On Monday, May 18th, the Vancouver City Council held a public hearing on a Supplemental Budget proposed by the City Manager.
Citing lower than estimated tax revenues, the City Manager proposed a budget that included freezing the hiring of more police officers, eliminating a neighborhood traffic safety program, and reducing after school programs for our city's teenagers. This after an increase in citizens' utility taxes.
Leavitt opposed the proposed budget, noting that the cuts did not align with his expectation or vision for the direction the community should be going. "Given our current situation, the City must prioritize core services. The safety of our citizens from criminal activity and the integrity of our neighborhoods are important to me. Police and neighborhood traffic safety programs are core programs that the City must be bolstering, not cutting. I cannot support a budget that doesn't prioritize our neighborhoods and our safety first."
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I'm just curious what you would do to deal with the expected budget shortfall. Where would you expect to see cuts, or where would you find additional revenue? I am happy to see that you value core services, these certainly affect the desirability and livability of our great city.
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