PE Ediorial | Original Article at pe.com
Beaumont is making slow, but steady, steps in the right direction. The level and duration of dysfunction in government makes difficult the task of correcting the city’s course. On Wednesday, the city finally got a look at a proposed budget for the current fiscal year, which began July 1.
“No one at the city, staff or elected officials is under any delusions about the seriousness of our budget issues,” Mayor Brenda Knight said at the start of the meeting. “They’re gut-wrenching.”
Crafting the proposed budget has been delayed by the many distractions this year. The city was shaken in April with news of law enforcement raids of City Hall, the offices of longtime city consultants Urban Logic Consultants and the home of longtime City Manager Alan Kapanicas.
Amid the investigation, Mr. Kapanicas was placed on administrative leave.
Since then, the long-suspected defects of internal city functions have become increasingly clear thanks to ongoing audits and reviews.
Acting city manager Elizabeth Gibbs-Urtiaga, writing in a memo accompanying the proposed budget, described the financial problems of the city plainly: “In a nutshell, the city does not have the funds to adequately sustain our current level of services.”
“This did not happen overnight,” she contined. “The city has been insolvent for years. Instead of reducing the budget to live within current resources, the city has been transferring onetime monies to pay ongoing expenses, along with other creative approaches, only to get by and avoid layoffs of personnel.”
The proposed budget cuts $4 million, which would require eliminating two dozen positions. Meanwhile, efforts are being made to ensure sufficient internal controls are implemented as well having a fundamentally sound accounting system in place.
It is certainly disappointing that it took a crisis to get this level of self-reflection from city officials, but it is fortunate that the grim financial realities of the city are finally coming to light.
Additionally, that progress is being made to bring Beaumont up to where it should be is a welcomed development.
That said, continued engagement and scrutiny of the city’s path to stability is necessary to keep city officials accountable. Hopefully, city residents continue raising questions and pressing for answers.