Administrator defends budget process, says city already enacting suggestions
Wanting to dispel “bogus” information that has appeared in letters to the editor, City Administrator Greg Wilkinson asked to speak with the Yuma City Council about recommendations from the Citizens Budget Review Committee and implementation of a revenue committee.
Wayne C. Benesch, in a letter titled “City needs to change budget process,” published in the June 2 edition of the Yuma Sun, claimed that the city “rushed” through the process and the council voted to approve the 2017-2018 final budget last month without addressing “flaws’” pointed out by the committee.
Wilkinson called the letter “totally bogus, totally made up,” noting that the city has already implemented several recommendations.
The committee made the recommendations at the May 2 work session. The council adopted the budget the following evening during its regular meeting, already including one recommendation: restoration of $200,000 that had been slashed from the Yuma Visitors Bureau budget.
Other recommendations included enacting the Citizens Review Committee earlier next year; posting the budget on the front page of the city website; negotiating payment for police presence at private events; posting a calendar of tournaments scheduled at the Pacific Avenue Athletic Complex; consolidating heated swimming pools into one; and improving the city’s relationship with the media and promoting itself more.
Wilkinson pointed out that the city is already working on putting “good things” in the media and had already posted a calendar of tournaments. Staff is looking at negotiating partial payments to cover the cost of police security at private events and consolidating heated swimming pools into one.
Among the items to be implemented as part of next year’s budget process, Wilkinson said, include putting the budget on the front page of the city website and forming the committee earlier, perhaps using the leadership academy as the impetus.
Wilkinson also added his own recommendation to the council: enacting a revenue committee, with each council member appointing two citizens. This group would be under the purview of the council, not city administration.
Dave Nash, the city’s public affairs coordinator, came to Wilkinson’s defense in regards to another letter signed by six individuals which alleged a “lack of candor” by the administrator and “lack of trust” in city leadership. The letter titled “Thoughts on council vs. city scrutiny,” signed by William Gresser, Howard Blitz, Philip G. Clark, Wayne Benesch, Robert F. Ingold and Thomas G. Kelly III, was published June 12.
“Where it comes to candor, the City will hold its record up to any agency. For example, no other government agency in this region makes its top executive available to discuss City decisions and answer questions from residents and customers on a live radio program every week,” Nash wrote in an email.
“Mr. Clark, in fact, has commented to the Council his opinion that the City should cut this radio program from its budget. Why would someone claiming the City has issues with trustworthiness and lack of candor argue against a measure the City has put in place to provide candor and build trust?”
Nash also noted that the city has more social media traffic than other comparable area agencies.
He also pointed out that the city publishes the entire budget book online, as well as the Capital Improvement Program and the audits it is required to undergo every year (called the Consolidated Annual Financial Review).
“We are as available as any government agency to respond to questions and provide the reasons behind our actions. We invite our residents to contact us personally with their issues instead of taking for granted the word of a few individuals who are purposefully planting seeds of doubt just two months before our election,” he added.
As for claims of citizens’ “lack of trust” in city leadership, Nash wrote: “It’s interesting that despite their claims, the current mayor is running unopposed in this summer’s election.”