Wilson-Kleekamp understood it was politics, but it was confusing for the public to follow.
Wilson-Kleekamp stated it also said a lot about equity and inclusion as that was not
reflected in the budget. Wilson-Kleekamp noted the CAAP had great terms along with
equity decisions, and felt those should be used with the budget to determine if they were
actually doing that kind of work. Wilson-Kleekamp understood the City did not have a
mechanism for interrupting community violence, and believed it should be a high priority .
Wilson-Kleekamp also understood the City did not have
a
relationship with the
communities that were having a lot of trauma, and felt some communication could occur
if they had a robust neighborhood resource center. Wilson-Kleekamp commented that
when she thought about equity, she thought about those that had been left behind. In
education, it meant helping students meet their maximum potential whereby each
student had different needs. The idea was to ensure they met each student where they
were so they could work at their maximum operating capacity as learners.
Wilson-Kleekamp referred to Seattle, Washington, as they had established an Equitable
Communities Initiative Task Force to improve disparate outcomes for their black,
indigenous, and people of color communities, and felt that type of investment could begin
to correct disparities caused by government sanctioned and racist policies, which
negatively affected the black and indigenous communities at disproportionate rates .
Wilson-Kleekamp pointed out millions could be disbursed to the community by the end of
2021 in Seattle and legislation had been developed after task force members and city
departments had developed implementation plans for each recommended strategy.
Wilson-Kleekamp felt it was possible for Columbia to do that kind of work, and did not
see that equity or inclusion had been addressed when looking at the budget.
Wilson-Kleekamp stated the City really needed to think about how to engage with people,
and they likely needed to go to them instead of expecting them to come to City Hall.
Maria Oropallo noted she was speaking on behalf of the Finance Advisory and Audit
Committee (FAAC) and explained she had been appointed in 2014. Oropallo stated Jim
McDonald, the Assistant Finance Director, had been hired in 2015 and she had been on
the interview team when Matthew Lue, the Finance Director, had been hired in 2019.
Oropallo explained the FAAC had been working for years to understand the budget, the
process, and the outcomes. In addition, they had reviewed it to determine what had been
spent, how it was spent, and why, and during the past 18 months, they were seeing an
adjustment in the way staff thought. Oropallo felt they now had the beginnings of a
robust, transparent, accountable, and reported budget process. Oropallo emphasized that
it was in the beginning stages, but she still wanted to give staff credit. Oropallo stated the
FAAC was seeing a much more healthy dialogue and hoped everyone would benefit from
it.
Eugene Elkin, 3406 Range Line Street, commented that there were a lot of unknowns
and the Council had the task of determining what might be the best choice.
Elkin
understood $3 million was tied to the homeless and wondered if that was enough. Elkin
suggested $6 million be earmarked for the homeless. Elkin understood homes that had
been in the $200,000 range were now over $300,000, and low income people could not
afford a home at either price. Elkin noted they did not know how much mental health
services might cost, but was glad someone was interested in assisting in that manner as
it would help the homeless. Elkin asked the Council to consider more for the homeless.
Susan Renee Carter explained she resided in the Second Ward and felt that if they
wanted to meet the mission of everyone in Columbia to be able to live out their life the
way the wanted, the City should budget based on data they had in the budget profile.
Carter stated the budget seemed out of alignment in terms of how much was being spent
to address the fact the black community had such a high rate of unemployment and
family poverty, which was a great need. Carter understood it was too late this year as the
Council would likely vote on the budget soon, but as they were looking at the planning
process and the additional funding they had, she suggested they not forget this issue .
Carter pointed out the figures were from 2019, and those very same people had been
greatly impacted by COVID. The Council had the opportunity to make a difference in the
lives of people while also addressing public health issues brought about by trauma and
insufficient basic needs, such as community violence. Carter asked the Council to follow