Special Board of Aldermen 06-21-2021 Page 40
Chairman Dowd
Excuse me, is there a budget...
Ms. McKinney Had our pharmacy workers decided not to show up.
Chairman Dowd
Excuse me, is there a budget related question because you are talking of things that are controlled by the
School Department and the Board of Education.
Ms. McKinney | am talking about the 53% of my taxes go to schools. So this is a budget issue. If | am
paying for something that | didn’t get the service or effective service, 53% of my taxes went towards that
service. If | walked into Home Depot and bought a refrigerator and what was sent to me was a box with no
doors | wouldn’t pay full price. So what | am suggesting is a School Budget should in my opinion...
Chairman Dowd
30 seconds.
Ms. McKinney we should have a rebate because the vast majority of children did not, could not have gotten
the education that they should have, could have over the last 18 months. So yes it is a budget issue and it
is a budget issue in my household because 53% according to John Griffin on March 25" in our
conversation, 53% of my taxes go to education.
Chairman Dowd
Your time has expired. OK. Next item is Capital Improvements, 1001 Capital Equipment. Seeing no one.
The next Division is Enterprise Funds Revenue & Appropriations; 6000 Solid Waste Fund estimated
revenues and 6000 Solid Waste Fund Appropriations.
Fred Teeboom 24 Cheyenne. This is another one | broke out | did the six year projection of the Solid
Waste and Waste Water. | understand you did not do the projection Mayor because these are fee based as
opposed to tax based. But! can claim the fee, the tax and the fee all money we pay to the City. So this
may be a question to Public Works Director | am not sure. Solid Waste, the average annual for 6 years of
7.6% it is now 3.9% increase; that’s Solid Waste. But Waste Water which had an average annual increase
over 6 years of 6.9% is now 38.7% - Waste Water 38.7%. | didn’t go through the details of the budget this
time, | didn’t look at any details this time. But can somebody explain to me why Waste Water went up
38.7%?
Mayor Donchess
Well we have the Superintendent here, but the bottom line is Waste Water is heavily, heavily regulated by
various environmental agencies including the EPA and DES; EPA at the Federal Level, DES at the State
Level and these expenditures are required. We have a consent decree with the Feds. There’s increasing
requirements, there’s the issues of the sewers and the separation or the non-separation. All these things
were we to refuse to undertake some of these things, which cost more money, we would be sued by these
environmental agencies. So the smartest thing is to comply with the regulations even though it cost more
money.
Mr. Teeboom | understand that. That's a general question. | have a specific question. Why did it go up
38.7%? What made it go up 38.7%? Can the Director, is the Director still here.
Chairman Dowd
30 seconds.
