Suggested process for budget adoption

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Kathie Tovo
Posts: 128
Joined: Thu Oct 30, 2014 11:18 am

Suggested process for budget adoption

Post by Kathie Tovo »

Colleagues,
I apologize that I missed the tail end of yesterday's meeting and thus our brief discussion about next week's process.

I'd like to suggest that we at least consider the budget adoption process which has been used for the last 2 or so years as it seemed to keep the discussion moving forward in a smooth and fair manner.

Council Members submitted their proposed amendments in advance of the meeting so that staff could compile as many as possible into one list, and the Council had an evening to review. A few amendments did also come from the floor, and I believe it's important to preserve that flexibility to respond to the Council discussion, staff information, etc.

We began with a motion and a second to approve the City Manager's proposed budget inclusive of any amendments offered by staff.

We then began a series of amendments, starting with those related to (1) budget cuts and (2) increases in revenue. [This format allowed us to see how much we were able to save in the proposed budget prior to voting on any potential increases in spending.]

We used a "round robin" format, in which each Council Member and the Mayor had an opportunity to propose one amendment. If the amendment was not opposed by any one Council Member, the amendment was added to the main motion -- and we moved on to the next Council Member. A vote was taken on any items opposed by one or more Council Members. Items receiving a simple majority vote were added to the main motion.

Once all Council amendments had been considered (usually over the course of at least two days), we took a final vote on the main motion to adopt the budget.

**Council Members did not need to move forward just those amendments they had proposed; instead, they used their turns to prioritize any matter listed (or not) on the Proposed Budget Amendments document.

Our financial staff kept a running tally of the amendments so that Council always knew where we were in terms of having a balanced budget.

On a few occasions, we went back later in the day or on the next day and re-voted on something if there was new information, a change of heart, or a financial need to revisit an issue. But mostly the process kept us moving forward pretty efficiently.

I know there are multiple other formats we can use that would be successful, but I thought it important to offer this process for discussion and consideration.

It would be great to have a sense of what process we *might* use before we head into the three-day weekend.

I welcome your thoughts.

Best,

Kathie Tovo
Mayor Pro Tem
Council Member District 9
Council District 9
Leslie Pool
Posts: 231
Joined: Mon Jan 12, 2015 3:22 pm

Re: Suggested process for budget adoption

Post by Leslie Pool »

MPT Tovo, this is a very good process suggestion and I look forward to working through our budget amendments on Tuesday and Wednesday. If anyone else has a suggestion, I'm glad to consider but absent another approach, I would be happy to follow this.

Leslie
Leslie Pool
Mayor Pro Tem
Council Member, District 7
Delia Garza
Posts: 52
Joined: Thu Jan 15, 2015 9:20 am

Re: Suggested process for budget adoption

Post by Delia Garza »

Mayor Pro Tem Tovo,

I appreciate and agree with your proposed process, which is similar to what I suggested during the budget meeting yesterday.

This process would provide some predictability and clarity for both our Budget Staff and our own staff as we prepare for the budget readings next week, while still providing this Council plenty of flexibility for how we’ll sort out our budget priorities.

Knowing how much funding is available at the front end of the process makes intuitive sense to me, and may shift some of our priorities when we know our limitations.

I’m thankful to see that this Council is working to take a different approach for much of our work, but I also believe that there are instances when we may not need to recreate the wheel when there has been a successful process in the past.

I’m also open to other suggestions, and above all would simply like to have a clear process outlined so that we can effectively prepare for next week.

Best,

Delia Garza
Council Member
District 2
Mayor Pro Tem, District 2
Steve Adler
Posts: 533
Joined: Fri Jan 16, 2015 2:12 pm

Re: Suggested process for budget adoption

Post by Steve Adler »

Thanks for the constructive suggestions as to how to move the budget process forward next week. I hope to post my own process suggestions sometime on Friday so they may be considered by all.

There are aspects of past practice that appeal to me, too. But I want us to also consider process elements that recognize that for some on the Council, the choices we make about available revenue (through cuts or otherwise) depend in part on the choices we make about spending. One particular side of the equation or the other does not drive budget decisions for all of us. I hope to propose a process that accommodates the diverse perspectives on council, while being efficient, transparent, and fair. I am certain we can find the best way forward together.

s
Mayor
Ellen Troxclair
Posts: 40
Joined: Tue Jan 13, 2015 1:26 pm

Re: Suggested process for budget adoption

Post by Ellen Troxclair »

Thank you for the suggestion, Mayor Pro Tem Tovo. And thank you Mayor for recognizing the possible limitations of any process and working on a fair way to work through our complicated budget decisions.

It seems to me that the proposed method assumes that we will add resolutions that increase spending in the same amount of the reductions that we adopt. For those of us who have worked diligently to come up with budget concepts that would allow us to reduce spending, and hope that the money can be used to reduce tax rate, this approach could be frustrating. For example, I may support a reduction if I know that it will lead to tax relief, but I may be less willing to support (or even propose) that same reduction if the money will simply be transferred to another program that I may or may not support. Whether or not we adopt reductions is just as important to me as how that money will be spent.

Additionally, if we move forward with this process, I am curious about how the order might work. With a larger Council and with more budget additions than efficiencies proposed, the Council members at the end of of the line for additions may not have the same fiscal options as those at the beginning. I don't know whether a new order every time would work or whether reversing the order for the second round (like the snake draft in my fantasy football league!) may be more fair. Or if there is another, better way altogether.

I wanted to get these couple of thoughts out there and look forward to the Mayor's suggestion.
Ellen Troxclair
Council Member District 8
Kathie Tovo
Posts: 128
Joined: Thu Oct 30, 2014 11:18 am

Re: Suggested process for budget adoption

Post by Kathie Tovo »

Thanks for the feedback and thoughts on this proposal. I’m glad to be having a dialogue about the issue.

Council Member Troxclair, you raise an important point and a need for clarification on my part: this model does not assume that any budgetary cuts will be offset in the same amount by additions; certainly, there could be amendments to shift any and all of that revenue to reduce the tax rate, for example. The proposed order (cuts/revenue increases first) just helps ensure that we won’t be voting to make more additions than we can fund.

That doesn’t address your other point, however, about the interest in applying a particular cut to a particular purpose – I have a few items on my list of proposed amendments that work that way for me (shifting funds from one use to another). The Mayor’s comments also seem to cite an interest in preserving that ability. My sense is that we could adapt this general structure to accommodate those types of amendments, but perhaps together we can envision a different method here over the next day.

Also - I like CM Troxclair's idea of alternating the order in which Council Members can make amendments.
Council District 9
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