Minding The Store!

The PRU Crew has appreciated the many expressions of worry and relief we have received this week due to our choosing not to post anything Monday through Wednesday. We assure our faithful PRU readers that nothing was wrong -- PRU.ADMIN simply made the choice not to duplicate or distract from what the Pub-dogs seemed to be covering very well -- discussion of the City's budget in both their Monday and Wednesday posts.

And sometimes it's simply better to sit back and listen, rather than speak.

Our readers did as we expected and began clicking out to visit the Pub-dog's blog more frequently, and our meter tells us the Pub-dogs have picked up at least 5 more dedicated first-visit readers -- meaning people who read there first then come to PRU.

We don't mind.

On the issue of the City budget, one commenter to the Pub-dog's Monday posting offered, "This is the major issue facing this city right now." And we agree. Wholeheartedly.

Everything the City strives to achieve, with any lasting competence, is a direct function of the City budget. If the City budget is unhealthy, everything the City strives to achieve is in jeopardy. Everything. Absolutely everything.

Tomorrow the City Council will be meeting from 9 a.m. to noon in the City Hall Council Chamber for their first budget workshop to begin planning the City budget for the next fiscal year. The agenda (.pdf) for the meeting has a new, never-before-included line item -- IX. Resident comments.

The PRU Crew is hoping beyond hope the residents of Park Ridge take full advantage of this new opportunity to participate in democracy and our local government. We have our own ideas and opinions on the City budget but we are eager to hear yours.

And the PRU Crew is really really really looking forward to hearing what local resident and attorney Frank DiFranco has to say about his deep concern for the City budget, you know, beyond the issue of billboard revenues.