Over at the Daily Union, there’s coverage of the first of two scheduled municipal budget listening sessions. In a story entitled, “No Input at Budget Hearing,” Whitewater City Manager Kevin Brunner comments on the lack of attendance, and his own trailblazing listening session concept.
It’s not that Brunner receives hard questioning from the newspaper; that’s not to be expected, really. It’s that, even when quoted at length, and apparently unchallenged, his remarks just don’t add up. (There’s my obligatory numerical reference.)
Brunner on attendance: “We thought that by coming out to the community, to a place like Fairhaven, that maybe we could attract some folks. But people are very busy and, unfortunately, until they get a tax bill or see a headline in a newspaper for what might be going on, that is when they will react.
“We’re trying to engage them ahead of time, to get their ideas so we can generate ideas on how we can balance this budget,” he added. “I am disappointed, but I think next week will be better.”
You ingrate slackers! You were supposed to be at Brunner’s poorly-publicized event. You didn’t show, and you’ve let him down. There’s nothing in his quoted remarks in which he takes responsibility for a simple mistake, along the lines of “We didn’t publicize this well, and should have done better, but will try next time.” Nothing like that at all.
Note, that when he says that people won’t react until they get a tax bill, he fails to see that reacting only then may be a rational response to a string of ambiguous, lengthy, or confusing municipal meetings.
Brunner on his unique approach: “This is new,” Brunner said of the process. “I am not aware of another community that is trying to do this, to get in front of the budget by engaging the citizens.” By this, I presume he means holding listening sessions before a budget is presented.
Is Brunner serious? He’s not aware of other communities that have a similar process?
Of course they do. The City of Madison has a process like this, with public input before the introduction of a budget. The City of Franklin has a process like this.
Now I’m a common blogger, not some well-heeled, never-wrong, super-sophisticated city manager, but even I know that this process was not invented in Whitewater, Wisconsin.
Why imply that it might have been? Why pretend to be so unique and special? Why not simply say that we’re trying to do what others are doing, and that it didn’t work out? The refusal to admit any mistake, or to imply we’re so unique, is laughable, and ruinous to the city.
Wouldn’t anyone, hearing this statement, wonder about it?