COLORADO SPRINGS — Colorado Springs residents got to voice their opinions about how the city should allocate funds in next year's budget.
The city has yet to finalize its 2025 budget, which is more than $440 million, which and is $7 million more than last year.
A chunk of the budget is set to go to the Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) and the Colorado Springs Fire Department (CSFD). People at the meeting suggested putting money into the following:
- improving public restrooms
- parks and recreation
- public transportation
Despite this, a majority of people at the meeting want more funding to go toward the homeless crisis.
"We have them out there passing away, especially in the winter, and it's hard, it's very hard to deal with," said John Keith, a Colorado Springs resident. "We need more trash cans out there. We need more resources to help with with what's going on."
Colorado Springs City Council hopes to have a finalized budget by November 26.
___
'First time this happened,' bystanders react to shooting Downtown
An officer involved shooting in Downtown Colorado Springs resulted in the death of the suspect and an ongoing investigation. Traffic was blocked off Monday afternoon into the evening on Pikes Peak Ave. between Nevada Ave. and Weber St.
____
Watch KOAA News5 on your time, anytime with our free streaming app available for your Roku, FireTV, AppleTV and Android TV. Just search KOAA News5, download and start watching.
