Public speakers largely in favor of proposed Pocatello 2022 budget plan - East Idaho News
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Public speakers largely in favor of proposed Pocatello 2022 budget plan

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POCATELLO — Most of the 13 residents who spoke at Thursday’s Pocatello City Council were in support of the 2022 budget, but what they didn’t like is the continued infighting on the council.

One speaker, Joshua Mansfield, explained he is the director of a healthcare operation with offices in Idaho Falls and Pocatello. He told the council he recently hired someone on the condition that employees would never have to live or work in Pocatello.

Mansfield explained the employee had concerns about the city after watching the infighting at meetings.

“The only way that Pocatello succeeds is if you invest in it, not strangle it,” Mansfield said in his address.

Continued disagreements, he said, cost the city residents and their valuable tax dollars.

RELATED | At odds over budget, Pocatello council to open public forum Thursday

Some criticism of the budget plan had to do with items that are not even included in the plan — jobs and services cuts. Three of the speakers were unclear whether they were for or against the budget because of this confusion.

At one point in the meeting, council members Roger Bray and Claudia Ortega asked Mayor Brian Blad to clarify with the public that those cuts were not included in the budget. Blad denied, calling the next speaker.

After an address by firefighters union president Andy Moldenhauer, in which he was critical of some council members tabling potential cuts, councilwoman Christine Stevens asked city CFO Jim Krueger to confirm whether the cuts were included in the budget. When Krueger confirmed that they were not, Moldenhauer responded, “That’s why I spoke in favor of the budget, because that was not included in the budget.”

Pocatello CFO Jim Krueger answers questions from Pocatello city council regarding the 2022 budget
Pocatello CFO Jim Krueger answers questions pertaining to the budget plan from city council members at a council meeting on Aug. 5, 2021. | Kalama Hines, EastIdahoNews.com

Maggie Clarke, who until a few weeks ago was the Public Works Project Manager in the city’s engineering department, addressed Ortega’s list of positions to be examined — a list Clarke was on.

Clarke said that she understood doing a “thorough assessment to find redundancies” is just “proper management.” But added that looking for those redundancies on a spreadsheet was not the answer, explaining that she and another employee included on the list were recently awarded a $5.5 million grant to fund projects over the next six years. Additionally, if her position were to be outsourced it would cost the city three times what she was being paid.

She also spoke to how cuts to the library and parks department, which she said is already underfunded.

“Proposed cuts to the library and parks department staff disproportionately affect the middle- to lower-income earners in Pocatello,” she said. “As a taxpayer, I don’t mind paying for city services, these amenities improve quality of life.”

Former city employee Maggie Clarke speaks at the Pocatello budget public forum
Pocatello resident Maggie Clarke speaks in support of the proposed 2022 budget plan at a city council meeting on Aug. 5, 2021. Clarke, who is a former city employee is concerned that employee cutbacks will have an adverse affect on city revenue. | Kalama Hines, EastIdahoNews.com

The speakers who were opposed to the proposed budget seemed to have concerns similar to those brought forth by Ortega in past meetings.

Lydia Noble said that city services should grow at a rate similar to that of the city’s population, but argued that some Pocatello departments have outgrown their city.

“Why has growth in certain departments far exceeded reasonable expectations of growth based on population?,” she asked. “You council members and mayor should all be able to explain that.”

“I do not agree with this budget because I do not agree with how it was brought into balance by removing funds from the general fund city savings account, and by virtually wiping out the capital improvement fund,” she added.

She then said that Blad, in a one-on-one meeting, admitted that the current budget is “unsustainable,” and would force the city to raise taxes by a maximum 3% each of the “next few years,” whether expected expenditures demanded it or not.

Heather Disselkoen expanded.

“If you go this route, and take a full 3% every year … nothing I have seen convinces me it’s going to be enough. I have looked at the numbers, which is tricky to do given I have been denied access to some of the budgeting figures,” she said. “If you’re not educating the public and employees on the facts, you’re allowing emotions and outright mistruths to be perpetuated, and that is not leadership.”

In total, 13 residents spoke during the public forum. Seven were for the proposed budget, and three were against it. Three more did not clearly state whether they were for or against the proposal, but comments made would suggest that all three were in favor.

The council will now deliberate for two weeks before returning to council chambers for continued discussion.

A budget will be adopted at the Aug. 19 meeting, which will be held in council chambers beginning at 6 p.m.

Pocatello resident Jake Acuna speaks at the city council 2022 budget public forum
Pocatello resident Jake Acuna speaks in support of the proposed 2022 budget plan at a city council meeting on Aug. 5, 2021. Acuna is worried that cutting spending will rob Pocatello children of much-needed team sports opportunities. | Kalama Hines, EastIdahoNews.com

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