BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Bakersfield City Councilmember discusses 'no' vote on spending plan
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
On a somewhat smaller scale but still very significant, the city of Bakersfield passed its next spending plan, the budget going into effect, uh, for the next fiscal year, about $852 million.
Joining us, Ward 6 council member Zach Bashirtash in Studio B. Thanks for coming in. Appreciate it, Zach.
The one thing that really stood out for us was that you were one of two dissenting votes on the new city budget without getting too deep into the weeds. What was it about it that you didn't like or that you thought needed to be changed?
I didn't think there was enough emphasis on building up local infrastructure and putting more toward that, and I think that. There was uh too much allocated to our balloon size of a government in our city right now, and we took some cuts in areas that I wouldn't have liked to see cuts.
But as a new city council member, did you understand the ins and outs of how to go about all this?
Uh, I do, and at the end of the day, it's all about having the votes to get stuff done and having everybody on the same page or doing a good job of convincing everybody to get on the same page and, uh, being 7 months in, it's a little bit difficult trying to to win favor, but we work at it.
As a businessman, when you take a step back and look at everything, what is it about the way the city operates that might come off as frustrating to someone from the business community?
Well, in, in the business sense is you have the money, you take care of your bills, and hopefully you're profitable. If you're not, you go under, and that's the end of your business. Uh, unfortunately, cities and government can continue to borrow and and try and re-evaluate, but they just, they don't just go under and so I think that there needs to be a stronger emphasis on fiscal responsibility, making sure we're, we're good stewards of taxpaying money, and that if we don't have enough, then we don't spend more than we have and it's just a basic understanding of expenses and revenues and knowing that expenses are, there's lots of variables, especially when you live in California, things change year to year and so budgeting for that, making sure you plan into the future, um, but government doesn't operate the same, uh, a lot of the time. It's, it's much more difficult.
There are so many different complexities when you're looking at a budget, from operating expenses to capital improvement projects to other allocations of money and where it goes and whatnot. What is it about Ward 6 that you wanted to get in this year that you didn't that you will be pushing for, say, in the next fiscal cycle?
Um, well, I'd like to see our White Lane and Ming Avenue. I'd like to see our roads improved and there's a few business areas, corridors that have, have kind of become sort of a bankrupt alley, and they keep changing hands, and I think it's a lack of infrastructure in that area and not looking good, uh, as far as a business person wanting to invest in an area, it's got, it's gotta kind of make sense. And if it doesn't make sense, you don't put your money there, uh, and I'd like to see Ward 6 get some more focus from the city, and just certain highlighted areas of our community getting all of the funds and resources and help.
And when it comes to different types of projects, one thing that you said to me during the break, which was interesting, was that you wanted to focus more on the things that impact the whole of the community and then afford the ability to go after those special projects.
Yeah, I mean, I think it's just common sense. You look at taking care of a majority of your population, the majority of the taxpayers, and once you have those things hammered out and knocked out, then you look to see what you can now expand into taking care of special projects or or things that little groups are passionate about or bigger groups are passionate about. But I think before you get to that point, you have to make sure that your ducks are in a row. You have to make sure that public safety is completely addressed, uh, not just with homelessness but also holding criminals accountable. You have to make sure that our roads and our walls and our water are, uh, up to par and making sure. That what people pay their taxes toward, um, they have representation, uh, when it comes to that kind of stuff versus let's allocate toward this this small area of our community, this small area of our population while neglecting everybody else that funds this balance, this revenue system, um, I think that that that's the priority.
Very good, Zack Bashirtash, Ward 6 council member, thank you for coming in this morning.
I appreciate you having me.
All right.
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