NEWS RELEASE

Mayor Jennifer P. Dougherty

CONTACT: Jeanette Eleff, Public Information Officer, 301-360-3842

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, March 27, 2002

MAYOR DOUGHERTY PREPARES TO PRESENT

PROPOSED CITY BUDGET TO BOARD OF ALDERMEN ON APRIL 10

Mayor Jennifer Dougherty completed her review of the draft budget today and will present her proposed budget to the Board of Aldermen at the April 10 Workshop.

For the past two weeks Mayor Dougherty met daily for 2-3 hours with the budget task force. The task force consisted of John Leisenring, Chief Financial Officer, Jon Angel, Budget Director and Eva Rosvold, Executive Assistant. During these meetings, the budget requests from all City departments were analyzed.

“This was a great way to get a picture of the entire City,” stated Mayor Dougherty. “ Every City operation, service and function was considered during this process. The team worked very well together. We did a lot of “out of the box” thinking as we searched for ways to fund the requests. Some tough decisions needed to be made and there were cuts from the original department requests. We cannot fund everything and we have to set priorities.”

The Mayor will make a formal presentation on her proposed budget at the April 10 Workshop at 2 p.m. She will highlight new initiatives as well as the changes and the challenges for The City of Frederick. “There were cuts to the tune of $500,000, but priority funding for items like police, parks and infrastructure were added,” remarked Mayor Dougherty.

Copies of a summary of the Mayor’s proposed budget will be available on April 3 at the reception desk of City Hall and on the Finance Department page of the City’s web page www.cityoffrederick.com. Requests to have the summary mailed can be made by calling 301-600-1380. The complete proposed budget will be available for review at the reception desk of City Hall.

Public comment on the proposed budget is encouraged during the Mayor and Board of Aldermen Workshops held on the following Wednesdays at 2 p.m., April 17, May 1, May 8, and May 15, and at 7 p.m. on April 24. Public comments will also be received during the Mayor and Board of Aldermen Regular meetings held at 7 p.m. on April 18, May 2 and May 16. These meetings are held in the Board Room of City Hall and televised on Channel 99. Meeting agendas and minutes can be found under What’s News on the City’s web page www.cityoffrederick.com.

“People ask how they can get involved with their local government,” commented Dougherty. “Attending one of these public meetings and making your wishes known is an excellent way to give input into the decisions that are made by your local elected officials.”

The budget will be approved and the tax rate will be adopted at the Board of Aldermen Regular meeting on May 16 at 7 p.m.

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