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Residents press council on transparency, budget shifts and police levy
Summary
Public commenters criticized council process and the proposed police levy, raising concerns about conflict-of-interest, use of community development funds and last-minute budget changes; former budget committee members urged fiscal caution.
Multiple residents used the visitor comment period to press the council on the proposed police levy and on transparency in budget decision-making.
Steve Koski told councilors they should reject the levy and criticized council messaging and the mayor’s participation: "I think the mayor has an actual conflict of interest, not a potential," he said and added the council was portraying itself as "a tax and spend city council" (Steve Koski). Another commenter challenged the mayor’s right to participate, arguing a statutory exception applies only to budget votes and does not permit involvement on non-budget items. Former budget committee chair Jeremy Evans said he was "disappointed" in the council for altering funds after the budget committee’s work and warned against relying on nonrecurring revenues to mask recurring shortfalls.
Tony Morgan praised Interim City Administrator Christy Wurster’s responsiveness in prior meetings and encouraged the council to continue active engagement with the public. The public comments prompted councilors to say they will publish clearer informational materials about the levy and budget decisions so voters can make informed choices.
