Three days before Fresno lawmakers kick off a series of hearings over how it will spend billions of tax dollars, a trio of the Fresno City Council members have declared the prospective budget of Mayor Jerry Dyer “dead on arrival.”
Instead, they’re pressing for the city to return to boosting expenditures to improve broken roads and neighborhood infrastructure in south Fresno.
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Driving the News: Fresno City Council members Miguel Arias, Luis Chavez, and Nelson Esparza derided Dyer’s budget for failing to address a wide array of issues, with the top-of-mind centering on roads.
- The trio is renewing their push for an infrastructure proposal they’ve dubbed “Rebuild Fresno,” first introduced in 2021, and calling for a five-year strategic plan to repair sidewalks and roadways, especially in central and south Fresno neighborhoods.
- Dyer’s budget proposal included $1.8 million for the establishment of a pothole repair team in the public works department.
- The three lawmakers referred to the line item as a “band aid” that doesn’t solve the city’s root problems on the pavement.
What they’re saying: “In our opinion, this budget comes up short, particularly with investing in the disadvantaged neighborhoods of south Fresno,” Chavez said. “Today is a reminder for our community, for the mayor, for the administration that we still have a lot of work to do.”
- “The fact is, simply filling a pothole is not good enough for a city of our size,” Arias said. “Our roads are in dire condition.”
- “We need the mayor’s administration to work with council during this year’s budget cycle to reprioritize the neighborhoods that have been overlooked by previous administrations,” Esparza said.
