Transparency and debt top candidates’ critiques; one candidate cites $125 million city-hall figure

Budget transparency and the city’s long-term debt were a focal point at the League of Women Voters forum.

Paul Bertinzetti said interest on the city’s debt is about "12.6 percent" of the budget and cited rising interest costs on bond payments as constraining services. "We need more transparency to see what's going on there," he said, pointing to bond interest and past actions.

Matt Varble said an information-request response he received contained "over 5,100 emails of internal communications" that, he said, revealed discussion of a possible $125,000,000 plan to move City Hall to North Irving. "So that issue is now out in the community as a direct result of my efforts towards transparency," Varble said.

Other candidates urged public participation in budget workshops and noted most city budget materials are posted online. Mark Kronenewet said the City posts information, encouraged attendance at budget retreats and workshops, and called for careful study by residents to understand allocations.

The forum format did not include representation from city finance staff or formal documentation to verify candidate assertions; any claim about specific figures and budget impacts would require confirmation from official city financial reports and staff.