Mayor Benjamin Joins National Panel on Fiscal Leadership

BOSTON, MA – Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin joined some of the nation’s foremost experts on public finance in Boston, Massachusetts today to discuss how the City of Columbia is using new ideas to meet new challenges as a panelist for Boston University’s Fiscal Leadership and the Modern City conference.

Fiscal Leadership and the Modern City, the third city leadership summit hosted by the Initiative on Cities at Boston University, is a two day summit bringing together current and former mayors, chief financial officers, city and town managers, financial professionals and scholars to evaluate sound fiscal leadership strategies and modern financial innovations that are contributing to prosperous communities.

“It’s humbling to participate in a discussion like this alongside some of the brightest and most innovative financial leaders our country has to offer,” Mayor Benjamin said of today’s panel on “Financing the Modern City,” hosted by Governing Magazine Publisher Mark Funkhouser. “It’s a true honor and further proof that Columbia is leading the way nationally in setting a new standard for fiscal responsibility and leadership.”

In addition to Mayor Benjamin, today’s panel participants include:

• Meredith Weenick – Former CFO, City of Boston and Vice President, Harvard University
• June Matte – Managing Director, Public Financial Management
• Thomas H. Green – Managing Director and Head, Infrastructure Group Citi U.S. Public Finance

Since taking office in July 2010, Mayor Benjamin has helped usher in an impressive string of fiscal accomplishments which include making historic investments in public safety and infrastructure while securing years of budget surpluses, improving the city’s credit rating twice and receiving the GFOA Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for the first time in nearly a decade.

Last year alone the City of Columbia, under Mayor Benjamin’s leadership, increased public safety funding by over $3.3 million while reducing non-public safety General Fund spending by nearly half a million dollars. And earlier this month City Council voted 5-2 to adopt Mayor Benjamin’s plan to secure funding for public safety, reduce the proposed Water/Sewer rate increase, eliminate the long-standing General Fund Transfer from Water and Sewer revenues and cut taxes by more fairly spreading the cost of city government including government properties.

Click HERE to learn more about Boston University’s Fiscal Leadership and the Modern Cityconference.

Click HERE for more information about Mayor Benjamin’s Revenue Plan.