The Crow's Nest

A new group of activists in St. Petersburg is trying to change the conversation about the city’s annual budget, mostly by making sure there is a conversation.

Former USF St. Petersburg student senate president and current graduate student Christian Haas says he is committed to change the way city government works in St. Petersburg.

Haas, who works for the university coordinating mentors for students with disabilities, was inspired to get involved with local politics after a speech he attended by a local representative from a St. Petersburg coalition group called the People’s Budget Review—created for citizens to voice their concerns on the city budget.

After joining up, he has worked to become a lead organizer for the People’s Budget Review. The main project the group is working on is an online survey for residents to voice where they want their tax dollars spent and how they want the current budget shortfall fixed. To date, nearly 6,000 local citizens have completed the survey at the People’s Budget Review website.

With the $600,000 tab for the city from recent Republican National Convention kickoff party at Tropicana Field, the city is now $5.2 million over budget for next year.

The People’s Budget Review has 15 organizers and 75 volunteers, according to Haas. Since forming in February, the group has attended city hearings and held a rally outside of City Hall on Aug. 6. The group started as a coalition of several different organizations, including the local chapter of the NAACP, the League of Women Voters, the Sierra Club, the Florida Public Service Union, St. Pete Polls, Awake Pinellas and the Council of Neighborhood Associations.

“They were always there at public hearings,” said City Councilman Wengay Newton. “It’s good to have an independent organization looking at the budget, and to ask questions.”

While the goal of the group is to make the budget process more open and inclusive, Haas said the city only provides three public hearings on the budget with three minutes for people to speak before the council at each hearing.

“It’s hardly enough. It’s been a very closed process,” Haas said.

 But Haas hopes that with time the People’s Budget Review can generate long-term interest in the budget process from the public. “Ideally, after four or five years I think people will start paying more attention to the budget.”

Haas pointed to the coalition aspect of the group as key to what they want to accomplish. “The hardest part about the coalition was to stay objective, to not take a side.” He said the goal is to engage the public in the process and then the various organizations in the coalition could break off from the group and push for their agendas.

St. Petersburg Mayor Bill Foster said he appreciates the insight the group brings to the process. “I’m a big supporter,” he said. “I love their work.”

But Haas says the Mayor criticized their intentions until the group received press attention and reached more than 4,000 people surveyed.

On Sept. 13 the city will hold a public budget hearing and the People’s Budget Review plans to attend to voice their opinions to the city council and mayor.