On Tuesday night, the city s $173,536,592 budget was passed with a 4-3 vote. The budget that was presented at our last city council meeting is a paradigm shift, is an invitation for change, Councilmember Carla González said. We can continue to demystify what we mean when we talk about investing in communities. Equity is not a threat to public safety.
It seems that regardless of what side of the political spectrum people fell on, there were aspects of the budget that the public and council disagreed on.
For weeks, the city has debated an increase in the police budget. On Tuesday, after nearly five hours of public comment and discussion, Councilmember Christie Cromeenes made a motion to add back $1.39 million into the police budget, therefore not freezing five positions or reducing supplies and services.