Board reviews 42 budget suggestions; staff to price items and present prioritized list

Fiscal staff told the board July 10 that 42 proposed budget suggestions had been submitted for pricing and committee recommendations. Staff said the board would not decide which items to fund at the July 10 meeting but rather would receive priced options and a staff/fiscal-committee recommendation to inform decisions scheduled at the July 24 meeting. Budget staff (presenting as “Mr. Verne” in the public session) described the process used to estimate costs: the team relied on prior similar projects and departmental experience rather than soliciting vendor quotes for every line item. He said votes from directors on which suggestions to advance were due by July 14 so staff could assemble buckets and recommendations for the July 24 meeting. Directors pressed staff for clearer classification of items that could be covered from ongoing…