No public comment at Cooper City's charter-required budget input meeting

At a Cooper City meeting advertised under the city charter to gather public input ahead of the municipal budget process, no members of the public spoke about budget priorities, the city manager said.

The meeting was held to satisfy a charter requirement that the commission provide an opportunity for residents to comment before the budget process begins. The city manager told commissioners that the meeting purpose was to let the public identify services they want increased or reduced. Only one resident attended and indicated she had no input.

City Manager (name not specified) summarized the meeting's purpose: "the meeting in our agenda is a meeting that is required under the charter rules that the commission before the budget process begins allows the opportunity for the public to tell us what their concerns are, areas where they was wanna see, additional services or less services." Miss Rancida, the lone resident, told commissioners she had no input during the public-input portion.

Commissioners discussed logistics for the next item on the agenda, which the city manager described as the commission's formal consideration of any public input and any guidance the commission wishes to give staff on budget priorities. A motion to adjourn was raised during the session; the transcript does not record a vote or final outcome for that motion.

Mister Horowitz (staff member) responded to a procedural question about starting the subsequent meeting immediately, saying, "I if the meeting was advertised to begin as soon as the prior meeting concluded, the answer is yes. As long as the clerk could just confirm the" start time.

The meeting record shows no substantive public comments on budget items. Commissioners and staff indicated the next advertised meeting will consider any public input and provide the opportunity for the commission to give staff guidance on proposed funding changes or priorities.