Raleigh City Council members are looking for public input on the budget for the next fiscal year. And the city manager is looking for public comment as he works to hire a new police chief for the city.
City Manager Russell Allen hosted a public job interview of sorts with the three top candidates for police chief last week.
Allen presented the candidates to more than 75 people gathered in the city council chambers last week. He told the assembled crowd, “By the time we get down to the finalists, any one of them could be chief.”
The finalists are:
• Malik Aziz, 44, deputy chief of police for the Dallas, Texas, Police Department
• Cassandra Deck-Brown, 49, interim police chief of the Raleigh Police Department
• Bryan Norwood, 46, chief of the Richmond, Va., Police Department
You can watch the video and make your own decision on who is the best person for the job. Get the feedback form and learn more about the process.
City Budget Time
One of the main functions of City Council members each year is to develop and approve a budget for the next year. The city’s fiscal year runs from July to June, and budget discussions start about this time each year.
Raleigh did not experience the severe impacts of the recession faced by many other cities in recent years, but it did have an effect. Tax revenues fell and forced city departments to leave jobs unfilled and forego routine replacement of big equipment such as fire trucks.
From water and sewer rates to Dix park and city support for the arts, the city budget is one of those documents that touches almost everything in the city.
Learn more about this year’s budget and the process for approving next year’s.
Have your say on the budget:
• Visit the City’s website at www.raleighnc.gov to access survey questions about the budget.
• Visit the City’s community engagement hub, MyRaleigh Ideas! for an online survey and forum. You will need sign in and assign yourself a password to take part in the discussion.
• Email budget comments and suggestions to Kathryn.Hertel [at] raleighnc.gov. Again, feedback received will be given to the City Council; or,
• Attend the City Council’s pre-budget public hearing on Tuesday, Feb. 5 at 7 p.m. in the Council chamber on the second floor of the Avery C. Upchurch Government Complex, 222 W. Hargett St.
