Raleigh resident writes to Council about Budget Priorities
When you just announced a $13 million budget shortfall and probable property tax increase, it is irresponsible to spend money on a poet laureate.
When you just announced a $13 million budget shortfall and probable property tax increase, it is irresponsible to spend money on a poet laureate.
A good planning process starts with defining a planning area and noting its features. We’ve got that —in a Comprehensive Plan whose interpretation and use should remain stable through the update cycle.
When public funds, private interests, and historic institutions intersect—transparency is not optional. Neutrality is not optional. Accountability is not optional. And right now, the public deserves answers—not silence, not side conversations, and not decisions made in whispers.
Highlights from the April 21 work session and afternoon council meeting
Before any attempt is made to raise taxes you need to have an independent arm’s length audit/efficiency study of all city departments to make sure taxpayer money is being properly spent. Given the financial headwinds the city is facing, not doing an audit would be the height of financial irresponsibility.
Neighborhood Conservation Overlay Districts were adopted as legislative tools to guide growth while preserving established neighborhood patterns. If the City believes these overlays require revision, that conversation should occur through a comprehensive, citywide process—not through the incremental removal of protections on individual parcels.