The Ypsilanti Courier
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
City continues to deal with budget crunch
PUBLISHED: April 10, 2008
Dear Ypsilanti Neighbors and Friends:
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On March 10 at the Riverside Arts Center Mr. Doyle Hyett unveiled the 2008 HyettPalma Blueprint for Downtown Ypsilanti. This report is the culmination of extensive information gathering and interviews with focus groups and individuals. The blueprint is an invaluable plan that will serve downtown Ypsilanti well into the future.
City Council and city staff have also been working hard on a budget plan that will shape the future of Ypsilanti. Starting in early winter, the city began assembling information in preparation for the 2009 and 2010 budget process.
The process began with four goal-setting sessions in December and January where city council and city staff discussed options for cutting expenses to meet revenues. What resulted were the following directives to city manager Ed Koryzno:
†Reduce police road patrol staffing from five to four officers per shift.
†Reduce fire department staff by three, from 23 to 20.
†Reduce DPW staffing for park maintenance, and work with neighborhood groups to maintain or purchase pocket parks like Edith Hefley Park.
†Reduce planning staff by one.
†Partially fund the AATA bus contract (routes #3 and #5 are in jeopardy).
The next step in the budget process is to present these directives to the public for comments and suggestions. City Council will host a Town Hall Meeting from 7 to 9 p.m. April 17 at the Senior Citizens Center, at Congress St. and Oakwood.
On that evening City Council will welcome comments on the directives. Key to this discussion will be how the city of Ypsilanti can best balance the budget and provide the service levels required to support the revitalization of the city that is visualized in the 2008 HyettPalma report.
City Council is required by city charter to pass a balanced budget by the end of June.
I urge you to attend the April 17 Budget Town Hall Meeting to assist city council in making the tough decisions for the future of Ypsilanti.
You can also contact me at 1-734-277-5446 or e-mail me at mayor@cityofypsilanti.com.
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