Cathy
04-14-2004, 05:39 PM
I posted this on another thread, but perhaps it should be here also, so:
As we should all know this by now, there are some serious ledger balance issues that need to be addressed. And I'm sure that you KNOW that there isn't any Dept. in Town that thinks that THEIR projects should be cut or even put on hold.
You have to imagine that there is probably quite a lot of lobbying and pressure being brought to bear on EVERY one of the Council members from 'special interests', and then like you say, there are even some Council members who just can't see or won't admit the "train wreck" that they are headed for.
This is why the Citizen's Budget Review is SO important! There needs to be some seriously considered input from the taxpayers on where the cuts in spending need to be placed. It needs to be specific, not just a call for more restraint.
The need for "fiscal responsibility" here is real and not just a campaign slogan.
The Council members who actually want corrections to the current trend NEED THE SUPPORT and backing of citizens who can give them an educated opinion of the situation.
The taxpayers have work to do to counter the lobbying by special interests that don't want their pet projects cut.
Consider these changes from 2000 to 2004:
The Operating expenses have seen a 75% increase. (excluding transfers)
The Debt Service has seen a 670% increase.
Revenues have seen a 11.7% increase.
Capitol Reserves have dropped from 9.5 million to barely over 3 million.
The percentage of Debt Service to Total Expenses has gone from 3.4% to 14.7%.
Spending increase in each Dept. by %:
General Government _ 45%
Public Safety _ 45%
Public Works(?) _ 42%
Environmental Protection _ 51%
Parks, Rec, & Cultural Resources _ 91%
You don't have to be an accountant to see that some of the "wish list" items and "nice to haves" need to be cut or put on hold.
Cathy
As we should all know this by now, there are some serious ledger balance issues that need to be addressed. And I'm sure that you KNOW that there isn't any Dept. in Town that thinks that THEIR projects should be cut or even put on hold.
You have to imagine that there is probably quite a lot of lobbying and pressure being brought to bear on EVERY one of the Council members from 'special interests', and then like you say, there are even some Council members who just can't see or won't admit the "train wreck" that they are headed for.
This is why the Citizen's Budget Review is SO important! There needs to be some seriously considered input from the taxpayers on where the cuts in spending need to be placed. It needs to be specific, not just a call for more restraint.
The need for "fiscal responsibility" here is real and not just a campaign slogan.
The Council members who actually want corrections to the current trend NEED THE SUPPORT and backing of citizens who can give them an educated opinion of the situation.
The taxpayers have work to do to counter the lobbying by special interests that don't want their pet projects cut.
Consider these changes from 2000 to 2004:
The Operating expenses have seen a 75% increase. (excluding transfers)
The Debt Service has seen a 670% increase.
Revenues have seen a 11.7% increase.
Capitol Reserves have dropped from 9.5 million to barely over 3 million.
The percentage of Debt Service to Total Expenses has gone from 3.4% to 14.7%.
Spending increase in each Dept. by %:
General Government _ 45%
Public Safety _ 45%
Public Works(?) _ 42%
Environmental Protection _ 51%
Parks, Rec, & Cultural Resources _ 91%
You don't have to be an accountant to see that some of the "wish list" items and "nice to haves" need to be cut or put on hold.
Cathy