Veterans leader urges civic engagement, offers VFW assistance to local food pantry and budget oversight

Tammy Flake addressed the council during public comment and encouraged greater citizen engagement in city government, saying she had attended the council’s budget meeting and sees value in residents participating early in the budget process. Flake said she intends to be a regular attendee and emphasized fiscal responsibility, noting she personally follows a household budget and wants to see public funds spent effectively.

Flake said the veterans organization would like to be more involved with local nonprofits and public events, including Tabitha’s Way, and invited councilmembers to reach out to the VFW. She also expressed general support for the council’s outreach to citizens and said she appreciated the mayor’s encouragement for public involvement.

Why it matters: public commenters signaled an interest in earlier and more robust public engagement on the budget and offered volunteer support from a veterans organization for community events and pantries.