BOISE, Idaho — This story originally appeared in the Idaho Press.
Boise City Council presented its proposed budget in a public hearing Tuesday. Above all else, the budget was characterized by council members as being historically tight as the city expects to face a series of external constraints heading into the next fiscal year.
Alisha McAndrews, senior manager of the city’s budget division, opened the discussion Tuesday noting that rising costs are set to outpace revenue growth for the city due to a myriad of factors. Among these causes is aging infrastructure that has led to a “growing deferred maintenance backlog” and broader economic uncertainty. This has left the city with less than 2% of general fund revenues — which include taxes and fines collected by the city and development fees — to be used for new investment, McAndrews said…