HomeMy WebLinkAbout06-20-21 Public Comment - C. Taylor - BudgetFrom:Carson Taylor
To:Agenda
Subject:Public Comment for Budget meeting 1/22
Date:Sunday, June 20, 2021 11:23:15 AM
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To the City Commission: June 20, 2021
Budget time!!! I do not envy you. Based on my recently received real property
reassessment I think it likely that you will have a little more money than usual this go round.
I suggest you add money to respond to the Equity Indicators and Gaps study. It is easier to allocatesome money now and then decide not to spend it than to not add enough and have to do a budgetamendment mid-year. Worse would be to get the study recommendations and then wait for thenext budget year---this is not a topic that should be slowed down. I am not sure what the allocationnumber is but as a taxpayer I would support at least an additional $50,000.
Mental Health needs a look from the City’s perspective. Treatment and prevention are
both on that agenda. I think most agree that Bozeman needs more in-patient capacity. I also think
most agree that we need mental health professionals at the forefront of crises that the police are
now forced to respond to. Let’s research a creative program like what is done in Eugene, Oregon. A
Pilot Project mirroring Cahoots or other good programs makes sense. I support adding financial
support from the City budget to ameliorate these problems. As a City we are always better
spending money on preventing a mental health disaster rather than spending money to pay for it. I
recognize that this is a complicated issue—but perhaps an out of the box step forward is needed.
Finally and importantly, could we allocate some of the ARPA funds for direct assistance tothe most needy. People are hurting out there---housing and child care, at least stand in the way offull recovery for our community.
Carson Taylor
8 West Harrison Street
Bozeman