![]() ![]() “That’s $800,000 that’s not available for other general fund needs,” Batchelor said. That’s money that is now being steered away from other city projects and services. “The reduction of (photo red light) revenue results in some budget cuts and significant additional (sic) to the General Fund,” city staffers wrote in an April memo.ĭeputy City Manager Jason Batchelor said about $800,000 previously allocated to various service providers has been shifted to the general fund since voters pulled the plug on the traffic cameras. To stem the shearing, city staffers have continued to tinker with the general fund. Once the marijuana funds are exhausted, many service providers will be facing 30 to 40 percent reductions in city funding. ![]() The pot fund was dinged some $350,000 last year, with another $150,000 expected to be used in 2020, according to city budget documents. City council pre-emptively allocated the savings to bridge the budgetary fissure following the cessation of photo red light in late 2018. The city moved an EMT from Aurora Fire Rescue onto the outreach team to cover the cut.įor the past year, those programs have been pulling many of their city funds from a $680,000 pot of 2016 marijuana tax revenues. That eliminated a nurse practitioner previously working the Aurora Community Outreach Team, which is activated to help the city’s homeless population on nights when the temperature dips below freezing. The city also elected to redistribute about $56,000 it was previously granting to the Stride Community Health Network, formerly known as the Metro Community Provider Network. To alleviate the cost burden, the city completely nixed funding a pilot program started in 2012 intended to curb people calling Aurora Police to receive treatment for mental health issues. The difference is largely due to a lack of photo-red-light funding. That’s a roughly $63,000 decrease from what the programs requested. 10 allocated some $600,000 from the city’s ticket surcharge revenue to several mental health and homeless service providers in the city. Now, the city is working to plug the holes left by the photo red light deficits.Īurora City Council Members on Feb. While more than two-thirds of voters agreed to nix the cameras in November 2018, officials have indicated the lack of revenue the devices generated will likely result in fewer services for the city’s neediest and most delicate populations.įor years, the cameras annually added more than $1 million to various social service causes in the city, including specialized court programs, victims services and homeless shelters. ![]() But just how the absence of the cameras has affected Aurora residents and city coffers in recent months depends largely on whom you ask. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |