Harris residents question budget

By Danielle Strenke
ìWe need to be more responsive to people. Weíre hearing that weíve lost control of government.î
Harris Councilman Wayne Buisman responded to questions from audience members at the Jan. 9 council meeting by voicing his frustration that Harris residents do not feel that they have received sufficient explanation about the cityís 2003 budget that will increase taxes by nearly 100 percent for some residents.
Buisman voiced the only response from council members after some in the packed council chambers asked for more detailed explanations on several line items on this yearís budget.
He said he wasnít sure what the council and city can do to improve the distrustful situation that has formed between the city and Harris residents.
ìIíve been here 30 years and this has never happened before,î Buisman said.
Residents called the 2003 budget ìsomething high school kids could put togetherî because it contains no detailed line items under expenditures, including $50,000 for roads and bridges and $30,000 for capital improvements.
ìIt wasnít gone through in a detailed manner at the truth-in-taxation,î long-time part-time Harris maintenance worker Ken Holmstrom said. ìSomeone knows about that roads and bridges fund ñ why is it $50,000?î he asked.
City Attorney Kevin Shoeberg said the city does have a breakdown of expenditures under that heading, including paying for gravel, snowplowing and some of the maintenance equipment for the city.
ìThis was all gone over at the truth-in-taxation,î he said.
Audience members argued that they received little information at the tax hearing, and one resident asked to have a more detailed budget mailed to him before the February council meeting.
ìCan you work on a contingency budget and come back and revisit this in three months?î he asked.
Shoeberg said the city was required by state law to pass this yearís budget in December.
Harris
The start of public comment for the meeting, which is scheduled at the beginning of the council meetings, was delayed when several audience members requested copies of past meeting minutes, the bills for payment list and the 2003 budget.
Shoeberg told the audience that there is no breakdown of past yearís expenses on this yearís budget figures because that information had not been accurately recorded.
ìAfter this year, we will be able to do that for the 2004 budget,î he said.
Harris Mayor Richard Hanson said he would like to have at least one public hearing at the end of this year when the city is working on the 2004 budget, in addition to the truth-in-taxation hearing.

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