City Budget

City Budget

General Documents

April 19, 2009

City focuses on cutting expenses instead of people

April 1, 2009

Note: Local Governnment could help by taking a very conservative stand on spending now. The City Council and staff have the ability to help by slowing their spending NOW and not adding to the problems and costs of our citizens in Suffolk.

Schools budget would cost 105 jobs

City Budget in the News

The most recent items are listed first.

April 13, 2009

Taxpayers snub budget writers

Looking across the audience area of council chambers on Monday night, Seward found no one in the room who wasn’t either on the city’s payroll or a member of the media.

“In government, that’s an indication that you’re doing right,” she quipped.

Well, that's not exactly right. The budget office hasn't gotten it right yet. Citizens remember past budget events as those where staff members presented information and listened to citizen ideas. Staff wouldn't answer questions - and in fact, the city manager reminded citizens that "we're just here to listen." There's no discussion - the basis of real reform. One of the Council members who showed even mentioned to one of the participants that it was not likely that the citizen ideas would be implemented - even though they might have been good ones.

April 3, 2009

New, increased fees help balance budget

By any other name, still a tax

The INSIDE SUFFOLK team has studied many aspects of the city's budget and provides several recommendations for improvement in select areas.

BUDGET ISSUES AND RECOMMENDATIONS
	Issue Description and Data	Recommendation	Update
Internal Auditor	The City Council is beholden to the City Manager and the bureaucracy for virtually all of its budget information. This presents significant risks to the quality of information available for Council decision-making.	Appoint an internal auditor.	As of 04/15/09, there is no city auditor.
Zero-Based Budgeting	City staff currently makes an adjustment to the base, which means that we see the overall increase or decrease in the budget. Individual Departments are asked to increase or decrease their budgets by a certain percent. The Budget Riddle The budget should reflect the most important, prioritized needs of our citizens and the city. The budget cannot fund everything, nor is it supposed to. Council currently funds numerous earmark projects worth millions - all coming from OUR wallets.	Use zero-based budgeting to help ensure that the dollars used are for the things that citizens actually want. Additionally, include performance measures with the budget.	As of 04/15/09, the city still does not use zero-based budgeting nor is even moving close to it.
Citizen Input	Because our local government uses citizen dollars to do its work, citizens get a say in how that money is spent. There are two budget hearings in 2009 for citizen input. Click on the link to see the Press Release for the two meetings. Citizen Input Sessions George Mears - Reflections from Attending Budget Session I	Increase and improve the citizen input process to ensure that more citizens participate and that good data is collected from citizens. This process might include such things as having budget documents available ahead of time, lists of items to prioritize - that sort of thing. Citizen input can also be collected in ways other than a public meeting such as online surveys, information sheets in water bills - and more.
Runaway Spending	The Rude Awakening In tight economic times it is important to use citizen dollars for needs - and not wants. (We even teach this concept in our elementary school.) Are these things we REALLY need during this tight economic time? Suffolk Visitor Center	Use citizen dollars to fund what is necessary to run our city. This is NOT the time to continue to spend. This is the time to let the taxpayers keep more of their own money.

INSIDE SUFFOLK VIRGINIA

Do you have something to say about Suffolk?