Council Corner: Lisa Gonzalez Moore, Ward 4

'Tis the season ... for the municipal budget process. Since April, city staff department heads have been planning their department budgets to present to the city council.

At the May 24, 2023, City Council meeting, Mr. Lance Williams, Director of the Finance Department, introduced Julie Santamaria, Director of Public Financial Management, who provided a presentation regarding debt and revenue analysis to equip council members as we move through the process and contemplate our policy objectives. I found the presentation to be informative and useful, and I encourage residents who were unable to attend to watch the presentation.

Videos of past Bradenton City Council meetings can be found on the city's YouTube channel.

Additionally, Mr. Williams and his team scheduled one-on-one meetings with each Council member to discuss each Councilperson's priorities in the upcoming year. Because of sunshine laws, I can only speak to my one-on-one meeting. Staff and I had a productive conversation about my goals during this year's budget process.

My goals are responsive to what citizens have conveyed to me, and they include continuing to reevaluate the state of our infrastructure, particularly in Ward Four; supporting Public Works projects that ensure that it is able to support our growing city; and creating compassionate and responsive solutions to issues related to homeless camps and the debris that remains when a camp is cleared.

Many of you may have already heard the news regarding budgeting bills that Gov. DeSantis signed and vetoed that affect our city. While of course I was disappointed that two Public Works allocations were ultimately vetoed, our state budget still has plenty of support for upcoming city projects, and for that, I am appreciative to our state delegation.

Next up in the budget timeline will be a series of city council meetings. The finance department will continue to present at regularly scheduled city council meetings as well as at statutorily mandated meetings to be scheduled for 5:01 p.m. in September. I encourage residents to attend and participate in this process. You can find all city council meeting agendas and supporting documents on the city website.

I hope that Bradenton residents had a safe and happy Fourth of July. My family always enjoys the spectacular fireworks display, and this year was no different. Thanks to our police and fire departments for working to share the excitement of celebrating our nation's independence, and also to our solid waste division for cleaning up after such a large crowd!