It’s June again, and in Oakland this means that it is time to consider the budget. But this is a June like no other, and a budget debate like no other. Last year a two-year budget was adopted after a tough debate that took place amidst plenty. Then the dominant issues were which growth projection was more realistic and how to distribute the growing revenue.
This year all that has changed and Oakland is now facing a fiscal climate like it has never faced before.SPUR believes that a city’s budget is one of the clearest statements of its priorities and as such it should reflect the city’s values. Amidst this uncertainty SPUR has offered a Budget Priorities Evaluation Framework to Council to help guide deliberations.This framework incorporates the principles of Good Government with Oakland’s stated values, and it can be used to clearly evaluate each potential budgetary move to see how well it adheres to these standards.