George Elmore has attended city hall and town hall meetings for 37 years, but he says this one was not like the rest.
"Most people in attendance came to preserve what they have," Elmore said, referring to the 5 percent budget cut the city will have to make in the upcoming fiscal year. "The declining revenue base is tough for all of us."
The City Commission hosted a special town hall meeting Monday night in District 4. Commissioners received input from about 35 residents on the 2010 fiscal year budget and the 10-year Evaluation and Appraisal Report of the City's comprehensive plan.
Although residents' main concern was the city's budget cut, the City Commission listened to local opinions on topics such as land use, design and redevelopment, transportation, the environment, quality of life and economic issues, all subcategories within the report.
Resident Melanie Barr thought the meeting was productive.
"The City Commission was very attentive to what we had to say," she said.
Barr said she also found the process enlightening.
"It was difficult to come up with answers because we know that cutting programs means people lose jobs," she said. "We got to see what the City Commission does on a regular basis."
The town hall meeting was held at the United Church in Gainesville.
Monday's meeting was the last in a series of four held around Gainesville.
