Editor’s note: The Free Lance requested these guest views on budget management from mayoral candidates.
My plan to lead the council in setting budget policy would be, to run the city council in an honest way. I want a higher and better form of council. We will focus strongly on the budget and set specific procedures and create strategies to apply to these procedures.
I will implement easier and more efficient policies; we will have goals set to maintain and have a platform to follow that works. Which we will stick to. All policies, projects, contracts and ordinances will be over looked and approved thoroughly before it is even put on the agenda, by myself and council as a team. We don’t want to waste employee’s time and waste more money.
There will be no shortcuts. The budget will be reviewed more frequently until it is fully correct, easy flowing and readable.
If I do get elected, like I said I really don’t know the city manager but I would be honored to work with him and Bret and Robert Directors of Administrative Services as a team. I will make sure there will be better communication with all areas of the city and the county. Balancing revenue generation and cost cutting, well; creating revenue of course is a must. We need more revenue to bring cash flow to the city for it to be able to survive for years to come. I have great ideas for creating revenue for the city and the people. For me being experienced in working with multi-companies, I know a lot about marketing and advertising something we need in this city to attract and bring that revenue in.
We need to uplift and boost businesses inside and out. For example a lot of businesses don’t look very attractive and that steers people away, especially buyers that want to buy and bring business to our are city. And not to be negative but I have had also years of experience watching and learning how three mayors lost millions of dollars in revenue and taxpayers’ money, I do not want that to happen here. Cost cutting, most defiantly we need to cut wasteful spending, that is why the budget needs to be over looked, we need to find out where the money is going and where it is being lost. The budget needs to be itemized in a better layout. Expenses need to be kept to a minimum. Things throughout the city need to be prioritized on what is more important for the city and for the people of the city.
We don’t want to hurt the city or the citizens, we do need to make a change on the water bill and not hire it. We need to lower it for the people so they can pay there bill and work with the people. There’s a lot of cuts that have been made and not for the people’s best interest. This is one I feel we need to make that cut for them. If it wasn’t for the people and them paying all these taxes the city wouldn’t even be able to operate, so instead of continuing taking money from the people we need to be able to help them to help us.
It all comes down to working together and creating a better community as a whole. Also like I said before In one of my paid articles, I will donate my government check towards the elderly, youth and the homeless services because they are a big part of our city and if their own city can’t help them who will? Thank you.
