KALAMAZOO (WKZO-AM) — There will be no quick solutions or easy answers to Kalamazoo’s budget woes.
That was the conclusion reached by city commissioners after they were presented with the work of the Blue Ribbon Revenue Committee on Monday.
Committee Chairperson Sheri Welch said they spent six months reviewing the options and came up with five recommendations, but none will generate new revenue anytime soon.
Mayor Bobby Hopewell said he has spent all his years on the commission cutting the budget, and it’s time to raise more money.
“This is the time where the pain is going to have to be felt,” Hopewell said. “We don’t have a lot of quick fixes, and we have to dive in and figure out how to fund our city.”
The work of the panel will be folded in with the city’s priority-based budgeting and visioning programs and will be the subject of future discussions.
– John McNeill
