The Village of Wellington is willing to lend an ear and listen to all suggestions from members of the public who live, work or play in Wellington regarding how the village will spend its revenue over the next year.
Launching the fiscal year 2019-20 Budget Challenge is the latest initiative of the village to garner input from the public on how tax dollars should be spent.
Wellington is promoting the Budget Challenge between July 1 and Aug. 11 — 42 days — and asks everyone to participate.
The Budget Challenge will help Wellington set its funding priorities for the next fiscal year and help staff create a balanced budget that reflects the needs of the community.
Last year’s spending package of $96.8 million included almost $16 million earmarked for capital improvements throughout various funds. Ongoing projects represented $2.7 million in capital project funds, one-time projects were almost $5 million and utility projects were $8.2 million.
The $2.7 million in ongoing projects mainly represented the cost of improving neighborhood signs, parks and trails; Village Park improvements; Safe Neighborhoods projects, the Acme Improvement District renewal and replacement plan; multi-use paths and bike lanes; and village entrance signage, which was budgeted at nearly $1 million by itself.
Big projects for the next year including the much-discussed Lake Wellington waterfront.
The village wants to know what residents think of these priorities and how they’d like to see funds allocated in the future.
The Budget Challenge survey allows residents to make decisions about how much support certain services should receive, such as law enforcement, roadway enhancements, recreational and cultural facilities, parks programming, customer service and more.
The public can take the budget challenge by visiting www.wellingtonfl.gov/budgetchallenge, as well as at upcoming events or by visiting the Wellington Municipal Complex during normal business hours to participate in the survey.
There are also survey links posted on the village’s Facebook page (facebook.com/VillageofWellington), Twitter (@Wellingtonflgov), WellingtonTV and on village utility bills.
The Council represents the citizens of our Village and the public meetings overwhelming rejected the grandiose concepts of the “Town Center.” Even the staff’s propaganda and bias surveys did not persuade WE THE PEOPLE. You stated [Mayor Gerwig], “Public input is the key to getting a project that the public will be on board with, in my opinion.” Is it? In addition, why are we asking people who do not pay Village’s property taxes and cannot vote for the Council on how to spend our taxes?