Upcoming in October
The October issue of the Eau Claire Community Newsletter has been posted on the City’s website. The newsletter provides information about City Council contact information, boards and commissions, the Hastings Way reconstruction project, Halloween hours, and odd-even parking. Also included in this issue is an update from the City Manager’s Desk regarding the recommended 2011 Program of Services.
A major concern in preparing this year’s recommended budget was working to maintain fiscal and operational flexibility for responding to increased regulatory mandates and fiscal constraints likely to passed along by the state to local communities in 2012. Regardless of the outcome of state elections on November 2, the State of Wisconsin will face major structural fiscal challenges for the State’s 2011-2013 biennial budget. One likely scenario would be for the State to address its fiscal issues by drawing substantially on the local shared revenue funding historically transferred to local communities for support of the public structures so essential for economic development and an enduring quality of life for local residents.
I believe it is important in adopting our budget for 2011 local public services to look to our ability as best we can to be able to respond and adapt to whatever service changes and reductions the state may bring forth in trying to solve their fiscal issues. Detailed information regarding our rationale in preparing the budget, as well as the detailed 2011 budget and 2011-2015 capital improvement proposals are available online. Also available are the funding requests from outside community organizations.
The Coalition for Safe Roads is coordinating a public information forum on Thursday October 28 at St Mary’s Catholic Church, 1828 Lynn Avenue in Altoona. The forum panel discussion will begin at 5:30pm and will include a representative from the Eau Claire Police Department; local attorney Vicki Seltun; Voces de la Frontera representative Cindy Breunig; and Julie Keown-Bomar as panel moderator. The Coalition for Safe Roads is a broad coalition of law enforcement, dairy farmers, labor unions, faith leaders, and advocacy groups that support access to driver’s licenses for all Wisconsin residents regardless of immigration status as a way of improving traffic safety and ensuring the safety of roads and communities. The forum is sponsored by the Eau Claire Area School District, City of Altoona, City of Eau Claire, El Centro de Conexion de Chippewa Valley, and other area organizations for the purpose of providing information and an opportunity for public conversation and dialogue about an important public issue.