The St. Anthony Park Community Council was disappointed to learn that Mayor Coleman (with the support of Councilmember Stark) is proposing to cut up to 14% of all District Council Citizen Participation grants for 2009. Though these cuts are part of the Mayor’s efforts to balance the City budget, they are a threat to the ability of the entire St. Paul District Council system to deliver on its mission.
In a time when city services are being cut to the bone, District Councils are needed more than ever to respond to the needs of the neighborhoods on a grassroots level. As we see police, fire, parks and libraries diminishing in their capacity to serve the people of Saint Paul, the ability of residents to actively engage in solving neighborhood quality of life issues becomes paramount.
District Councils cut costs for the city by addressing neighborhood concerns at the root and reducing the demand on city services. Each District Council handles a wide range of issues specific to their unique neighborhood in a way that no city-wide staff could do. All of this strengthens the social fabric and sustains St. Paul’s tax base, giving homeowners a reason to remain in the city.
Many councils also leverage their city dollars to bring in grants from other sources, increasing the total resources flowing into Saint Paul. In 2008-2009 alone, SAPCC successfully received over $30,000 in outside grant funding and many hours of in-kind work for six different projects. Over $10,000 of that total will directly pay city staff for implementation.
Despite this, District Council funding has not kept pace with inflation, to the degree that neighborhoods have, in effect, been cut over 16.8% over the last 15 years. The neighborhoods have already absorbed decades of funding decreases.
Across the board cuts sound fair. Yet, prudent financial management means protecting investments that reap the highest return on the dollar – not necessarily equal cuts across the board. To cut the citizen participation budget another 14%, only to save $109,000 per year, would amount to little more than a drop in the bucket of the city’s budget crisis. It’s a small investment, equal only to one half of one percent of the total budget deficit of $43 million the city could be facing in 2009-2010. Further cutting the District Councils would force cuts to staff, newsletters, and other vital infrastructure. Some are considering shuttering their offices for over a month. Why cut an efficient investment to achieve so little budget relief?
Please tell your elected officials that you think District Councils should not be cut when they are needed more than ever to address issues created by diminishing city services. Contact Ward 4 Councilmember Russ Stark at russ.stark@ci.stpaul.mn.us or call 651-266-8640. You may also contact Mayor Chris Coleman at (mayor@ci.stpaul.mn.us) or call 266-8514. If you do send email comments, please copy the SAPCC on those messages at sapcc@sapcc.org.
