On Thursday, October 18th, Mayor Bach, along with City Council, participated in an E-Town Hall meeting on the proposed 2013 Budget.

Chief of Staff Laura Neumann and Mayor Steve Bach listen to citizen input at the budget E-Town Hall meeting.
This format allowed citizens to weigh in with their thoughts, comments, or concerns. Popular topics included: transit, sustainability, community centers, parades, tourism, and parks and open space. Dozens of citizens shared their thoughts in person, including a women who described the return of evening bus services as “peachy,” because she would now be able to once again go to dinner and the movies. Following many comments regarding the Office of Innovation and Sustainability and the future of the Hillside Community Center, the Mayor reassured citizens that he remained committed to the Innovation and Sustainability Office and that the Hillside Community Center was remaining open with increased funding.
People who called, emailed, and shared using Facebook and Twitter also had their comments read. The next steps in the budgetary process are markup sessions by City Council. These will commence in November, with the deadline for final passage and approval on December 31, 2012.

