And we're off ... with issue updates.

5:30 - Issue Updates

Havana feedback - Councilman Bob FitzGerald - cites concerns about Havana District, B.I.D., Gardens on Havana he's heard from an unspecified "men's club" in Denver. FitzGerald says the group "applauded Aurora for what they've done."

Public Budget Meetings - Councilman Brad Pierce calls for organization of coming public meetings regarding budget questions. "I wonder who's doing what to who and when," Pierce said.

Councilwoman Molly Markert adds that there are several public meetings on tap for the different wards. Her community meetings will include input from the budget office.

After further discussion, Jason Batchelor from the city's budget department agrees to give input during the separate meetings.

Budget informational meetings are on tap for the last two weeks in January.

Unusual letters - Mayor Tauer discusses an odd letter he received from a board applicant who complained about receiving a financial disclosure form; another that complained that he was not allowed to play soccer on a tennis court at Utah Park; yet another about a resident dissatisfied with their house; and finally, a letter from the Rocky Mountain Rail Authority asking for $5,000.

"We contributed to their first round on the basis that it was a one shot deal," said Councilman Bob Broom regarding the request. Since the budget process for the year is completed, Broom said "(their) chances of getting anything from us are worse than slim to none."

The council agrees to draft a letter explaining this year's budget constraints and clarifying the city's budget process.

City Council - Study Session Jan. 12

Making up for lost time

5:00 p.m. Happy new year from the Aurora Room at the AMC. Tonight's session, the first of 2009, is slated to tackle several leftover issues from 2008, including the question of domestic partner benefits for same sex couples, an ambitious registration program for foreclosed properties in the city and the possible outsourcing of the city's Business Development Center in an effort to diminish the current structural revenue gap.

All in all, the agenda promises some exciting follow-ups to questions left from last year.

City Council - Study Session Dec. 15

7:00 - Bad news for anyone waiting for resolution to a bevy of issues on the city council's menu for tonight's study session.

The question of granting insurance benefits to city employees' same sex, domestic partners has been tabled until January. As has an ordinance that would have created a set of registration and maintenance guidelines for foreclosed properties in the city. Oh, and that question of outsourcing the city's Business Development Center? That's been deferred, too.

A presentation detailing the planning process for the proposed Solar TAC facility in Aurora is taking up the latter part of the session and, while the prospect of the alternative energy hub in the city promises a slew of future changes for the city, it remains largely conceptual at this early stage.

With a regular council agenda marked mostly by contract awards, pay plans, AURA agreements and an IGA with Denver for water lines, it seems the most dynamic issues will have to wait until 2009 for evolution.

Public comment

Questions and answers from the presentation follow:

Would special districts be regulated by TABOR? Yes.

Comment: Maintaining integrity of outreach without muddling the language too much in legal vocabulary and confusing terms.

Tauer: What we really need you to do is to tell us what's important to you.

Council commentary

Larry Beer: "One of the things that occurred to me … is the responsibility of telling my constituents in ward 3 the way things really are in the city even if it isn’t necessarily what they’d like … It is absolutely true that every line in the city budget, every program that we operate, everything that we buy … has somebody … who is a passionate advocate for that one thing.

Every person who works for the city is delivering a service and everything that we spend money on has some community benefit.

For those of you who live in ward 3, I’ll commit to you that I’m going to be unsentimental about the way that we work through this process."

Bob FitzGerald: "I’m kind of blown away by the number of people here. It’s a great community outpouring.

We’d like for you to be creative in your thinking."

 (FitzGerald suggested a transportation tax and a security tax).

Ryan Frazier: "We pretty much have a case of our revenues are unable to keep up with our expenditures.

There’s a way that I’d like for you all to consider … It has everything to do with self service. The demand for services amongst the citizenry has not diminished … How can we provide more self service."

Steve Hogan: "We’ve been at these studies for literally years and this is really an opportunity to be as creative as you want to be. Those opportunitiess don’t come often, but it is an opportunity here in Aurora because you’ve got a city council that’s open to it and you’ve got a mayor that’s open to it and you’ve got an economic situation that virtually demands it."

Mayor Tauer spells out the issue

Mayor Ed Tauer addressed the crowd at the AMC, spelling out the structural revenue issue. Selected quotes:

"We have what we call a structural budget issue. I don’t know what a better word for it is.

It says that in the city of Aurora, like most cities, expenses are rising more rapidly than our revenues are.

So we’re essentially being attacked from both sides.

So far, this is a really rosy picture, I know, but there is a way out of it.

The bottom line is if we’re going to get out of it, it’s going to take bold action."

Suggested remedies include creating special districts, levying new property taxes and finding new ways to encourage business development in the city.

Special Study Session - Dec. 1

5:30 - The special session addressing proposed structural changes to the city's budget has not yet started, but the crowd milling in the Aurora Municipal Center's city council chambers is already larger than at most regular council meetings.

This first meeting represents the first step in a process that will decide the fate of the city's libraries, recreation centers and other amenities, as current structural shortfalls in the city's budget demand future cuts.

The city council is assembled in a more casual pose, seated at the tables in front of the room instead of their usual high perches at the back.

Let's see what develops...