1 Mitchell Kois
From: Kevin McKeown <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, October 9, 2025 9:29 AM
To: councilmtgitems
Cc: Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Jesse Zwick; Dan Hall; Ellis Raskin; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya
Subject: Item 11-B, Discretionary Funding
EXTERNAL
Regain true discreƟon over your discreƟonary funds, by all means, but please don’t divide the funds up by Councilmember.
Staff’s recommendaƟon to fund from the general budget those ongoing events that benefit the community and have earned Council consensus for.a number of years is a good one, and likely overdue. Your more nimble discreƟonary funding will thus be freed for new ideas, with greater flexibility.
However, I’d suggest you NOT accept the recommendaƟon that the discreƟonary funds be allocated with a set amount for each Councilmember. This could exacerbate compeƟƟon to be seen as favoring various consƟtuencies, while the community is beƩer served by having discreƟonary funding advanced by the Council acƟng as a commiƩee of the whole.
Even with a full Council vote required for final approval of funding suggested by any one Councilmember within her/his alloƩed $20,000, the increased idenƟficaƟon of the funding with a single Councilmember risks exacerbaƟng favoriƟsm and horse-trading.
We are one community, with one City Council.
Thanks,
Kevin
————————————
K e v i n M c K e o w n
hƩps://urldefense.com/v3/__hƩp://www.mckeown.net__;!!OfuUnHCITYtmmjM!r5YXDyj_3Bg6s555fvlUT3GN6VZMnyW 5hQ24eghz1NmSlgynZ3s92ptPKaJPQvqa49lDXbtEV4bDWgBAL1yEz793xMQ$ Choose to be conscious
————————————
Item 11-B
October 14, 2025
Item 11-B
October 14, 2025