Open transparentvoices opened 4 years ago
wendywx
commented
4 years ago Hi @transparentvoices ,
Thanks for your interest in adding Tioga County to the site. Can you provide more detail about the city budget to make a more compelling argument, showing the disparities in numbers?
Please see our email style guide for some suggestions.
Thank you!
cc @swallan
rawtilapia
commented
4 years ago Hello, I have looked at Tioga County's budget.
For 2020, they have allocated over $5 million for the sheriff's department and nearly another $5 million for jails, whilst spending only $30,687 for alternatives to incarceration. I would ask that they move more money into these programs as well as allocate more to public defenders, which only account for $392,193 of the budget. It is well-documented that public defenders have too many cases and not enough time make meaningful cases for the accused, so hiring more public defenders at a higher salary will allow poorer citizens access to justice.
It looks like Tioga County already spends $14.8 million for social services and $3.8 million for "mental hygiene", which is admirable and a step in the right direction. We would like to see more alternatives to incarceration and more access to public defenders be at the forefront of future budgetary decisions as well.
Source: https://www.tiogacountyny.com/media/7244/2020-adopted-budget.pdf
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Subject: [ INSERT UNIQUE SUBJECT LINE] Message (Don't forget to replace the [x]'s with your information!) 🔗 Dear Tioga County Legislature,
My name is [YOUR NAME] and I am a resident of [YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD/DISTRICT]. I am asking the County Legislature to begin meaningfully defunding the Tioga County Police Department and re-allocate those funds to programs proven to more effectively promote a safe and equitable community: community-based mental health services, substance abuse treatment services, affordable housing programs, and more. I demand a budget that reflects the actual needs of Tioga County residents. Much scholarship shows that a living wage, access to health services and treatment, educational opportunity, and stable housing are far more successful at promoting community safety than policing and prisons. As such, I demand a meaningful reallocation of police department funds towards healthcare and social programs.
Sincerely, [YOUR NAME] [YOUR ADDRESS] [YOUR EMAIL] [YOUR PHONE NUMBER]