Mayor presents budget

Bloomington Mayor John Fernandez presented his 2004 city budget Friday during a press conference at his office in the Showers Building. \nFernandez maintained the two solid goals he set out to accomplish for his previous budget -- to maintain an administrative focus on strategic investing and manage unavoidable cost increases to the city budget while keeping money in the taxpayers' pockets.\n"We're maintaining a key commitment to the community," Fernandez said.\nThe mayor said he does not seek the maximum admitted levee increases in his budgets, which is the total amount collected through property taxes. Assuming a worst-case scenario, the mayor submits a budget that assumes a city growth of zero. \n"I would describe this mayor and this council as being fiscally conservative," District 1 council member Patricia Cole said. \nDue to the Sept. 11 attacks, there has been a great deal of increases in the sectors relating to risk assurance over the past couple of years, which only adds to the $72,542 increase that has occurred to the Public Employees Retirement Fund. \nFernandez has compensated for such increases this year by cutting over $700,000 in operating budget costs. \nIn spite of these budget cuts, Fernandez said the city still maintains a high commitment to the level of services available. From transportation and public safety to animal control and the Greenways Plan, Fernandez stressed the continuation of quality of life investments. This commitment balances a demand for high quality services with a minimum effect on taxpayers.\n"We maintain a sharp focus on protecting taxpayers pocketbooks," Fernandez said.\nThe results of the city's strong commitment were seen Thursday when Bloomington was named a 5-Star Community in terms of quality of life by Expansion Management magazine. This award is the most recent in a list of honors that the city of Bloomington has received for being a good place to live.\nThe mayor's budget calls for a continuation of his $500,000 annual investment in the city's Greenways Plan, the addition of three firefighters and an expansion of the city's animal shelter.\nThe addition of the three new firefighters provides for the city's biggest new investment of $160,724 and completes the mayor's five-year Fire Safety Improvement Plan. \nFire Chief Jeff Barlow said the addition of these three firefighters is "very significant" and that the five-year program has "done significant help to providing protection for the community." \n"From a realistic perspective, I think the fire department has done well under Mayor Fernandez," Barlow said. "We have come a huge, huge distance in a very short period of time." \nThe city will be holding public hearings at the City Council chambers for the next week and a half to receive public feedback on the budget. Afterward, the city council and the mayor will make adjustments to the budget before submitting a final proposal, which is sent to the council in September. \nThe city council and the mayor began working on the budget in March and April. \nCole said any changes made to the budget usually come between cooperation with the mayor's office and the city council. \n"The draft is a collaboration always based on the direction and the way the council would like to see things going in the city," Cole said.\nCole said the council and the mayor make a strong point to keep their fiscal projections conservative. They remain open to new ideas and can be flexible, but they are careful with their money, she said.