The city has gone into “survival mode”. It’s something that has been going on in the past few months. As Mayor Lisa Wong announced an estimated $5 million deficit for this coming fiscal year’s budget, she also announced that there is freezing on spending and new hiring. All spending beyond the day-to-day spending are now being scrutinized and approved by the Mayor’s office.
The finance team has been working closely with the Public Revenue. The mayor is now in the process of speaking with other cities and towns to talk about their experiences in going through situations like this. She is also working with local, state and federal officials to advocate for more money to the city.
Facing the tough challenges of financial rehabilitation, we are urged to take full responsibility for what is happening to our city. Since changes are going to take time, we are asked to be patient and to step up to the plate and assist the government as we go through this very difficult process. On the other hand, the mayor and her team members are still working hard to ensure that we are not in this financial position again. We should therefore learn how to wait if we want to see positive changes. Smile, don’t whine.