In mathematics, Pi is what is known as a mathematical constant. In Park Ridge city government, a mathematical constant seems to be the City Council's insistence on growing our budget deficit.
Our sources report that at last night's City Council COW, our Aldermoorons again voted to grow the City's budget deficit by increasing funding to community groups over the already budgeted amount. The Lord of the Manor, 2nd ward Ald. Rich DiPietro, attempted to recommend an alternative budget amount that would have brought funding for community groups into line with what the original City budget had called for by moving to adopt a total funding level of $232,100.00. But the Aldermoorons would have none of that!
Aldermooron Frank Wsooooolman (7th ward) mooved to amend the amount of funding to the "same level as last year" -- $271,000.00 -- which is not the "same as last year" since the City Council added a new program for the coming year.
The new program added to the list of community group funding is being called "Noise Abatement", and funding for this will be $25,000.00 You didn't really think this City O'Hare Airport Commission would be established but not funded with tax payer dollars, did you?
All in, the City Council Aldermoorons added about $64,000.00 over the recommended budget amount -- $38,900.00 for previously funded community groups and $25,000.00 for the new "Noise Abatement" for the City's O'Hare Airport Commission.
Hell, it's just money. And who cares if the evidence suggests the noise monitors being contracted for from Bensenville won't be worth the time it takes to set them up in Park Ridge. The pols have to appear to be doing something!
During the discussion portion of the meeting, we are told the Aldermoorons could not seem to tell the difference between human needs services, such as the Center of Concern, Rainbow Hospice, Meals on Wheels, and "services" provided by various arts and recreation groups, such as the Fine Arts Society, Civic Orchestra, Teen Center and Senior Center. Aldermoorons Wsooooolman, Don Bachtard (3rd ward) and Benedict Ald. Robert Ryan (5th ward) took the time to again regale the assembly with their belief that giving away tax dollars to all these groups will produce a "return" to the community beyond the dollar amounts being doled out.
Mayor Schmidtzkrieg did take the opportunity to express his concern that the Council should understand the City budget is still $2 million in the hole and that they are "adding to the budget money we don't have." If they are going to recommend additional expenditures, they "should also be recommending commensurate cuts to cover those expenditures."
The PRU Crew gets the feeling that the "return" on these "investments" will produce barely more for the community of Park Ridge than did our "investment" in pursuit of a Peotone airport.
After voting unanimously to give tax dollars to these various community groups, the Council COW pies mooved on to other agenda items, but we'll leave coverage of all that for the local rags.
Finally, after going through the public agenda items and giving away public dollars to various private not-for-profit groups, the City Council again adjourned to closed session to discuss "collective negotiating matters". We're sure that went real well. You never can do enough to demonstrate to City staff how serious you are about containing expenses.
B.O.H.I.C.A.!
May 12, 2009
COW Recap!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
32 comments:
WTF! Can't these idiots do simple math? Ryan and Bach have to go...I had hope for Wsol...but maybe not.
Amen. BOHICA it is for us city staff!
WTF and OMG! These idiots ARE IDIOTS! They all claim they're Republicans but they sure act like tax and spend Democrats! What a backasswards collection of morons!
Thanks for the recap Pru. I know you are only the messenger.
PRU--was it Bach who kept saying over and over that they should put the $$ back in the budget for the community groups, and to balance that, lay off some City Hall workers?
They discussed how much the community needs groups are used during these hard times. Yet they are prepared to put MORE people into those hard times?
gypsy --
According to our source notes, it was Bachtard who repetitively stated his desire to layoff city employees. However, our source notes don't indicate which city employees Bachtard would like to axe.
I think everyone should go buy a sculpture through the Brickton Art Gallery. Then if somebody breaks into your house you can hold it up in front of your family for protection or use it to stomp out a fire or throw it into an open pot hole so you don't bend your rims when you drive over it or wedge it under your tire if you get caught in snow. See? We need art!
Anonymous 1:33, I know you were kidding but I am wondering if I could find a sculpture that would work to block my basement drain when the sewers backup?
Ok...so we are all in agreement. Let's ax Brickton. Let's get rid of it!!! Now we have to decide what to do with the $12,000 we just saved. Let's not spend it all in one place. Maybe we should invest it and some day we could all live off the interest!!!
I wasn't at the meeting and I couldn't tell from your report, but it seemed once again that the city council did not receive nor did they demand a clear set of facts from the full-time city staff who gets paid to manage the budget.
Anon@4:55 --
Make that $12,500, then add that to the $15,000 for the Fine Arts Society, $15,000 for the Civic Orchestra, $25,000 for the Teen Center, $5,000 for the Youth Commission, $40,000 for the Senior Center, $10,000 for the Historical Society, $5,500 for the Cultural Arts Council, $5,000 fore the Kalo Foundation, $10,000 for the Community Health Commission, and $25,000 for Noise Abatement.
Now we're talking $168,000.
If none of these groups can survive for a year without government funding and taxpayer subsidies then there is clearly lack of support in the community for these groups and taxpayers shouldn't have to continue funding them.
Brickton can cut back on their expenses and up their class fees.
