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Councilman France says he cannot back budget items he considers "not fully vetted"; colleagues cite prior public opportunities
Summary
Councilman France told the Washington Borough Council he could not vote for budget items he believed were not fully vetted, pressing for greater transparency; Councilman Infinito said there were multiple prior public opportunities for review. The exchange took place during the May 5 meeting.
Councilman France said he could not vote for budget items "that he felt was not fully vetted," and urged greater transparency and public dialogue about taxes and borough spending.
France, who gave a budget update during the meeting, said residents have concerns about taxes and called for more opportunities to present budget information in a public meeting. He also noted work he has done researching garbage-service options and suggested residents consider private haulers.
Councilman Infinito responded that there had been multiple past meetings where the budget could have been discussed, saying "there were three opportunities for questions to be asked or sharing ideas from the public and council at these meetings" and that long-serving council members should be able to review the municipal budget and raise questions.
The remarks were part of a broader discussion of transparency and the budget during the regular council meeting; no formal budget vote occurred during this session.
