By the end of today 3/27/14 I expect there will be posted two tools that will give the tax paying public information about the upcoming vote on the 2014-15 village budget. There will be a video clip that will document the Mayor’s explanation for the vote to give the Village Board the right to exceed the two percent tax cap if needed. And a copy of the first but not final draft of the Village Budget will also be posted on the net.
Before those events occurred I did want to comment about the budget process in general. Time is running out and I am concerned that the role of the public in helping the Board reach a decision seems even more diminished than usual.
This Monday I attended the Village Board meeting. Public attendance was not more than normal: anemic. No one spoke during the public hearing about the vote to exceed the tax cap and that included me as well. The reason: without more members of the public showing up lone voices advocating for change are just too easily dismissed as marginal and so I was silent. If that continues the budget whatever its final form will be approved without a blink when it does come up for a vote in less than two weeks and will occur with only a whisper of dissent or other comment from the public when it does.
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Time is running out if any changes are going to be made. The vote on the budget itself is now scheduled for Monday April the 7th at 6 p.m. A first draft of the budget has been released but I have been already been told that the copy in my possession is subject to change before the 7th. In fact when the video clip does appear for viewing the Mayor cautions that the first draft is just that and subject to “drastic” changes before a final draft lands on the desks of all the village trustees before a formal vote.
That final draft copy is being tracked and will also be published when available in the next few days.
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But one can see already a pattern here that is quite troubling. There will be a public hearing at which time the public will be asked to weigh in on a budget that in fact except for a private effort is not otherwise publicly known for example by being posted on the village website.
The meeting is scheduled to occur at 6 p.m. As I have said before this is a time when most working people are returning to home and is sure to cut into attendance.
The vote may occur on the 7th as that has been the pattern of previous Board votes when in fact by law the village does not have to adopt a budget until late in April rather than early on.
The sum total of all these is that the public is put in the position of having a short time to look at the budget, get facts, ask questions or have any time to influence decisions before a vote is taken when there are in fact other ways this could be handled.
Illegal not at all but democratic and progressive hardly so is my opinion. At the very least the Board should even now allow more time for public review, not vote on the budget when it meets on the 7th, hold a second public hearing at a later hour that would allow working tax payers a chance to get back from work, get home, then go to the meeting to voice their support or their concerns. If no one shows up the Board has done its duty but I think people will if given the chance show up but none of us will know for sure unless at the very least a chance is given for people to do so.
The budget which sets the tax rate for all tax payers is the most important decision that the Board will make. We do have a representative government that has given seven Board members the exclusive right to decide on behalf of all of us what is best. But I think that part of that process must be inclusion of the public not marginalizing the public as is now occurring. Otherwise we get to the point where we now appear to be. People do not feel that they have a meaningful role in the choices being made in their name and they are opting out of even trying to participating.
That is of course is the ultimate result of apathy: a poisoning of the soul of democracy with the poisons of cynicism and hopelessness. The antidote is activism and as I have so many times but now more urgently than ever I can only say to all those who want better now is the time to act. Do not be discouraged, show up, find the courage to speak up on 4-7-14, join with others to be taxed fairly.