The Senior Center can cut back on their recreation activities and up their membership fees -- and remember, the Senior Center gets over $400,000 from the Park Ridge Park District too.
The Teen Center can cut back on their expenses and tap into their own reserves.
The taxpayers of Park Ridge should not have to have fewer resources and City workers protecting their persons and property and seeing to the basic maintenance of this community because little Jenny may not get professional instruction in how to finger paint or old man Johnson misses out on a tap dancing class.
Anonymous without tears --
According to what we have available to us, and what we assume to also be available to the City Council, we believe the City staff has provided the Council with information. It seems the City Council is refusing to see the forest for the trees at this point in time.
Keep in mind though, this is the same City Council that could not grasp the concept that a fund balance does not equal cash in the bank, or that the City does not separately bank funds. The City accounts for funds separately.
What clear set of facts do you believe to be missing?
A few things....First, I do nto want to cut employees. Second, I have no problem with cutting some of the above mentioned money.
But there seems to be this implication that cutting these orgs is going to save the work force. Even if the cut all of the above that means we have 1.8 mil left over. Where is that going to come from?? By the way, 168K equate to how many "fully loaded" workers - 1.5 or so??? Of course the workers come first but this does not solve the problem.
Anon @ 5:34 --
You are correct in your view that swapping out funding for community groups doesn't mean that the threat of laying off city employees doesn't still exist.
However, what you appear to be overlooking is that when the city council demands that the city manager negotiate a wage and hiring freeze with the unions, the city manager has to be able to tell those unions that the city has done everything in its collective power to reduce costs before coming to the unions and attempting to persuade its own work force that a wage freeze is necessary.
The amount of savings a wage and hiring freeze could amount to is roughly $800K of that $1.8 million budget deficit -- roughly 1/2 the budgeted deficit amount.
Food for thought.
The Brickton Art Center and Senior Center directors, Alyssa Kulak and Teresa Grodsky, both appear on the Park District’s website as Recreation & Park District Program Staff. Are they employees of the Park District?
PRU-
Your response to 534 is right on the money!
That is exaclty how we feel
From the City of Park Ridge website.....
The Mayor, City Council and City staff are committed to providing excellence in City services in order to uphold a high quality of life, so our community remains a wonderful place to live and work.
Wouldn't it be wonderful if this were true!
If it were not for art, PRU would be PUBDOG; sublimely written, sublimely researched, visually bland and much less read.
Man does not live by bread alone, nor even by Winestyles alone. If one wants a culture consisting only of shopping and taverns, places where you have to have the price of everything to enjoy the value of nothing, to mangle a quote, those suburbs are everywhere. Pleasantville is about a different set of choices. And Bach is not entirely wet: If there's not $168K in deadwood to be axed (not the cops or fire or pubworks)to cover the donation to the non-profits, I'll buy you dinner at whatever restaurant is still open.
Anon@11:18 --
And the art you get here, and the sublime writing of the Pub-dog's doesn't cost you a thing.
The entire Crew consider ourselves to be art lovers in a broad array of what constitutes art. We just never considered asking other people to pay for or subsidize our personal enjoyment of it.
We will repeat our earlier statement -- If none of these groups can survive for a year without government funding and taxpayer subsidies then there is clearly lack of support in the community for these groups and taxpayers shouldn't have to continue funding them.
Ruth's Chris will suit the Crew just fine.
PRU--you need to "Shop Park Ridge"
PRU: Thanks for your reply (yesterday at 5:22 pm) -- very helpful. I was just reacting to news accounts (newspapers and blogs combined) that made it seem like the facts were not there. Based on your response, it seems the facts are there for those who want to review and understand them. Umm... isn't that what aldermen are supposed to do on our behalf? To be clear, I will never abdicate my right -- my obligation -- as a citizen to keep up with what my elected representatives are doing on my behalf. It's just that they don't seem to be doing anything on my behalf. Geez Louise, guys, get a handle on this budget. It's slipping away from you.
So we are taking money away from these community groups (some of which I agree with and some of which I do not) as a negotiating tool. Where is the logic behind that? This is another example of lack of management. If our elected officials gave the money to these groups can any of them tell us what we got? They shoud be watching and they were not. Now they cannot adequately defend why these groups should still get the money.
But worse then that is who who the hell is looking at the other areas we spend money?? I believe I mentioned this before (possibly on PD) but they are resurfacing the street in front of my house and several blocks down. That is all fine but the street was not bad at all. I have seen many worse in PR that are not being paved. If this project had not taken place this year not one person on my block would have had an issue with it. Most that I have talked to did not even know they were going to do it until the morning they started.
I can only guess what this project costs - well into 5 figures and maybe even 6 figures. It is an outside company who is doing it so it would not mean less hours for city workers. I have seen 4-5 other areas in PR being resurfaced. How about some difficult decisions about these projects? Changing our decision process on paving could mean several hundred thousand dollars.
Instead we all get hot and bothered over $12,500 to Brickton (an easy target).
