Letter to the editor:
I offer “credit where credit is due” regarding the Fort Atkinson Budget Workshop held October 9, which was open to the public. Credit is specifically due to our city manager, members of city council, department managers, and city staff. The workshop was convened for the purpose of reviewing the 2025 draft city budget and Capital Improvements Plan (CIP) for 2025-2030. During the workshop, each department presented their budget for the coming year, a recap of accomplishments under the current 2024 budget, and a forecast of capital needs going forward.
This meeting clearly demonstrated the competence and esprit of our city staff, which is more accustomed to fielding resident complaints and the woes of social media. But credit is due for the clear demonstration of competence shown by Fort Atkinson city staff and leadership in this context. This workshop illustrated a positive side of local government that the general public unfortunately missed completely, based on the lack of attendance, perhaps largely owing to the absence of local media advance publicity.
Two additional points: First, a public hearing for the final budget and CIP will be included at the regular city council meeting on Thursday, November 7, at 7:00pm, with final ratification taking place at the regularly scheduled council meeting on Tuesday, November 19. There needs to be more public interest in this important process of how taxpayer funds are managed by the city. Second, the council should consider accommodating much earlier public input into the budget cycle. Taxpayers should ask for this added measure of transparency by contacting their elected council members. There should be more public conversation, greater participatory budget input, or other forms of earlier collaboration between city staff and citizenry via citizen task force, town halls, etc. This input should start even before the cycle starts in July. Thank you.
John Donohue
executive director
Citizens for a Greater Fort Atkinson
File photo/Kim McDarison
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Well said, John. We are fortunate here in Fort Atkinson to have such capable and committed city officials.