District 11 Councilman Lee Kleinman: Chris Arrant
The city’s proposed budget generally has been characterized as a positive one, restoring funds to critical services such as libraries and parks, which have been cut since the economic downturn. Our District 11 Councilman Lee Kleinman doesn’t see it that way.
During Wednesday’s city council meeting, he urged for less spending in this year’s $1.117 billion general fund budget — the largest one the city has ever had. The budget does not include a property tax increase, however, property values did increase for most residents. So, they’ll end up paying more, the DMN reported.
“It’s effectively an increase in taxes,” Kleinman told me over the phone on Thursday.
He presented a brief Power Point to the council, proposing a $17 million reduction in the budget to lower the tax rate. The proposed budget already has an $75 million increase. Kleinman’s budget calls for $58 million increase.
Most council members rejected the notion, as evidenced by the 14-1 vote against it, over concerns about cutting funds from those restored services. Kleinman argued that even with the larger budget, parks, libraries and public safety still would not be restored to pre-recession levels.
[quote align=”right” color=”#000000″]”Everyone wants to talk about plastic bags. No one wants to talk about the tax increase.”[/quote]“What I was asking for was less of an increase,” he says. “Everyone wants to talk about plastic bags. No one wants to talk about the tax increase.”
There is one more budget town-hall meeting at 7 p.m. Aug. 27 at Fretz Park Recreation Center. Public hearings on the proposed budget begin Sept. 4, and the council will adopt it on Sept. 18.
