As part of a pre-budget feedback campaign, Mayor David Condon will host a telephone town hall to get people who actually live in Spokane involved "early and often," as Brian Coddington, the city's communications director, puts it.
The budget isn't due until November, but Condon will introduce the proposed budget in August. This is an early opportunity for Spokanites to let the mayor know what's on their minds.
Here's how it works: The city will make 40,000 outbound calls that will deliver a recorded message from Condon inviting the call recipients to join the budget conversation. Recipients can wait in line to talk to Condon himself or simply listen in. Last year, the telephone town hall lasted about an hour and a half and had some 6,000 participants.
If you're unlucky enough not to get a call, you can opt in to the conversation by calling 888-409-5380 between 6 and 7 pm tomorrow evening.
If you can't make the telephone town hall, other opportunities await your budget concerns! The city hasn't specified any dates yet, but the mayoral cabinet will organize community presentations, neighborhood councils will host meetings and the city council will gladly sit through budget hearings beginning in November.
The city says it will emphasize efficiency and gap-tightening in the 2014 budget. The Citywide Capital Improvement Program (CIP) aims to implement comprehensive planning and prioritizing projects from this year until 2019. The draft form was released today for public comment.
