Henry starting the 2009 budget early because of property tax restructuring

Mayor Tom Henry invites residents to their Area Partnership meetings starting this week to help shape the City’s budget priorities for 2009.

Mayor Henry will make a short presentation about the City budget and then seek input about spending priorities for next year.

“The City of Fort Wayne is a national leader in fiscal responsibility through the implementation of innovative, money-saving strategies, but House Bill 1001 restructures property taxes and will force cities across the state to take a hard look at revenue sources and spending,” Mayor Henry said. “As my staff and I start work on the 2009 City budget, I want to hear directly from residents about what programs and services are the most important to them.”

The first meeting will be the Northeast Area Partnership at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Good Shepherd United Methodist Church, 4700 Vance Ave.

The other meetings are:

•        Southeast: May 14 at Calvary 3rd Presbyterian Church, 4700 S. Anthony Blvd.
•        Northwest: May 15 at North Ridge Baptist Church, 1300 E. Cook Road
•        Southwest: May 21 at Taylor University’s Eicher Commons, 1025 W. Rudisill Blvd.