Dayton City Employees work to Push through a Budget - Avoid a Citywide Shutdown
(Dayton, OH) - Thousands of Dayton City residents and businesses can breathe a little easier as the Dayton City Commission officially passed the 2023 budget and narrowly avoided a citywide shutdown of vital public services.
(Kelly Yeaney - President AFSCME Local 101 talks with local reporters)
Kelly Yeaney a city of Dayton employee and president of AFSCME Local 101 spoke out against the political maneuvering at a joint press conference on Thursday, December 7th, 2022, when AFSCME members and others realized the budget was in danger of being derailed. “I explained to our city commissioners they were putting the well-being of hundreds of public workers, who would lose their wages, medical benefits, and the ability to care for themselves and their families, if the city was not able to pass the budget by December 17th. It should never have come to this point, but I am glad the city was able to focus on the needs of its citizens.” The press conference included AFSCME Local 101, Dayton area labor leaders, and community supporters.
On Saturday, December 10, 2022, the city held an emergency meeting and elected officials were able to reconcile the proposed budget that ensured eventual official passing before the deadline of Saturday, December 17, 2022. AFSCME Ohio Council 8 First Vice President, a Dayton resident and former vice president of AFSCME Local 101, Marcia Knox, spoke out at the emergency meeting on Saturday, where she requested that city commissioners work together to pass the budget, reminding city officials that, “AFSCME Local 101 members take pride in the services they deliver and would like to continue providing them without any interruptions. The frontline City of Dayton employees deserve so much better than this uncertainty.”
AFSCME Local 101 and its members would like to publicly thank those that stood with them during this tumultuous budget season. AFSCME Local 101 members understand that it was because of the leadership displayed by Dayton Mayor Jeffery Mims, Commissioner Matt Joseph, Commissioner Chris Shaw, and City Manager Shelly Dickstein, as well as Commissioner Darryl Fairchild and Commissioner Shenise Turner-Sloss deciding to vote to pass the budget. Dayton public employees can continue to provide the vital city services that the residents, visitors, and businesses rely on.
