Fort Wayne City Council signed off on Mayor Tom Henry’s 2020 fiscal year budget during its meeting Tuesday night.
Council debated cuts with various agencies in a much shorter meeting than usual, spanning a three-hour period. All told, the mayor’s budget proposal saw $955,000 in cuts, bringing the total budget amount to roughly $180 million.
The most significant debate and cut came in the form of $500,000 for streetscape improvements. It was proposed by 2nd District Republican councilman Russ Jehl, who stated that a lot of streetscape projects could be in TIF districts, which would fund the projects from taxes on new developments within them.
“I’m not advocating that we not participate in streetscape, I’m not advocating that we stop investing in downtown," Jehl assured. "I’m simply advocating for more deals that are structured in a way that we did for The Landing, which was a good precedence to set.”
The “precedent,” he says, was the city using TIF for the The Landing’s streetscape created a repayment plan using the county economic development income tax -- or CEDIT.
Members agreed to an additional $455,000 in cuts across various areas, including:
- $150,000 from Community Development for the comprehensive plan
- $76,367 for a new position in weights and measures
- $85,000 for a road study along Jefferson and Washington boulevards
- $80,000 in contracted services for the Finance and Administration department
Council members signed off on the budget before leaving the chamber Tuesday night. In a statement, Mayor Tom Henry praised the collaborative effort to get the budget done well before its November 1 deadline:
"Fort Wayne continues to move forward in a positive direction with momentum and excitement. I see it every day as I interact with residents, neighborhoods and business leaders.
Tonight’s passage of the City of Fort Wayne budget for 2020 is an example of our community working together to help ensure we continue to support the essential services that city government provides to the public. In a bipartisan manner, we partnered to approve a budget that’s reflective of a city that’s positioned for current and future success.
By investing in the major areas of neighborhood infrastructure, public safety and parks, we’re sending a strong message that Fort Wayne is a great place to live, work and play."
