In today's Journal & Topics we read:
Not that Lutheran General Hospital should be able to dictate tax policy in the City, but we are in agreement with Mayor Howard's statement that LGH has been a "good partner" to the City.
We are also pleased with the modest reduction of 1.4% in the property tax increase. But we note that an increase is still an increase, and we were much more taken with the bold proposal of Alderman Wsooooolman (7th Ward) when he suggested that the City eliminiate the property tax increase.
Our PRUdos to Alderman Schmidtzkrieg (1st Ward) for attempting to give attention to our infrastructure needs, which is what we believe to be one of the most basic purposes of government.
Unfortunately there are still those in City government who just don't get it.
As reported in the second news item linked above, "Ald. Robert Ryan (5th) disagreed with removing the Vision 2025 study characterizing it as "the most important part of our budget." Ryan said, "Planning dollars are cheap dollars. It allows us to get organized. I really don't think we can afford to be short-sighted."
That's right, people. The 5th Ward's Benedict Alderman Ryan believes some goofy "Vision 2025 study" is the "most important part of our budget." It seems that Benedict Alderman Ryan will leave no "expert" unconsulted and no consultant unpaid.
Where's a brick wall when your head needs one...
April 23, 2008
This Will Only Hurt A Little Bit!
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13 comments:
What is the Vision 2025 study?
Briefly, it's a city planning study provided by a consultant to guide the city in its future development efforts; it's the same sort of planning study that brought us Uptown redevelopment in Target Area 2.
Ryan strikes me as one of those public officials who knows what he wants but doesn't have the guts to go public with it until he can hire a consultant to carry the water for him - but only if that consultant is one of those who knows why he is being hired and can be "trusted" to produce the results desired by those hiring him.
If we really need a "Vision 2025" study, let's have Ryan, the mayor and the rest of the aldermen put together their own personal studies and go public with them for comment and discussion BEFORE we waste another dime on any of these we'll-give-you-whatever-you-want consultants.
Just to change gears here.....
We know who public official "A is....
but who is public official "B who is behind the Gov's efforts here in town? Danger Dan K. ???
maybe.
When you come down to it....Howie likes getting money from the state - no matter who or how he gets it.
With today's news from the Federal bldg.....maybe more will fall.
Thank you.
Anybody who thinks that Vision 2025is "most important part of our budget" would appear to be bereft of his senses. Mr. Ryan, have you ever heard of road paving, relief sewers, curb repair, and all those other things that we can't afford to do at a pace that a first-class community should be able to to them?
It sounds to me like Frank Wsol is running for Mayor. Anyone else get that impression? The guy looks to be putting himself in a popular position but I think he knew that his idea wouldn't be supported by the others. To me he was just grandstanding and not serious. If he was serious, that is irresponsible stewardship in my opinion.
It's a nice idea to eliminate tax increases but I agree with the analysis provided in one of the articles: property taxes are more certain than the projections from the sale of property and other things. With the present economy the sale of property as a foundation for financial planning is dumb.
I agree with what PRU said today about the basics of what should be the work of our government. I also think that there is way too much giving away of our money on studies by consultants. The studies get done and the consultants get their fees and then the paper sits on a shelf somewhere. The only time I've seen these things hauled off the shelf is when some politician wants to shore up their own plans as a previous comment pointed out.
Has there ever been an accounting done of exactly how much we have paid for consultants and studies in the last 5 years? I would be curious to know that figure.
Keen observation, Anonymous 12:44 PM. It sure does come-off like a political pitch...and populist positioning... I would also like to hear an answer to your question about the sum total of expenditures on consultants and their studies...
Wsol is definitely a politician, who's more than a little adept at wheeling-n-dealing...but if he runs, I'll be casting my vote for him...if for no other reason than he isn't likely to be the sort of skid-greaser for all his myriad friends the way that Frimark is...
Of course, I can't wait to hear Wsol's explanation for having voted to support the expenditure of more than $20,000,000 on a huge new cop shop in the face of what appears to be his newly-found fiscal conservativism...
I know this has nothing to do with nothing but wasn't there a study not to long ago on the traffic pattern by Maine South High School. Didn't the city pay some consultant for that study? And what became of that study? What became of the consultant and how much did that cost us again? Traffic around the school is an accident waiting to happen. I thought the point of a study was to make suggestions and those suggestions would be acted upon. I have yet to see anything that looks like helpful suggestions/improvements to the traffic pattern by the school. Oh, wait, unless you call the repairs being made in the middle of the intersection of Devon and Dee during rush hour helpful. I don't get how people making u-turns in the intersection is a helpful improvement although there were two of Park Ridge's finest hiding behind a show bank talking to each other window to window so they wouldn't get cold while watching all the illegal u-turns being made. Just wondering about the consultants and then I remembered this.
JR
Greetings to the law firm of Ekl Williams. Welcome to Park Ridge Underground. Mr. Ekl, we sure hope that isn't you googling yourself! ;-)
So, if I understand correctly,
a consultant, I guess that's you Mr. Ekl, has been hired to:
1. interview people in the police audit (I assume this is to investigate any wrong doing by our former police chief and his crew)
2. keep a list of said people to be interviewed
3. report ALL findings whether good, bad or indifferent to the public
Please correct me if I'm wrong as I am trying very hard to understand how the ex-Chief of Police got his retirement pension and benefits (and didn't get fired for protecting his friends) and how the taxpayers got screwed in the process.
JR
The last time Ryan got near a planning study, we got Emerson and the school district's finances have sucked ever since. Now we are getting another big tax increase for the schools. Somebody should show Ryan how to take a long walk off a short pier.
Wasn't Robert Ryan also on the Uptown Advisory Task Force? If I'm remembering right, he was one of the moving forces behind that deal even though his then-employer, Parsons Transportation, was one of the sub-consultants to the principal consultant (TPAP) - a relationship I don't think he disclosed, by the way.
From the HA (Herald Advocate) today:
"The city plans to fund $4.1 million worth of infrastructure projects, which includes the resurfacing of 5.8 miles of streets, the construction of two relief sewers, and 50,000 sq. ft. of new sidewalk. Other projects in the budget include repaving the Uptown parking lot at a cost of $700,000, making $495,000 worth of Uptown streetscape improvements, a gypsy moth eradication program costing $51,000, a Dutch Elm tree protection program costing $43,000, the purchase of new city technology and software at a cost of $117,500, the beginning of a long-term plan for the city costing $10,000, possible ventilation improvements at the Public Works Service Center, and a library space study conducted for $50,000."
A library space study?
Are we looking for intelligent life in further galaxies, because there sure isn't any here.
How many studies do we have to have that tell us the same thing at the library? It seems like we're spending money there on "space studies" every year that tell us the same thing.
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