Looking at tight budget constraints for the upcoming fiscal year, members of the Columbia City Council started forming their priorities and discussed a way to get more control of budgeting.

The council was given an overview of the budget forecast for fiscal 2009 and began discussing its options in a nearly four-hour "mini-retreat" yesterday morning at the Walton Building. City Manager Bill Watkins said the meeting was a response to council members’ frustrations that they didn’t get involved early enough in the budget process to help guide decisions.

The council used the time to begin preliminary discussion of funding priorities for the fiscal year that runs October through September 2009. Members also broached an idea to give themselves more discretion over a larger sum of money.

Fourth Ward Councilman Jerry Wade proposed taking $335,000 estimated to be left over from the fiscal 2008 budget to start a council fund that would amount to about 1 percent of the city’s operating budget, or about $750,000.

Wade said the idea is to let Watkins decide where that money should come from and then leave it unallocated when he does his budget, which is scheduled to be completed in July. Wade said that money would be left for the council to either allocate to departments or use for other community priorities.

"I want Bill, as the city manager, to decide where that pot of money comes from and then have the council designate it to reflect community priorities and goals," Wade said. "Otherwise, how do we have any real budget options?"

Wade said the idea spawned from his involvement with the University of Missouri budget. He found that, when funds are tight, institutions tend to stick with what they know, resulting in few improvements.

"When revenues are growing substantially, community goals are easy," Wade said. "When there are tight budget times, there’s a tendency of groups just to do what’s always been done in the past."

Finance Director Lori Fleming said she needs to know what money is being allocated where as soon as possible.

Second Ward Councilman Chris Janku said that, instead of having department leaders and interested groups lobbying Watkins for money, those people would come to the council for funding. "I want to have a discussion of priorities, and I would welcome ideas," Janku said. "But I don’t like shifting that discussion to us in late August and early September and having us try to sort through these groups then."

To follow the current process, council members laid out lists of priorities, something they will continue at a future work session. The priorities range from increasing after-school programs and training for city employees to finding money for renovations for the Blind Boone House and improving mass transit - which Watkins said were council member ideas of areas that need more funding.

The meeting marked the beginning of the budget process, which will continue until Sept. 15, when the budget will be placed on the council agenda for adoption.

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