Dear Mayor Doyle and City Council,
My name is [YOUR NAME] and I am a resident of Beaverton, Oregon. As your constituent, I do not believe your proposed budget for the City of Beaverton is in the public interest.
Last year's proposed budget allocated 41% to police, with 14% set aside for community development. The proposed '20-21 budget still preserves 41% of the general fund for police, but cuts the allocation for community development to 12%. In the midst of a pandemic, Beaverton has decided the largest chunk of the budget should continue to fund the police at the expense of other priorities.
On June 16th, the Beaverton City Council met and adopted this budget for FY '20-21. I am disappointed by this decision, but was heartened to hear the council is planning on amending the budget after further consideration of police funding.
Efforts at police reform being discussed have proven ineffective elsewhere. A budget that does not defund the police is not a viable solution. This is a time for Beaverton to invest in our community rather than investing in policing it.
I call on the Mayor and City Council Members to use their powers to continue to reduce the law enforcement budget and to pledge to increase police accountability and transparency.
Thank you for your time,
[YOUR NAME][YOUR ADDRESS]
[YOUR EMAIL][YOUR PHONE NUMBER]
[1] https://www.beavertonoregon.gov/DocumentCenter/View/28690/General-Fund-Summary