| After taking a hard look at its budget, two local agencies felt the sharp blade of the council's funding ax when their requests were cut Tuesday night. | Brooks, who volunteers with this organization, made a plea for it. "Keeping 100 at-risk kids off the streets is a lot cheaper than them going through the juvenile system," |
"This is a problem that has been here for years and it has not been addressed," Johnson said. "How much longer are our kids going to |
| The Yuma City Council debated many aspects of its 2004-2005 budget during a special meeting that lasted more than two hours. In total, there were nine motions | he said. Mayor Larry Nelson, councilman Scott Johnson and Brooks voted against this amendment. It narrowly passed with a 4-3 vote. |
have to wait?" City Administrator Bob Wagner opposed this motion. "It's my belief that there is not adequate funds without |
| to amend the budget and only three failed, including one to build two regulation-sized soccer fields. The council voted to decrease the funding for both the Yuma Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Yuma County Youth Boxing Association. Councilman Al Krieger also asked to decrease funding for the United Way, but that motion failed in a 4-3 vote. |
The Yuma Convention and Visitors Bureau, which promotes tourism, was cut by $150,000. Roger Beadle, director of the bureau, requested $560,000. Councilman Gerry Giss disagreed with this decision. He was the lone vote against the decrease. "I feel your logic is ill," he said. "We have to address it. We have to push it. We can't do that if we limit our imaginations and our actions only to the most restricted budget items. Don't be |
eliminating a department, unplugging the telephones and firing building inspectors," he said. One issue that the council did not vote on Tuesday night was a proposal by Yuma Police Chief Robby Robinson to cut the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program. Since this special meeting was the council's last informal |
| When Krieger was asked by councilman Bobby Brooks why he wanted to cut the boxing association's funding, Krieger gave a firm statement. "I'm trying to be fiscally responsible with the taxpayer's money," he said. The Yuma County Youth Boxing Association's budget request was cut by $12,190. This program's only remaining money will come from the city's Community Development Block Grants. The association, which teaches at-risk youth boxing, will still receive $18,000 through this fund. |
shooting ourselves in the foot." But along with his proposed cuts, Krieger also asked to increase the funding for Amberly's Place by $30,000. Currently there wasn't any money in the general fund allocated to this nonprofit organization, but it will receive $20,000 through CDBG. That motion passed with a 7-0 vote. In other action, councilman Paul Johnson made a motion to build two regulation soccer fields by reallocating funding within the general fund that is not designated to the fire department, police department, parks and recreation and public works. This failed with a 5-2 vote. |
review of the budget for 2004-2005 it is assumed it will cut DARE. But that won't be officially decided until the council's formal adoption of the budget in July. |