City Hall has set up the schedule for this budget season's Coffee With Council meetings, at which citizens get to hear the city's financial outlook for the coming fiscal year and get to let City Council members hear how they'd like their money spent.

The coffees are arranged one in each police district, but anyone is welcome to any or all events:

• Saturday, Feb. 12, 10 a.m.-noon – W.D. Hill Recreation Center, 1308 Fayetteville Street (PAC 4)
• Saturday, Feb. 19, 9:30-11:30 a.m. – Holton Career and Resource Center Child Care Center, 401 N. Driver Street, 2nd Floor (PAC 1)
• Thursday, March 10, 5:30-7:30 p.m. – City Hall Committee Room, 101 City Hall Plaza, 2nd Floor (PAC 5; Spanish translation provided)
• Saturday, March 12, 10 a.m.-noon – Lyon Park Community Family Life and Recreation Center, 1309 Halley Street (PAC 3)
• Monday, March 14, 6-8:30 p.m. – Durham County School Resource Center, 2107 Hillandale Road (PAC 2)

The council also holds public hearings on the budget during its regular meetings March 7 and June 6.
 

Mayor Bill Bell missed today's City Council's work session on next year's budget. He was in Washington doing mayorish things. So he missed the conversation about money for non-city agencies like the Bicycle Co-op and Coalition to Unchain Dogs.

In a $353.4-million proposed budget, non-city agencies account for $178,823. And typically, the council members take up more time debating who gets what and why anyone gets anything and how the could be better and how the program used to be.

This year was typical.

City Manager Tom Bonfield said this morning that the city administration does not expect a hike in the tax rate next year.

So far.

"There is nothing being contemplated at this point," he said. "I'm not saying it's not a possibility."