News Release
February 19, 2010
Residents invited to give input to Concord City Council on budget priorities
Registration by phone or online is now open for the City of Concord's three "Living Within Our Means" community workshops. All three workshops are identical and open to Concord residents and business owners.
The workshops are designed to draw input from participants about their priorities for City services. The City is facing a $10 million budget gap which needs to be closed over the next two years. Last year, the City Council made $8.2 million in budget cuts through staff reduction and service cutbacks. The severity of additional budget cuts may mean drastic reductions in City services. The City Council would like to hear from residents and business owners about their priorities in the face of additional service reductions.
"Input from residents will be very important to me and the other City Council members as we work on ways to reduce the deficit and balance next year's budget," said Mayor Guy Bjerke. "I hope to see many Concord residents at the workshops."
Workshop Dates
One workshop will be held in each of the city's three districts on the following dates:
- Saturday, Feb. 27, 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.,
Concord Senior Center, 2727 Parkside Circle - Wednesday, March 3, 6:30 to 9:00 p.m.,
Centre Concord, 5298 Clayton Road - Tuesday, March 16, 6:30 to 9:00 p.m.,
Cambridge Elementary School, 1135 Lacey Lane
At the workshops, attendees will learn what the City has done so far to balance what the community needs and wants with the amount of funding available. They will also play the "Penny for Your Thoughts" game. Working in small groups, participants will demonstrate how they would fund major City services by spending from a bank of available pennies. They will also complete an exercise in which they are asked to decide which City services are their highest priorities.
Registration
To register online, visit www.cityofconcord.org and look for the "Workshop Registration" headline in the News and Event box. To register by phone, call (925) 671-3009.
Registration is not mandatory but will assist staff in preparing enough materials for each workshop. Spanish translation services will be available at all workshops.
For more information, contact Community Relations Manager Leslye Asera, (925) 671-3272, lasera@ci.concord.ca.us.