Budget: Openness in Glendora Government

At the last two meetings of the Glendora City Council, Councilwoman Christine DeGrassi has presented a report and recommendation related to intra-fund budget transfers and appropriation request limitations.

Councilwoman DeGrassi has recommended that the city employees use a standard form for budget transfer requests, that all budget transfer request forms should be filled out completely and signed by the appropriate authorities, and that all budget transfer requests are available for review by the public and the council as a part of the regular agenda packet. This would allow the council to review all budget transfers, just as they currently review all city checks that are issued.

There has been some concern expressed by one or two council members that Councilwoman DeGrassi is asking them to “micro-manage” the workings of the city.

Informing the public about what funds are going where is hardly micro-management. It is simply openness in local government.

Mayor Larry Glenn has changed the council agendas in a way that shows a willingness to allow more public input than Glendora has allowed in my 11 years as a resident here. And I applaud him for those changes.

To keep the ball rolling in the right direction, the entire City Council needs to get behind the recommendation that Councilwoman DeGrassi has made regarding budget transfers.

To quote DeGrassi: “. . . We need to create an atmosphere of openness and we need to take a positive position for all questions relating to the people’s business.”

If you think that the public has a right to know where tax dollars are being taken from and moved to, call your City Council members and tell them that you want to be kept informed.

Closed government is bad government. I urge the Glendora City Council to continue to move in the direction of openness and make the changes that Councilwoman DeGrassi has recommended.

JOSEPH D. IRLANDA

Glendora