Board of Aldermen 03-09-2021 Page 17
O-21-047
Endorsers: Alderman-at-Large Ben Clemons
Alderman-at-Large Michael B. O’Brien, Sr.
Alderman Patricia Klee
Alderman Skip Cleaver
Alderman-at-Large Brandon Michael Laws
Alderman-at-Large Lori Wilshire
TEMPORARILY CHANGING THE DOWNTOWN IMPROVEMENTS FUNDING PLAN
Given its second reading;
MOTION BY ALDERMAN CLEMONS FOR FINAL PASSAGE OF O-21-047, BY ROLL CALL
ON THE QUESTION
President Wilshire
The motion is for final passage. Discussion on that motion? Alderman Jette?
Alderman Jette
Yes, thank you Madam President. | am a little uncomfortable with this and I'll explain why. We have been told
many times by the Mayor that our Budget for this coming year is going to be very difficult. We are level-funding
all of the Departments except schools are being allowed a very small increase. | am sure you all realize that
we have approved employment contracts, union contracts that allow for employees to get raises, deservedly
so. Some more than others. But those are in effect. So all of these Departments, all of our Departments are
going to have to find ways, their payroll budgets are going up and so that means, so level-funding means they
can’t propose a budget increase more than what we allow them for last year for this current year. So they have
to find ways in order to meet their obligations to satisfy the amount that they have to pay employees, they have
to look at where they can cut in other places.
So it is a very, very difficult thing and we on the Budget Review Committee at first and then the Full Board, we
are going to have to make some very tough decisions about how we are going to be able to come up with this
Budget for next year. This proposal made by Alderman Clemons, | think has good intentions. Because the
Downtown Improvements Committee is funded by a surplus of funds from revenue from the Parking
Department. Last year because of COVID, fewer people coming downtown to park, also because of the
barriers that we put up, there were fewer metered parking spaces to gather revenue. So the excess amount
that funds the Downtown Improvement Committee, you know, we never got high enough to give them that
surplus. So Alderman Clemons is concerned about the Downtown Improvement Committee having a source of
funds to do the work that it does.
Now during the Committee meeting, the people from the Downtown Improvement Committee told us that they
have, | think it was $174,000.00 in the bank, in their budget that is available to them. As the Ordinance reads, |
think it’s clear that they can’t spend money without the approval of the Mayor and the Board of Aldermen, but
they’ve got $174,000.00 there. So it’s not like they have nothing and because of COVID some of the programs
that they normally sponsor didn’t occur and so | know that Alderman Clemons wants to make sure that when
the COVID crisis passes and the restrictions are lifted that the downtown will be able to get up and running as
soon as possible and as well as possible. And | appreciate that.
But what we are doing, | think, and the more | thought about this, | realize at least in my opinion, what we are
doing is we are dedicating $100,000.00 from the Budget, this isn’t coming from excess parking revenue, if we
do have excess parking revenue it'll help us afford to pay this, but if we don't it is $100,000.00 that we are
going to have to find somewhere else in the Budget. As much as | support the Downtown Improvements
Committee, you know, we’ve been spending a lot of money on downtown and | am thinking about all of the
other things that are going to be competing for scarce resources for this coming Budget Year.
