About 40 people turned out for a town hall meeting on the city’s proposed 2011-2012 budget Tuesday night at St. Thomas Aquinas School. Many of them were there to support libraries and public arts programs, but some neighbors also spoke up in support of fire stations and parks.
Assistant City Manager Ryan Evans said, “This is the year of stabilization.” We’re not getting a repeat of last year’s drastic budget cuts and property tax-rate hike. The proposal calls for a water-rate increase of about $1.03 or $2.81 per month for most customers. Water bills averaging $21.52 would jump to $22.56, and bills averaging $50.02 would increase to $52.84.
The proposal also calls for laying off about 100 employees and losing another 150 or so to attrition. The city would hire 200 police officers and 200 fire fighters. And more money would be put into the city’s building inspection office for technology and staff. More staff would be added to the 311 call center as well.
The proposed budget would cut park maintenance, which council members Angela Hunt and Sheffie Kadane say they are worried about. The proposal is to mow and pick up trash less frequently in parks. Mowing would happen about every 12 days instead of every 10 days, and trash removal would occur once about every 4.5 days, instead of once every four days.
Library staff would be cut under the proposal, but libraries would remain open 40 hours a week, and there would be more money for materials purchases. The idea is that libraries can implement self-checkout, reducing the need for employees. That idea did not sit well with library supporters in attendance. They worry that reduced staff would result in some mismanagement, including books being shelved improperly, which essentially, means losing books. Dallas spends less per capita on libraries than other major cities, yet it has the highest circulation of any major library system in Texas.
“The per capita spent on our libraries is abysmal,” Hunt said.
She added that Mayor Mike Rawlings intends to restore a City Council committee on libraries and the arts, which a past mayor discontinued.
“He thinks those are priorities,” she said.
The City Council’s public hearing on the budget is Aug. 24, and a budget must be adopted by Sept. 28.
