Nearly 50 people attended a City Council budget workshop Saturday morning to speak in support of branch libraries and public access television.
At the workshop, the first to discuss the proposed budget for fiscal year 2010-11, City Manager Wally Bobkiewicz, Assistant City Manager Marty Lyons and other city department directors presented an outline of the proposed budget.
Bobkiewicz said his goals for the budget are to focus on customer service, raise non-tax revenues and operate the city efficiently and economically.
“I don’t think we do a great job at customer service,” he said. “My goal through this next budget and in the years moving forward is to make the city of Evanston the most customer-focused organization not only in Illinois, but I hope we (will) be looked to from around the United States for being focused on the customer.”
At the end of December, Bobkiewicz released a proposed budget containing a $9.5 million deficit. Bobkiewicz also proposed several changes to eliminate the deficit which included a 5 percent salary reduction for Bobkiewicz, Lyons and department directors; no cost of living adjustments for city employees and reductions in funding for city programs and departments.
During two hours of citizen comment, many people spoke against the budget’s proposed closure of the north and south branches of the Evanston Public Library.
“Closing the branch libraries will slam shut the literary door to the young mother, the struggling elderly, the eager youth, the disabled student,” Evanston resident Kit Elliott said.
“That is discrimination, and that is not what Evanston is all about.”
Council members said they would look into alternative sources of revenue for the branch libraries, such as private funding or the inclusion of coffee shops.
The budget also proposes a reduction in funding by $200,000 for Evanston Community Media Center, which provides public, government and educational access television to the city. ECMC, which has an estimated budget of $500,000, stated on its Web site that the reductions will force ECMC to close.
“To lose community cable access would be a travesty to having an informed citizenry,” said Marcia Bernsten, a founding member of the North Shore Coalition for Peace and Justice. “(ECMC) is a vital part of keeping our population informed.”
Citizen comments also included objections to job cuts within the Evanston Fire Department, the elimination of the dental services clinic and funding reductions within the Department of Health and Human Services.
Ald. Donald Wilson (4th) said after the meeting he was pleased and surprised at the number of people who showed up to the workshop.
“Sometimes we would come to the meeting, and we would be disappointed that there wasn’t much engagement,” he said. “Maybe it has to do with the fact that instead of allocating funds, we’re cutting them.”
Ald. Ann Rainey (8th), who filled in as chair of the session after Mayor Elizabeth Tisdahl left early, said budget cuts would not target any one department.
“Everybody’s in this together,” Rainey said. “Nobody’s being singled out.”[email protected]
