Neighborhood Councils Get A Break - For Now
- Details
- Category: Neighborhood Councils
- Published on Tuesday, 09 February 2010 22:45
- Written by Chelsea Cody
After a lengthy period of public comment the City Council Tuesday granted the Neighborhood Councils a momentary reprieve from cuts. The council moved to send Neighborhood Council issues to the Education and Neighborhoods Committee chaired by Councilman Paul Krekorian.
The NC-related proposals from the CAO's Three Year Plan to Fiscal Sustainability call for modifying the funding of the Neighborhood Empowerment Program. These changes include:
- Eliminate the rollover policy that allows Neighborhood Councils to accumulate up to $145,000 of prior year unspent allocation;
- Eliminate the bank card petty cash system and redefine and restrict Neighborhood Council expenditure categories; and
- Instruct the City Administrative Officer to prepare the necessary actions to reprogram Neighborhood Empowerment Funds to offset the City’s budget gap.
Shawn Simons, President of Empowerment Congress - North spoke before the City Council about an alternative plan she has developed for Neighborhood Councils that will save the city about $4.7 million annually and at the same time allow NCs to maintain funding at the $4 million level.