Money was the main topic at a forum Monday at Woodland Junior High School where the six candidates for mayor and the two for the open Ward 2 City Council seat voiced their views.
The money talk came in the form of questions and sometimes testy exchanges about budget, economic development, a budget boycott, higher property taxes to fund cost of living increases and use of the city reserve funds.
Also on the table were issues like better communication between the mayor and City Council, how to prevent developers from abandoning projects, trails and SouthPass.
Money talks
"Everybody says we have to make tough decisions, but they never tell you what those tough decisions are. ... (Mine) was to go into reserves,"Mayor Dan Coody said amidst a series of budget and budget boycott questions.
Ward 4 Alderman and mayoral candidate Lioneld Jordan said he has never said he would boycott budget talks although he continued to say he would not support a budget until a balanced budget is brought forward by city administration.
A man in the audience told Jordan it sounded like his mind was made up. "Are you going to be there? Or are you going to be there?"he asked.
"I am,"said Jordan, who has set a meeting with the city's finance director to talk about the 2009 budget proposal.
In August, the City Council passed a resolution on a 5-3 vote to request the mayor present a 2009 budget proposal without the use of the city's reserves, or savings. Coody presented a budget that used reserves, saying it was better for the city than layoffs or raising taxes.
"The City Council is the legislative branch of the city. They set the policy; the administration is supposed to carry out the policy. We set the policy and he (Coody) refused to carry it out,"Jordan said.
"Not true,"answered Coody.
"That is true,"responded Jordan, who said later," Basically, the administration was asked to do something that they absolutely did not."
Jordan said the August resolution was the will of the council.
"I can assure the mayor of one thing, I've got some suggestions on the budget that I'll be bringing forward,"Jordan said.
"Good,"Coody said.
"You're welcome,"Jordan said.
Mayoral candidate Adam Fire Cat said there was no boycott, just disagreement, which he believes means the council and mayor are doing what they are supposed to be doing.
Mayoral candidate Steve Clark said he is not concerned with the disagreement between the mayor and some members of the council about the budget. However, he said borrowing from reserves is "absolutely wrong."
Walt Eilers, another of the six candidates seeking to lead the city, said the mayor and council need to work through the budget process by looking at all of the options.
Mayoral candidate Sami Sutton said she doesn't see any reason for the city not to have a balanced budget since there was a whole year to get it ready.
The Ward 2 candidates also got in on the discussion. Mark Kinion assured his potential constituents he would never boycott a city discussion. Matthew Petty said he thinks it is easy to insist on a balanced budget but wondered how the candidates who wanted to expand trails and library and other services proposed to do that without using reserves.
Gap
Candidates were also asked how they would close the gap between city revenue and expenses.
Sutton said," I don't think we should ever have had a reason to dip into our reserves. I think we should have watched our budget better."
She said if the city couldn't afford something, they shouldn't do it.
"To close that gap, I propose a type of fundraiser,"she said, explaining that the city could do a banquet, such as charging $250 for a $50 meal.
She said it wouldn't raise all the money the city needs but it would help so the city didn't have to go so far into reserves. And it could do it year after year for extra money.
As he has at past forums, Fire Cat argued that parks require maintenance and no new ones should be added to satisfy the city's immediate gratification.
He said the city can have bike trails and parks but needs to be patient.
Clark would close the gap between revenues and expenses with an emphasis on economic development, broadening the tax base and going after new jobs.
He said today's budget plan is," Oops, I forgot a few things that I'd like to have but I don't want to say 'no' to the tune of about half a million dollars, so let's borrow against our future."
Coody argued that the city is not borrowing from the future and that it would be using funds from the surplus in the reserves.
He said he doesn't think Fayetteville is a town that says it can't afford aesthetics or quality of life.
