USA:Mass:Somerville:Tell the city what you want out of the budget online, as the budget is being set
The new page, which will be regularly updated and expanded throughout the budget season, features an online survey to record resident opinions about budget priorities as well as suggestions for cost reductions and revenue enhancement.
The budget page provides links to revised FY2009 budget documents, briefing materials submitted to the mayor’s special Financial Advisory Committee, and links to relevant pages on state and federal websites. The city has also unveiled a second new web page that will help residents track the City of Somerville’s application for, receipt and use of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) stimulus funds from the federal government. The mayor stressed that ARRA money cannot be used to backfill cuts in the City budget, but will provide additional revenue over time by promoting economic activity and improving the city’s commercial tax base.
At the same time, city officials announced that Somerville has received its third consecutive eGovernment Award from Common Cause for providing online access to Aldermanic agendas and minutes as well as budget information and city ordinances.
“We already meet the standards set by Common Cause Massachusetts for providing city budget data online, but these new web pages go beyond our past efforts to provide additional information about two different but very important fiscal initiatives,” said Mayor Curtatone. “The‘FY-2009-2010 Budget Development’ page covers budget issues and processes in an interactive way. The Somerville Stimulus Tracking Page will provide links to documents that detail which funds we’ve applied for, which requests have been approved and the rate at which the stimulus spending occurs.”
“In the weeks ahead, I intend to take budget overview briefings to a series of special ResiStat neighborhood meetings throughout the city, but the budget page will provide an advance look at the issues we’re dealing with. We will be adding new documents to the page on a regular basis, including slide presentations from any public presentations I make, minutes and recommendations from the Financial Advisory Commission, and other official reports and documents that provide background information on this year’s exceptionally challenging budget process. I urge all interested parties to submit their views on budget priorities as well as savings and revenue enhancement proposals for the coming year. We are going to need to make structural changes in our budget for FY2010, and I hope that residents will weigh in, in a positive way, with ideas about how to do that without cutting back on the improvements we’ve made to core services in recent years,” Curtatone said.
“The Board of Aldermen manages the budget hearing and review process, and we will be responsible for providing an open and thorough review of the difficult issues we face with next year’s budget,” said Ward 2 Alderman Maryann Heuston, who chairs the Board’s Finance Committee. “I think these new web pages will help the public prepare for that process – and participate in it. I particularly welcome the use of a survey to gather public comments and suggestions.”
“There’s been a lot of curiosity about the federal stimulus bill and what it means for Somerville, so we hope the stimulus page will turn out to be a useful reference tool for our residents,” said Bean. “We need to very clear that the money we get from ARRA can’t be used to ‘fix’ our operating budget, but it will play an important role in improving our fiscal climate down the road, so I hope that the public will keep track of what projects get funded and the pace at which spending occurs.”
“Common Cause has worked hard to advance the idea of using the Internet to promote citizen engagement while providing greater transparency and accountability in municipal government,” said Andrew Kingsley, Assistant Director of Common Cause Massachusetts. “We’d like to see as many communities as possible join Somerville in providing on-line access to the documents and budget figures that residents need to track how stimulus money gets handled and how local budgets are balanced at a time of economic crisis and fiscal challenge.”
Residents and all other interested parties may submit recommendations and suggestions through the specially designed budget survey, which is available through www.somervillema.gov, by e-mailing them to Diese E-Mail-Adresse ist vor Spambots geschützt! Zur Anzeige muss JavaScript eingeschaltet sein! or by calling the city's Constituent Service Center (311 from any telephone in Somerville, 617-666-3311 from outside the city).
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Quelle/Source: Wicked Local, 24.03.2009
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