Budget chair (unnamed), Metro Council, on a public online forum described the council’s substitute budget and the multi-step process that led to changes to the mayor’s proposal.

The chair said the city’s budget process begins with the mayor’s office (July 1–May 1) and then moves to the council (May 1–June 30), and noted the council’s public comment and departmental hearing schedule leading into substitute proposals and votes.

The substitute budget totaled about $3.8 billion and, compared with the mayor’s proposal, added roughly $8.2 million for employee compensation while overall changing the mayor’s plan by about $9 million, the chair said. "The budget is a moral document," the chair said, describing priorities that included employee pay, a unified housing strategy, support for youth programs and food assistance.

The chair said the council considered ways to reduce the property tax impact but concluded that deep enough cuts to lower taxes substantially would “defund public schools” and reduce funding for firefighters and police. She summarized a substitute discussed the previous night that would have cut the tax rate by 16 cents and estimated that would save a homeowner in the $400,000–$550,000 range about $14–$20 per month while removing major services: $54.5 million from schools, $6 million from firefighters and $4 million from police, she said. "The juice isn't worth the squeeze," she said, arguing that small tax relief would produce significant service reductions.

The chair detailed specific items added or reallocated in the substitute budget: $8.2 million for compensation changes (a mix of step/merit changes and an across‑the‑board increase), $250,000 for maternal health (doula support for the Strong Babies initiative), $200,000 for expanded food assistance and home repairs, $150,000 for the public library after‑school program (described as NAZA in the forum), $100,000 to explore a public‑private housing partnership using IDB funds, $88,000 for supplies/FTE support at Shelby Golf Course, $75,000 to expand court‑appointed special advocates' capacity, $75,000 for Oasis Center emergency youth shelter programming and $60,000 for a museum study. Several items were created as positions but left unfunded so departments can fill them with salary savings, the chair said.

The chair described process changes the council uses: an earlier public "pre‑budget" comment period in February, questionnaires to departments after the mayor releases a proposed budget, departmental hearings focused on larger departments, and collaborative budget work sessions in which council members submit wish lists and negotiate funding tradeoffs. She said the council must build a budget that can win 21 votes and that the city charter requires the mayor to issue a State of Metro and tax‑rate information on May 1.

The chair defended joint work with the administration and finance staff, praised the finance team’s transparency, and said the mayor supported the council’s top compensation priority. She noted that historically the council has made relatively small changes to the mayor’s budget but that in recent years changes grew larger; this substitute was about $9 million.

She also described the council’s approach to avoiding duplication of funding (for example, not repeating Barnes Fund allocations) and to using existing accounts where possible (earmarking rather than adding new dollars). She said some priorities were not funded because the mayor’s budget or other established funds already covered the work, or because charter or legal limits prevented action.

The chair said the council passed its budget at a meeting the previous day; she described the timing pressures, noting the council must produce a balanced budget by June 30 or the mayor’s budget would take effect. She emphasized maintaining a budget sustainability fund and protecting the city’s bond rating as reasons to preserve revenue.

The session included audience reactions and brief commentary from other council members and Metro staff; no formal motions or roll‑call votes were taken in the online conversation itself.

The council chair closed by thanking staff, the mayor, unions and community groups that participated in hearings and public testimony and framed the substitute as an attempt to balance service delivery, employee pay and fiscal stability while limiting the tax increase’s impact on residents.