From the City of Athens Facebook page
In order to gain resident and business feedback during development of the annual budget, the City of Athens will host a Community Budget Forum from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, July 15 at the Cain Center, located at 915 S. Palestine St.
Along with the forum, the city is inviting residents and businesses to offer suggestions about the annual budget through a new Budget Input Box process. A survey will be available on the city’s website at www.AthensTexas.us or by clicking on the link below. Paper copies of this survey form are available at City Hall, Central Fire Station, City Hall Annex and the Athens Partnership Center. The Budget Input Box will be available through Thursday, July 16. Staff will take the recommendations to the City Council later in July.
According to Athens City Administrator Philip Rodriguez, the forum and input boxes places a major emphasis on community involvement during the budget creation process.
Rodriguez said, “We’re welcoming every member of our community to give us input on the services we provide, and how we can best plan for the future based on the resources we have today. The Council is in a much better position to prioritize funding when they know the community’s voice has been heard.”