CB Budget Update 4/17/24

Budget Update 4/17/24:  An updated version of the budget is available on my website (Link below).  I will request the town put an official version on their site this week.  While there is no perfect way to go about the budget process I will give credit to the new Town Manager Natasha Tucker and Town Council for a much more transparent process this year and a healthy public debate.  My 4/17 blog contains comments on our last meeting.  The current proposal is 2% increase on meals, lodging and cottage tax and a $17 a quarter increase in the water/sewer bill with a possibility for changes.  I’m confident that I do not have support to reduce spending increases but will dig into the details to see what I can propose.  I cannot blame town staff for asking for all they can but Council should push back and they really are not.

In my opinion the town managers budget should have provided options that did not call for tax increases but instead she started her budget very high and said she was making cuts from there.  I assume that is a strategy used by many town managers and I find no fault with that but council seems to have no desire to give any significant push back.  I’m also noticing a pattern where every year the excuse to raise taxes is because we need to pay our employees better and costs are increasing.  In my opinion if you cannot afford to pay your existing employees adequately then you should stop creating new positions and take care of the employees you have first.  In 2019 our total budget was $7.3M and this years proposal is $10.6M.

Budget Link

https://www.williams4cb.com/_files/ugd/5a6660_d38025455b864fb3acf9a460ab89832c.xlsx?dn=FY25%20Budget%20Draft%20All%20Funds%2C%20Council%20Revisions%204-17-24.xlsx