Thanks to everyone that came out to vote on Tuesday. I appreciate the chance to continue to serve The Town of Mamaroneck as one of your Council people. I am certain Nancy and Valerie are thankful for your participation as well.
At our Town Board meeting this evening, while I was bemoaning the fact that we should be giving out more information to our residents regarding Agenda Items in general and our Budget Hearings in particular, one of my fellow Council people, Phyllis Wittner, suggested that hardly anyone cared. She sited the lack of any e-mails, letters or phone calls to her and no one in our live audience clamoring for these details that it was a non-issue. If any of my blog readers feel differently, I suggest you send Phyllis an e-mail letting her know your sentiments. She gave out her e-mail address at the meeting and invited comments. You can reach her at pwittner@townofmamaroneck.org
I felt that the more you knew, the better able you might be to comment and make useful suggestions about the budget. We are trying hard to keep it tight while maintaining the high service levels we have all come to expect in The Town of Mamaroneck.
posted by Ernie Odierna @ 12:24 AM
2 Comments:
Yes, more information would be helpful, but more information in a more helpful way would be more helpful - to the taxpayers and to the Council.
It is not obvious yet when we can see the recorded budget session on LMC-TV. Perhaps someone knows and could inform the rest of us.
Budget discussions have been scheduled with consideration for the Council members. Not unreasonable. Then they have been variously rescheduled as an e-mail last week noted again. Not unreasonable, as things change. But the sessions do not account for the availability of the taxpayers. And if the taxpayers come, they can't play in the game anyway-they can't speak until the public hearing at the end of the process.
Put comments into the tentative budget line items, e.g. as footnotes, as to what assumptions are made in significant costs and revenues items.
Record all the sessions and provide them on the internet with at least a descriptive 'timeline' as to what was actually covered at various times in each session so people can 'observe' what they want when they are available.
Reconsider the organization of the budget sessions as they have been described so far. It is not apparent when major assumptions underlying the entire budget are to be discussed. Perhaps they are intertwined among the discussions or perhaps they're not sufficiently discussed.
And if the whole Council wants to hear from people about the budget and other things, provide a consistent mechanism for that feedback and provide an opportunity for others to hear it and react to it.
Else the Council can continue to hear randomly and individually from those who need potholes repaired, are unhappy with their tax bills, etc. while taking comfort that no one talks to it.
The latter may be easier for the Council. The latter may be less effective for the long term strength of the Town.
Thanks very much for your blog that while unfortunately not yet well known, provides an important vehicle for interaction between residents and one of its representatives.
Today's Town site posting of budget commentary and broadcast information is a most welcome departure from prior practices.
Hopefully there will be some serious discussion of the critical revenue vs. expense issues, how proactive planning and performance measurement can be implemented, and how savings from the centralization of services among municipalities can be accomplished.
How will the Town and its included Villages assure that they won't be facing the budget issues currently being faced by others, including neighboring municipalities, e.g. Harrison, NY, without significant changes in current practices. The view of being fiscally conservative is probably not enough.
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