HomeMy WebLinkAbout6-22-2020 Public Comment - L. Ball - General 2021 BUDGET PROPOSALFrom:Lillian Ball
To:Agenda
Subject:2021 BUDGET PROPOSAL
Date:Monday, June 22, 2020 8:45:59 AM
Thank you City Council for your time.
My name is Lillian Ball. I live at 406 W Mendenhall St in Bozeman, MT.
I want to comment on the current 2021 Budget. I hope the council is indeed willing to have an "open,
honest and candid look at ourselves" like commissioner Terry Cunningham emphasized in the last
meeting as an important act "as we become a more diverse community."
However, according to City Manager, Jeff Mihelich, a 5% proposed increase to the police budget "seems
very reasonable" and seems unwilling to even address the thought of addressing the concerns of
Bozeman's BIPOC community's cries to invest in more in social services as a way to actually address the
root cause of disparities in our community today.
Like Jeff Mihelich mentions we want the most bang for our buck. That's what social services do for our
community. They address the root causes to a lot of the city's problems head-on.
I would implore the council to not underfund the HRDC proposed budget as well as really take a hard look
at ways that we can tighten the budget of the police like the city did with other departments as shown in
the last city council meeting.
I would also like to say that it saddens me that the budget seems more interested in funding parks and
trails but only gives HRDC half of what they asked for. This basically shows that the city is more
concerned about the outdoor activities of those well enough to actually access these resources than
provide transportation for those in our community who are not as well off.
Again thank you for your time and consideration.