For immediate release
Contact: Tiffany Andrews: 562 570-6932
Schipske To Hold Community Budget Meeting Monday, August 20th at 6 pm –
Discussion of Impact of Budget Cuts on City
August 16, 2012 – The public is encouraged to attend a meeting to discuss the impact of proposed budget cuts on the City of Long Beach this coming Monday, August 20th at 6 pm, today announced Councilwoman Gerrie Schipske. The open meeting will be held at the Long Beach Water Treatment Plant, at Redondo Avenue at Spring Street.
“We will present the cuts in services proposed by the Mayor and the City Manager and have staff on hand to answer any questions,” explains Councilwoman Schipske. “It is very important that residents throughout Long Beach come to this meeting and the meetings held in other council districts as well. These proposed cuts threaten the safety, character, and quality of life in this city.”
Councilwoman Schipske is a forceful advocate for making local government more open and accessible and in addition to the public budget meeting she has implemented an on line way for residents to discuss the proposed budget cuts and to add a few of their own at: http://5thdistrictbudgetchoices.ideascale.com/
“IdeaScale is used extensively in other levels of government and in the private sector to really get a sense of what citizens and customers feel and expect,” says Schipske. “What is particularly effective about this tool is that everyone who logs on can see what everyone else feels about a specific question. It’s like talking together while sitting at the kitchen table.”
Schipske also brought to the City Council the on line “budget challenge” provided by Next10. “This organization launched the California Budget Challenge and made it available for cities to set up a budget challenge specific to their finances,” says Schipske. “So now Long Beach residents can go on line to www.longbeach.gov/budgetchallenge and participate in a simulation of the tough choices we are faced with in Long Beach.”
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