There were good turnouts at Thursday’s Columbia budget town hall meetings at city hall, where residents learned about the budget process and city priorities.
Fourth Ward Councilman Nick Foster stopped by the first town hall and tells 939 the Eagle that it’s a great example of how the city is working to improve communications with residents:
“And in this case I’m just pleased to know that we’re going to have citizens here that are going to be struggling with some of the same kinds of realities that the council does in terms of how we use our resources and how we deploy those over time,” Councilman Foster says.
The town halls also gave citizens an opportunity to work in groups at tables and act as council members, trying to approve a balanced city budget.
Columbia Finance director Matthew Lue says the city’s current budget priorities are public safety, affordable housing and city employees. The city offered two budget town hall meetings on Thursday, and residents turned out to hear details on budget priorities and they asked numerous questions. Second Ward City Council member Vera Elwood tells 939 the Eagle it was an incredible opportunity for residents:
“One of the things that we’ve heard so frequently from the community is a desire to understand the budget process better. So doing that through fun table games and the opportunity for some free food while you’re doing it is a great way to get the community engaged,” Elwood says.
Fourth Ward Councilman Foster agrees, saying the more citizens are involved in the process helps the community as a whole. The city provided light refreshments for audience members.
Mr. Lue says the first public hearing for city manager De’Carlon Seewood’s proposed budget will be August 17 at 7 pm.