Why don't you get off cutting the employess and art programs. Stop attacking unions for once. You all have are lucky enough to live in park ridge. And have been lucky enough to have good jobs and lucky enough to have nice houses. Ever here of sharing with people that don't get the breaks in life? You are a bunch of spoiled repub pigs as everyone in Chicago (a real city) knows.
I wish these groups would perhaps hold funraisers or something like that to keep them intact.
Especially the PRHS.
I haven't been there in 2 years, tried to go last year but weren't open at all and I usually donate when I do visit.
Guess it's not enough.
anon at 11:18, while I see the point your making and even partially see Bach's, now is not the time to be putting people out of work when there are other cuts that can be made. Cutting all these programs can save 2 or 3 jobs. That saves 2 or 3 families with 2 or 3 mortgages that could turn into 2 or 3 foreclosures. Cut the programs...as much as I can't stand the fact that old man Johnson won't have his tap class; he'll find something else to do for that hour.
Mike:
What makes you think that they have a chance of staying open via a fund raiser - especially in this economy??
If you use this board as a barometer, they have not got a chance. People are outraged about $12,500 to Brickton. If you break that number down by PR resident that is about 33 cents per year - well under 1 penny per week. Hell, I accidently vacuum away more than that cleaning under my couch cushions. For many of us it is actually a cleaning lady who does the vacuuming.
For the entire $271,000 it costs every PR resident $7.32 per year - 2 cents per day.
If this is any indication of the value residents place on these programs, they will not survive just based on fund raisers.
In a crisis - and believe it, people, this is a crisis - you put everything on the table and make every hard choice needed to prevent the crisis from becoming a catastrophe.
That the City Council could even pass a $2 million deficit budget is an indictment of every single one of those aldermen who did it, including then-Ald Schmidt. But to his credit, at least he has seen the error of his ways, admitted it, and is trying to correct the problem. Too bad he's totally alone in that regard.
The bottom line is that we have to raise taxes, cut expenses, or both. That's it, nothing less will do. The sick-comedy team of Bach and Wsol doesn't get it, and neither do Allegretti, Ryan, DiPietro and Carey.
Mayor Schmidt, can you please hurry up and appoint as your replacement someone who does?
At the last meeting, didn't the Mayor order Jim Hock to revisit the budget and return with solutions on the gap? Did that happen? I am concerned that Schmidt did not absolutely put his foot down that solutions need to come from everyone. He needs to get tough. We are wasting time on all this community funding group crap, we're arguing over chump change. Start filling up the empty Uptown commercial rent spots; stop making it tough/nearly impossible for new business to come here! We built Taj Mahal, the only way to pay for it is to gen up the revenue.
anon at 12:41, it's irrelevant what it comes out to be per household. They still can't spend what they don't have. The council has to cut till the math works; and you start with non-essentials.
Anon@1:22 --
The vacant space in the Uptown redevelopment is the responsibility of the developer, PRC partners. The City of Park Ridge is in partnership with the developer, at least on paper, in so far as money goes but not in so far as say-so goes.
Funny thing about owning property is you are actually responsible for it.
Your comment about "stop making it tough/nearly impossible for new business to come here!" is something we've heard over and over again. But we never hear specifics.
What exactly does the City of Park Ridge do, or not do, that makes it so "tough or nearly impossible for new businesses to come here?"
anon 1:29:
The numbers were perfectly relevant in the context that I used them, that being in response to a post about fund reasing and gaging support for the programs.
This whole idea of non-essential services is a matter of personal opinion. But I will stipulate to your opinion. Let's wack all of them. It is now implied that this will mean the unions will negotiate pay and hiring freezes. I cannot believe they would be that stupid. Hell, I would bet the police union in PR probably supports the teen center.
If I were negotiating on behalf of the unions I would say "Hey, what about the rest of contractural services???" The 2009 budget was 12.7 mil and the estimated actual is 400 K over budget. Why? It is the second largest expense item after personal. By the way the budget estimates it will go up by 1.4 mil by 2011. Again, why? I believe the road paving I mentioned earlier would fit in this catagory - it was not done by PR employees. There are other numbers in contractural services that need push back. For example there is 30K for a library newsletter. I have never seen the newsletter (not sure why) and I realize 30K is not big bucks but they have a website that is updated regularly. It seems to me this money could be drastically reduced or cut.
With all due respect, with a 2 mil shortfall in the budget, and considering the road was not that bad, paving my neighborhood this year was non-essential as hell.
I agree with you on road paving and newsletters, (especially in the age of the Internet!!) I'm not saying you cut these programs and you're fine, but you certainly start there and then move forward cutting elsewhere...I don't know enough about the union contracts to comment on them.
Dear 9:55
"Luck" has nothing to do with where we live, or what jobs we have. It is called "hard work"!
We WORK for what we have.....we don't avoid paying taxes, we go to school, we save, we buy what we can afford... we don't cheat, we WORK. Something the "real people of Chicago" should learn about!
I guess we are all feeling the effects of the old thinking here in town - dont't want any hotels, bars,industrial plants etc.
Now we feel those negative effects
in the column marked " tax base Zero".
What will those corduroy and hush puppy folks do now ?
Post a Comment