[Durham INC] Fwd: Your opportunity to weigh in on the upcoming City budget

[bonita green]

PLEASE SHARE:

An article of interest from the INDY's weekend newsletter for your
consideration and participation. We can make a difference in the focus and
priorities for our City's investments in our community.

"Budget season is underway in Durham. On Monday, March 18, the city council
will host the first of two budget public hearings at 7 p.m. during regular
meeting hours, where residents can share their own budget priorities for
the 2024-2025 fiscal year.

One of the motivating issues for voters during elections in Durham
<https://indyweek.us21.list-manage.com/track/click?u=2825b1f0846a6217ed507d447&id=a1a3ec258d&e=58172b148a>
last
fall centered on higher wages for public employees. Many employees did
receive one-time bonuses at the end of last year, but a permanent wage
increase is likely to return to the forefront as a key item for the next
budget.

Transit, affordable housing, and public safety also remain important issues
for residents. The *INDY*reported on Thursday
<https://indyweek.us21.list-manage.com/track/click?u=2825b1f0846a6217ed507d447&id=6f313a2a8f&e=58172b148a>
about
an open house for the public to weigh in on the potential redesign of
Roxboro Street and Mangum Street, two main corridors in downtown Durham
that residents in the neighborhood say are built for speed and not safety.
Reimagining those roads and potentially others won’t be cheap for the
city’s transportation department, but some residents say it’s a necessary
cost to protect pedestrians on Durham’s streets.

Last month, the city council voted not to
<https://indyweek.us21.list-manage.com/track/click?u=2825b1f0846a6217ed507d447&id=5f273e5824&e=58172b148a>
enter
into another contract with SoundThinking, the company behind gunfire
detection technology ShotSpotter. How will the city council choose to
reallocate more than $200,000 that was budgeted for the program? Residents
opposed to ShotSpotter called for investment in other public safety and
public health programs to help reduce the effects of gun violence. What
specific programs will residents suggest?

Last year, residents rallied around two issues: expanding
<https://indyweek.us21.list-manage.com/track/click?u=2825b1f0846a6217ed507d447&id=4d66f4a906&e=58172b148a>
the
HEART program and funding a full-time Vision Zero coordinator. Both items
were included in the current budget for 2023-2024. While it’s not
guaranteed that every outcry from the community will become a line item,
getting those items being included in the budget does show that a
coordinated community effort is hard to ignore."
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