A balanced budget is required to be adopted before the start of the new fiscal year on July 1.
To bridge the shortfall, the City Council three weeks ago unanimously settled on a range of cuts that will eliminate several community policing programs, the Chevy Chase library branch and staff positions across multiple city departments, including police and fire. Nearly all departments were forced to cut 5% from their respective budgets.
At the time, council members said the cuts were a tough pill to swallow, but that did not necessarily mean the city was in as dire a financial situation as some critics had charged.
Councilman Bob Yousefian, after initially joining in a round of congratulations for balancing the budget, has said he will vote against it, siding with the critics. His four colleagues, who have criticized the outspoken councilman for politicizing the issue, are expected to pass the budget on Tuesday.
Budget critics are preparing for one last stand at the meeting.
“I think there will be a number of people there speaking out on the budget issues, and we’re going to encourage it,” said Barry Allen, a self-styled advocate for open government who for weeks has criticized the city’s salary expenditures.
But that’s assuming critics will have an opportunity to speak at all.
Mayor John Drayman closed the public hearing on the budget on June 17, and said he did not intend to reopen it at Tuesday’s meeting. Speakers would be barred from addressing the budget during the public comment period since it is reserved for items not on the council agenda.
