HomeMy WebLinkAbout6-20-2020 Public Comment - K. Harbuck - FY 21 city budgetFrom:Kristin Harbuck
To:Agenda
Subject:FY 21 city budget
Date:Saturday, June 20, 2020 1:50:00 PM
To the Bozeman City Council,
I am disappointed in several of the recommendations that were put forward in your document
presented June 15th for the FY21 budget. Despite comments made by the city manager, theanswer is not to maintain funding to the police department while decreasing funding to otheressential services. While Bozeman has not had as many problems with unprofessional policeofficers as other cities in the country, this is very much the wrong time to ignore currentevents, especially at the expense of other programs which have an undeniably positive impacton the quality of life of all Bozeman residents.
The decrease in recommended funding to Streamline and the refusal to grant any funding tothe Help Center is extremely disappointing. I spend most of my day working with bureaucracyand the excuse of “did not tie to strategic plan, just explained its impact” is complete,purposefully bureaucratic nonsense. In the 16 years I’ve lived in Bozeman, I have seenimmensely more positive impact generated by Streamline and the Help Center than anythingdone by the Bozeman Police Department. I have used Streamline for my daily commute foralmost 10 years and have known several friends and acquaintances who have benefited fromthe Help Center’s services.
I urge you to rethink the recommendations for reduced/no funding to Streamline and the HelpCenter. Both Streamline and the Help Center are extremely important services that deserve fullfunding. Thank you for your time.