YPT update

TO:  Friends of YPT
FROM:  Andrea Norman

I wanted to follow up on a concern expressed by several parents who have responded to the email about YPT I sent out on Sunday, June 12th.  The concerns expressed relate to the statement in the Mayor’s June Budget Message that said, “Given the speculative nature of the increase in revenue the Manager is directed to review this budget in December and not proceed if costs are not tracking within revenues.”

I wrote to Larry Lisenbee, Budget Director, and asked him what the budget process would be if costs weren’t tracking revenues when the review in December occurred.  This is an excerpt from his response:

“I can't answer the question with any real assurance, because, as always, what happens in the end is whatever the Council votes to do.  From a process point of view, however, this direction is basically to me to bring back a report as part of our Mid-Year Budget Review, a formal report on the finances of the City that we produce in late January, and the Council considers typically in mid-February.  In that document I would report the basic data about costs versus revenues.  Nothing would happen automatically.  Typically either we, or the Mayor, would recommend an action (which in this case would depend on how things were going).  But even if the recommendation was that the trial effort had failed, and the program should be shut down, that recommendation would still be considered by the Council and would need to be voted upon.  Prior to that there would be plenty of time and opportunity for public comment and participation in designing alternatives.  And for what it is worth, given 19 years of experience at doing this, the Council interest in keeping you guys going is such that I believe they would be very reluctant to just shut you down if there is another alternative.  It all will depend in part though on what our fiscal condition is at mid-year.”

I hope this additional information…and positive news, I think…is helpful to everyone.

Thanks,
Andrea