Why hasn’t there been very much budget information released?
We don’t have all the answers right now. We have released the information that we have. There has been rumor that the whole budget is already figured out, but this is not true – we are still near the beginning of the process. It was common practice for many years not to release any budget information until the City Manager submitted the budget to the Council. Budget information is more available now than ever before, as budget processes get more complicated, the need to prepare becomes more important and because of our commitment to keep employees informed every step of the way. Is the City of Tacoma going to offer early retirement? There are no plans to offer early retirement. The City offered early retirement in the past during difficult budget times, but this option is not being discussed now. I hear that not all of the departments are participating in this new budgeting process. Is that true? No. Every department has been categorizing services. In addition, the Executive Leadership
