A fishy financial forecast
And a former APD employee drops a bombshell.
In April, the city budget office published a five-year financial forecast that painted a very gloomy picture. The city was on track to hit a deficit in the coming years that would demand either big cuts or a voter-approved tax cut.
"The anticipated deficit will limit our opportunity to fund any new initiatives, program enhancements or additional staff," then-City Manager Jesus Garza told Council on April 16.
Garza added: "It's important to recognize the challenges ahead as we navigate the financial waters, and transparency will be our guiding principle."
Today, however, as City Council considers a police contract that will add $218 million to city spending over the next five years, for some reason there is no more talk of a deficit. In fact, the financial outlook presented by budget staff to Council members today was quite rosy.
Where did the deficit go?
