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City of Seattle
Seattle City Council
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NEWS ADVISORY
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| SUBJECT: Council To Hold Community Budget Discussions
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
6/2/2004 11:20:00 AM |
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Paul Elliott (206) 684-8800
Nancy Roberts (206) 684-8146
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COUNCIL TO HOLD COMMUNITY BUDGET DISCUSSIONS
Budget Chair McIver wants input on tough City budget scenario
SEATTLE – In just a few years Seattle went from being a City flush with cash reserves to a City struggling to keep basic services meeting the demand. The combination of an economic downturn and voter-approved initiatives that have sliced tax revenues has forced the City to make more than $100 million in General Fund budget cuts over the past three years.
What the General Fund is, how tax revenues affect basic services and what priorities citizens place on City services will be the subject of a series of Community Budget Discussions throughout the month of June.
Councilmember Richard J. McIver, the Council’s Budget Committee Chair, will host the meetings at five locations around Seattle to explain budget basics and solicit input from community residents.
“Making cuts to valued programs is never easy. Raising fees, fines or taxes is never popular. The challenge to elected representatives is prioritizing, deciding which services can be trimmed, which are simply too important to be cut, and what opportunities exist to find new revenues,” McIver said.
“From my experience over the past few years I know that there will be people disappointed or angry with whatever decisions are made. As the new chair of the Budget Committee I’d like to get input at the beginning of the 2005 budget process to help citizens realize this is their City budget.”
The meeting schedule is as follows:
June 10, 6 p.m.
Eckstein Middle School Auditorium
3003 NE 75th Street
June 15, 6 p.m.
First A.M.E. Church
1522 14th Avenue
June 16, 6 p.m.
Rainier Valley Cultural Center
3515 S. Alaska Street
June 22, 6 p.m.
West Seattle Senior Center
4217 SW Oregon Street
June 24, 6 p.m.
Greenwood Senior Center
528 N. 85th Street
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City Council
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