Published: November 25, 2009 12:18 am      

Frostburg asking for public feedback on budget

FROSTBURG — Mountain City leaders want your input. Really.

If you have a stake in the city of Frostburg as a resident, student, business professional or otherwise, Finance Commissioner Richard C. Weimer said the town wants to hear from you.

“We want more feedback,” Weimer said after announcing the city will conduct a special City Council budget meeting Jan. 23 in the Frostburg Community Center. “Or, as much as we can get. I think we’re doing the best we can do, but I think we could do better. How? If (people) voiced their concerns.”

The special meeting, with a 2 p.m. start at the Frostburg Community Center, is to provide residents with information about the city’s current budget and outline challenges for the next operating budget. The announcement was made Thursday at the mayor and council meeting. That discussion normally begins in March after city department heads already have made their sales pitches to city leaders. This time, however, the city wants to get stakeholders involved earlier.

“We’re looking for citizens’ ideas, priorities (and provide) an opportunity for them to understand how difficult we believe the upcoming budget process may be or will be,” said City Administrator John Kirby. “We’re giving them more of an informal forum to discuss budget priorities for the city of Frostburg.”

State budget cuts to the city totaled $343,961 in September but that’s not the only reason to seek public input, Kirby said. While future budget cuts are likely, it’s the city’s goal to meet the expectations of residents and businesses “on dwindling financial resources.”

Kirby said the annual budget process usually begins in March for the public. Though the meetings are advertised as open to the public, “there’s seldom more than one or two people that participate in either the constant yield tax rate hearing or the hearings on the proposed budget,” he said.

Among the topics of discussion, officials said, are city programs that could be scaled back or eliminated as cost-savings measures. Perhaps the city should raise its property tax rate. Or maybe Mayor Arthur Bond and the City Council should consider additional debt, or search for community groups that could help replace lost government funding.

Each step of the way, Weimer outlined that the consequences of any act would be considered. If programs or services are reduced or eliminated, the impact of those actions must be considered, Weimer said.

“We know, based on this year’s budget cuts, that we’re not going to be able to pave to the extent that we have in the past,” Weimer said. “So, we would like to know: if push comes to shove, do you want us to pull back on the services the city offers? Or do you want us to furlough employees? Or cut garbage back from two days a week to one day a week? What is your thinking? If we can get into a dialogue ... I think that’s the best of all worlds. But we haven’t been able to do that.”

Turnout at regular meetings, whether or not they pertain to the budget, is typically low, Kirby said. Efforts will be made to notify the public about the early budget workshop by e-mail and through partnerships with the Frostburg Business and Professional Association and FrostburgFirst.

“If we don’t have anybody show up, or very few, then it hasn’t been very successful,” Weimer said, “because we haven’t learned anything from it. Look at the council meetings. They’re not well-attended. And why not? I don’t really know.”

For more information, contact Kirby at (301) 689-6000, ext. 25 or by e-mail at jrkirby@allconet.org.

Contact Kevin Spradlin at kspradlin@times-news.com.