Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2019 | View in browser
Why I voted NO on the Budget and Tax Increase
Hello 9th Ward residents,
Thank you to all who attended the 9th Ward meeting last night. Officer Wilson and I will continue to keep you updated and patrols of the area by EPD will continue as will outreach to youth by our Youth & Young Adult team.
After our Ward meeting, I headed over to City Hall for the City Council meeting, as there were several important items on the agenda. I voted "No" to three items and wanted to take this opportunity to explain my rationale to you as your elected representative.
2020 Budget:
I voted "No" to the proposed 2020 City Budget because I continue to feel frustrated by the unwillingness to cut as much spending as possible prior to increasing revenues. In 2018, I supported an ordinance to increase our parking meter fees without fully realizing the impact it would have on our residents and business – I own that. Since then, I have heard nothing but negative feedback from those increases and an overwhelming feeling that even a small (50 cent) increase feels large when many other fees continue to rise without the spending decreasing. There are areas in which we have cut spending, but overall, I am unsatisfied with the cuts. I share your concerns over being “nickeled and dimed”, especially as I see the new Robert Crown Center go up (another vote that I admit being responsible for). The overall lack of willingness to make aggressive budget cuts throughout our City departments caused me to vote "No" on the 2020 Budget.
2020 Tax:
I voted "No" to the 2020 Tax Levy because of my overall budget concerns listed above, but also due to the unknown impact of the new Cook County assessed property values. I am hopeful that our projections (and the Assessor’s statements) accurately predicted that tax bills may be lowered, but I did not feel comfortable approving such a large increase based on assumptions.
2020 Library:
Finally, I voted "No" for the 2020 Library Tax Levy because I think it is financially irresponsible to raise this levy while not cutting expenses by closing the branch on Chicago and Main (which I communicated to the Library staff last year). I believe it would be fiscally responsible to close the Chicago and Main branch with the addition of the Robert Crown branch (also on Main Street). The library’s unwillingness to do so caused me to vote against this tax levy.
Happy Thanksgiving!
 En Español
Cicely L. Fleming
Alderman, 9th Ward
224-204-4017
cfleming@cityofevanston.org
www.cityofevanston.org
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