By Carol A. Jensen / For The Herald
Residents of Everett, your views are needed as our city government grapples with how to fill an $18 million gap between projected revenue and expenses in its 2021 general fund budget.
Loss of sales and business tax revenues due to the COVID-19 pandemic are having a devastating impact, in addition to the ongoing structural deficit challenges. An emergency ordinance adopted by the Everett City Council in April already cut almost 100 city jobs and a number of beloved programs like the senior and swim centers, which would have been closed anyway due to COVID-19 restrictions. There is no “fat” to cut and serious choices are ahead of our elected representatives. A balanced budget must be finally approved on Nov. 11.
Unlike some cities its size, the City of Everett has its own transit, library, parks, police and fire departments funded through our general fund budget. City staff have been exploring alternatives to how our city currently provides services that might cut costs, but there are no easy solutions.
I encourage you to talk about priorities for our city budget with your neighbors and share your views with our city leaders.
Here are a few questions to consider: What city services are most important for the long term resiliency of our city and the well being of its residents? Are there services that we enjoy and have grown accustomed to that aren’t as high a priority as others? What cuts would have the most serious negative impact on the impoverished, people of color, seniors and persons with disabilities? Are there ways that organizations, neighborhood groups, and the private sector might step up to provide some of the programs that have greatly contributed to the vibrant quality of life in Everett? (Indeed, this is already beginning to happen!) How do we think about public safety in our community with a broader perspective than simply the number of police officers and firefighters on payroll, as important as that is?
Mayor Cassie Franklin will present a list of proposed changes to revenues and expenses to balance the budget at the Sept. 2 City Council meeting and then an entire budget at the Sept. 16 council meeting. The council will then have responsibility for the budget until its final passage in November. You can find information about the budget process at the City of Everett website, www.everettwa.gov/budget. You can find information about the City Council agendas, minutes, and links to watch the meetings at www.everettwa.gov/council. To keep up-to-date, you can sign up on the City of Everett website to receive email notifications on the topics you care about.
There are multiple ways to share your views about the budget. You can email the mayor at cfranklin@everettwa.gov and the City Council at council@everettwa.gov. You can call in to make a public comment at the online City Council meetings.
It is understandable that many in our community who are struggling right now to simply stay afloat, stay healthy and stay sane don’t have the bandwidth for civic engagement on our city’s budget at this time. Yet, the well being of each of us in this city is tied in one way or another to the budget choices that our City Council will be making.
So, if you are able, I urge you to learn about the process and the choices that may be on the table; engage with others in discussing these choices; and share your views with our city leaders. The resilience of our city in these challenging times depends on the active participation of many of us in charting the path forward.
Carol A. Jensen is chairwoman of the City of Everett Council of Neighborhoods.
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