On Wednesday, April 16 at 7:00 p.m. at Harrison Elementary School LakewoodAlive will be presenting the second of a two part forum series entitled Making “Cents” of Lakewood’s Finances. A panel of Lakewood city officials will present the 2008 Budget for the City of Lakewood. The presentation will include brief review of city finance challenges, the methodology for creating the current city budget, and an understanding of the goals for investing in Lakewood’s future.

"This is the first structurally balanced budget passed by Lakewood City Council in over 15 years," noted Jay Foran, president of LakewoodAlive. "We're happy to present Lakewood residents with the opportunity to learn more about the city's financial situation and the budget choices that were made."

The speakers participating in the April 16th forum include Lakewood Mayor Edward FitzGerald; Jennifer Pae, Finance Director, City of Lakewood; Mike Dever, President of Lakewood City Council; and Mike Summers, Lakewood City Council and Leader of the Structural Taskforce Citizens Committee.

Joe Gibbons, a LakewoodAlive founding member, will moderate the forum. The event is free and open to the public. Advanced registration is not required. Harrison Elementary is located at 2080 Quail Avenue in Lakewood.

LakewoodAlive is a non-partisan citizen group that informs and engages our community about issues that impact economic development and our quality of life. LakewoodAlive seeks to provide the residents of Cleveland's greatest suburb with opportunities to learn how to better navigate the complex issues associated with economic development. For more information about the forum series or about LakewoodAlive please visit www.lakewoodalive.com.