Ideas welcome during Cedar Rapids budget process

Each year around this time we begin the detailed process of creating what will become the Cedar Rapids City Manager's proposed budget to our Mayor and City Council. It is then the Mayor and City Council's job to review, change, amend (where appropriate) and pass the budget. The City budget authorizes resources and establishes a direction for the City's programs and services for the coming year. We take the budget preparation and approval process very seriously. As City Leaders, we fully understand the great responsibility entrusted to us as we allocate limited public resources to fund a very diverse array of services.

City Council has maintained the current property tax levy rate of $15.22 for seven consecutive years, a rate I am proud to say is one of the lowest of the larger cities in Iowa, including Des Moines ($16.92), Davenport ($16.78), Iowa City ($16.71), and Waterloo ($17.95).

In order to maintain the tax rate and keep taxes as low as possible for our residents, every year - and every day - we ask and expect our employees to do more with less. We are constantly looking for opportunities to become more efficient in order to make tax dollars work harder and go further for the citizens of Cedar Rapids. A good example of this is the recent review and reorganization of our Public Works department. That review resulted in 256 recommendations for changes in processes and procedures in the department. Seventy-seven of those recommendations have been implemented or have plans for implementation. I am extremely proud of the work done by our organizations employees every day to keep the City of Cedar Rapids not only running, but improving.

As we look toward the coming year and prioritize spending for the fiscal year 2017 budget, our City Council's overall goals for the City will drive the decisions we make.

Public Safety has always been, and will continue to be a priority. Quality of life for residents begins with a general feeling of safety in your community. Police and Fire expenditures make up around a third of the $116M total general fund budget. This year we allocated $380K toward implementation of a Police Community Action Team (PCAT), which added four officers to specifically focus on making connections and helping neighbors in higher crime areas in the city. We also purchased a new $700,000 firetruck, an essential tool which allows our fire department personnel to quickly, safely, and efficiently respond to calls and perform high-risk rescues. In the coming year we will continue to focus on implementing programs and processes with increased public safety in mind, as well as many other daily operations that help to maintain and increase the overall quality of life for the residents of Cedar Rapids, increase economic growth in our community, and improve the appeal of our City to visitors.

It is important to note that all goals and priorities are made with the thoughts of the people of Cedar Rapids in mind. Council members, myself, and City staff speak with citizen daily, through face-to-face contact, public meetings, phone calls, emails, and surveys. These ongoing conversations are what help shape the goals of Council and the direction of the City into the future.

I encourage all Cedar Rapids citizens to read our City Council goals, which are available at www.cedar-rapids.org/city-council. Goals are reviewed yearly and progress is reported on quarterly. Budget documents for our current fiscal year are also available on the City's website, and the proposed budget document will be added in February, with an opportunity for public comment before the final Council approval in March 2016. As always, we welcome and encourage your ideas and feedback during the budget process and throughout the year. Ideas and comments can be emailed to citymanager@cedar-rapids.org or call (319) 286-5080.

' Jeff Pomeranz is Cedar Rapids' city manager.