Charlottesville City Council held a public forum Wednesday night to allow residents to discuss the city's proposed budget for fiscal year 2011.
The discussion largely focused on the budget's allocation of $10 million to various nonprofit organizations. Currently, the city funds more than 700 of these organizations.
Some residents argued that these projects and commitments are "unnecessary," as they take away funding from other parts of the budget.
"I am a firm believer that the city shouldn't be in the business of giving out money [to] nonprofits," Charlottesville resident Bill Sampson said. "All of them are noble causes, but I don't think our tax money should be used for these causes."
Neighborhood organizer Colette Hall echoed Sampson's sentiments, warning Council that if fiscal year 2012 will be as bad as some economists have predicted, the city might be in trouble if funds are promised to nonprofit organizations that would cause expenses to exceed revenues.
Other residents, however, defended the city's allocation of the budget for nonprofit organizations because this funding shows the Council's investment in the future of Charlottesville by spending money now to save more money later. That is to say, as Council member Kristin Szakos noted, Council tries to financially support organizations that actually would save on future spending. For example, Mayor Dave Norris said, nonprofit organizations that receive funding must make their cases every year are not "on a guaranteed gravy train."
City Manager Gary O'Connell also pointed out the proposed budget does not cut any funds from public services and does not call for higher property taxes or staff layoffs, suggesting that the budget is not necessarily in bad shape.
"We are one of the only cities in the state that is able to say ... we can maintain our services and we don't have to raise taxes," O'Connell said.
Still, some residents, such as Wes Bellamy, argued that with more than 700 city-sponsored nonprofit groups, the city might be emphasizing the quantity instead of quality of funded organizations and their community impact.
As a proposed solution, Norris suggested reforming the system to focus not on money spent or projects funded, but rather on making the maximum impact on people's lives, thus increasing the effectiveness of the funding.
The budget, which is slated to be approved in April, still is undergoing modifications.
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