think there has got to be a better way for the city to encourage recycling – I just think of all the beer bottles and cans the local bars use (or student parties, etc)…
Yea, never understood why people feel so entitled to free garbage collection. Just one more example of government at all levels rewarding bad behavior. When I throw my little amount of trash in the community bin in the alley it makes me sick all the shit in there that could be recycled.
please if someone is listening and can actually make things happen do me a solid: stop sending me 9 water bills in 9 different envelopes for the 9 homes that i own (i am a landlord). it is such a ridiculous waste of time, paper, ink, postage, envelopes, and a ton of taxpayer money. how can you not simply email me the 9 bills? or at worst mail me 1 bill with 9 homes on it?!?!
PLEASE FIX THIS!!!
City spending down by about $3 million this year
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
BY ROBERT VITALE
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
Overtime for Columbus firefighters is costing the city almost 40 percent more than predicted this year, but finance officials say it’s not the budget-buster it used to be.
Overall, city government is on track to spend $3.1 million less than budgeted this year. First-quarter income-tax collections grew by a greater percentage than the 25 percent rate increase approved by voters last year.
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