i | Consideration and Adoption of Resolution No. 2019-25: A resolution of the Council of the City of Flagstaff, Arizona, adopting the Budget for the Fiscal Year 2019-2020 | ||||||||
Vice Mayor Shimoni thanked staff for the education of the budget process and for their work in developing the proposed budget. He believes that there is room to grow and address many of the pressing issues in the community. Councilmember Whelan acknowledged the 21% increase in the budget over 2019; this is an indication that the city is growing. She expressed concern about the lack of a priority-based focus in the budget, the monies that Council is permitted to allocate to their goals has increased but it still is not enough; with a budget of $338 million, Council was only able to allocate $1.3 million. She expressed hesitation with moving the budget forward because the proposed 3% pay increase to staff is a longevity pay versus a merit raise. Employees need to be rewarded for their quality of work and not simply because they have been employed longer than others. She encouraged Council to shift their focus to community needs or Council goals rather than maintaining the status quo process. Councilmember McCarthy stated that there has been discussion and movement toward changing the budget process next year and into the future. He believes that Council all supports a change in process, but the budget needs to be approved for the coming year. Mayor Evans stated that she believes some of the issues with the budget are coming from not having clear direction from Council on the merit versus longevity pay. As the City moves forward with the Priority Based Budgeting process next year there will be conversations with the community about their priorities and where they feel resources should be allocated. Changes are coming and Council needs to be mindful of that. Ms. Goodrich offered that the budget process can start earlier because there is no election to contend with and possible new membership on the Council. Staff has already begun the process of implementing Priority Based Budgeting for the coming year. It is not a single year fix and it will take some time to fully implement but it has started and Council will be brought in much earlier to provide input. Mayor Evans emphasized that the budget process was done correctly, and she does not want people believing otherwise. It is possible to change the way things are done and improve the process but ultimately the budget was created in a proper way. Councilmember Salas thanked staff for their work in preparing the budget. She expressed frustration about the budget being predicated on a property tax levy. The cost of living in Flagstaff is continuing to rise and so many other agencies are increasing their property taxes which only adds to the struggle. She indicated that she is not supportive of the budget should it include the property tax increase. She also noted that she is excited to see a change in the budgeting process and moving away from a base budget method. |
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Moved by Councilmember Charlie Odegaard, seconded by Councilmember Jim McCarthy to read Resolution No. 2019-25 by title only for the first time. | |||||||||
Vote: 6 - 1 | |||||||||
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A RESOLUTION OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FLAGSTAFF, ARIZONA ADOPTING THE BUDGET FOR THE CITY OF FLAGSTAFF FOR FISCAL YEAR 2019-2020. | |||||||||
Moved by Councilmember Charlie Odegaard, seconded by Vice Mayor Adam Shimoni to adopt Resolution No. 2019-25. | |||||||||
Vote: 6 - 1 | |||||||||
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Mayor Evans adjourned the Special Meeting and reconvened into the Regular Session at 8:47 p.m. | |||||||||