I appreciate the careful consideration Metro Council gave to our recommended Fiscal Year 2025 operating budget throughout this process.
Working with our Finance Department, our balanced budget lives within our means without raising taxes, while also investing in our people and our priorities, and that discipline sets us up for success in future years.
We have made a significant investment in Metro Schools. And while many cities are falling off a fiscal cliff as federal funding expires, we have built a bridge to continue many of the great programs—like universal school nurses, safety ambassadors, mental health supports, and much more—that began during the pandemic thanks to federal funding.
We also worked to maintain affordable housing as a key priority, ensuring that we invest $30m in the Barnes Housing Trust Fund for another fiscal year. We included another $1m for community safety, which continues to be both a need and a priority.
I'm grateful for the work of Budget and Finance Committee Chair Delishia Porterfield with whom our priorities were well aligned. I applaud the chair for taking in additional community feedback during public comment and furthering our investment in key areas – like the creation of a new Office of Youth Safety and expanded community center programming.
We did all of this—including offering a meaningful cost of living adjustment with merit pay increases and raising the minimum hourly wage for Metro employees to $20/hour—living within our means and without a property tax rate increase.
Many of the city's key initiatives this year fall outside the operating budget. I appreciate the work we've done together on the East Bank and am excited about the conversation ahead on our proposed transportation improvement program, both of which have key components on first reading tonight.
This budget sets the stage for our future success by prioritizing the essentials that we need to tackle right now.
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