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Bell holds public budget forum following scandal
Residents of the City of Bell, holding protest placards are call for the ouster of city officials arrive at the start of a council meeting in Bell, California.
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About two dozen people gathered in Bell last night for an open forum about how government officials are working to balance the city's budget following the scandal that engulfed the city in 2010. Homeowners’ concerns included higher taxes and potential cuts to city services.
Budget adviser Bill Statler led the session, where — among other things — he displayed charts to explain to constituents how local governments (including Bell’s) work. Late last year he and other city officials hashed out ways to put the city’s fiscal matters back on track.
According to Statler, a tax increase would be needed in order to meet debt obligations the city has.
"But we also came up with a strategy for how can we reduce those debt service payments," Statler added, "so that future increases wouldn’t be necessary."
Statler oversaw San Luis Obispo's finances and information technology for 22 years before he retired from that position. He’s been working closely with Bell’s current interim chief administrative officer, Arne Croce.
Longtime Bell resident Diane Oliva attended the forum with her husband. Oliva worries that officials will make significant cuts as they balance the city’s checkbook.
“At the cost of my safety? Or my children’s safety?" Oliva said. "At the cost of my parks and rRecreation? At the cost of the senior transportation program? I mean, at the cost of what? We’re just going to have to wait and see."
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Bell's previous top manager Robert Rizzo, along with ousted aides and city council members, face corruption charges.
Current Bell officials say they aim to build transparency and collaborate with the people who elected them. Officials plan to hold another public budget workshop Saturday.
In 2010, Bell — one of the poorest towns in California — found itself embroiled in scandal when the Los Angeles Times revealed the exorbitant salaries of some of the town's top officials. Criminal charges were brought against eight of the officials, and millions of dollars in tax refunds were given to residents.
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