The New Bell Council convened a Special Session City Council meeting to set the Council’s spending goals for the upcoming fiscal year.
The Special Session City Council meeting follows the Open Community Forum Workshop on the Annual Budget held last Saturday where Bell residents battled the elements to come together for the first time to meet and articulate to the Council their funding priorities. Which programs should be continued? Which services should be discontinued? These questions were discussed and the community responded.
“(It was) a very successful goal setting session with the City Council,” said Ken Hampian, who had volunteered as City Manager in the wake of the scandal and is still active in the community’s recovery. “It was another “first” for Bell and they did a great job.”
The Bell Council will begin to chart a course for the City’s available resources for the next fiscal year during a public meeting where the public will be welcomed.
This newly established Budget Process not only supports civic engagement but reflects the transparence of the new local government and the faith of its residents in City Hall.
Like every City across America, the City of Bell is not unique in its fiscal condition. It too must struggle to provide quality municipal services with fewer resources from various traditional funding sources.
However, unlike many communities, for the first time, Bell residents are present, ensuring their voices are heard.