Mayor Funkhouser Calls for Forum on Financial Preparedness: Protecting Kansas City’s Finances in a Time of Global Economic Crisis.

Mayor Mark Funkhouser testified at this morning’s Finance and Audit Committee Meeting and invited the committee members to join him in ensuring Kansas City’s financial stability in a time of global economic crisis.

The Mayor will soon hold a Forum on Financial Preparedness with community leaders, council members and experts, who will assess the city’s finances, consider the impact of the global financial crisis and begin to develop a contingency plan should Kansas City experience a dramatic decline in revenue.

"Right now, nothing matters more to this government than our city’s financial health. If we don’t take care of city finances we can’t deliver city services," Funkhouser said. "I want to begin the dialogue now so that it can shape our approach to the upcoming budget."

In 2004, as City Auditor, Mayor Funkhouser was called to participate in a forum in Washington, D.C., by Comptroller General David Walker to discuss how to communicate the nation’s fiscal challenges to the general public. This was followed in 2005 by a forum in Kansas City to discuss the national fiscal condition as well as Kansas City’s five year financial outlook. The forum resulted in recommendations to the City Manager to develop financial policies for Council deliberation, debt level and capacity and contingency planning.

"In 2004 and 2005 we saw this coming. That is one of the main reasons I ran for mayor, to shore up Kansas City’s finances and help guide us through the anticipated tough times," Funkhouser said.