The PRU Crew asked, "Are You Paying Attention?"
What we offered to our faithful PRU readers a year ago was --
"In just five days, the Park Ridge City Council will meet in their annual budget workshop. We are hoping our elected officials do not give in to the temptation of political appeal, and show themselves willing to make the hard sacrifices that may help carry this town through what will probably be a very rough economic year.We meant it then and we mean it today. And today, taking a principled and responsible position on the management of taxpayer dollars is more crucial to the financial health -- and ultimately, the physical health -- of our community than it has been at any time in recent memory. We expressed that opinion here, when we said --
We are aware that City Manager Jim Hock has suggested some deep cuts. The PRU Crew would suggest the cuts be made deeper.
As distasteful as it may be to certain special interests in the community, we would suggest that any program that is not essential to city functioning and citizen welfare be cut to the bone."
"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."We fully admit to generally nagging and nagging and nagging and nagging residents and taxpayers of Park Ridge to start paying attention and participate in the democratic process of local government, especially where the city budget is concerned.
We're very pleased to see citizen participation improving and we believe Mayor Schmidtzkrieg's change to budget workshops to allow residents to comment should get the lions share of PRUdos, though we find it very unfortunate that our community has had to come to the brink of a financial disaster to get a fire going under people's backsides.
In just another five days, the City Council will be holding another budget workshop (.pdf). The PRU Crew is hoping residents continue to participate. We also hope residents beyond those personally interested in any given area of municipal business will choose to participate.
19 comments:
Pru, thanks for the timely reminder.
Let the aldermen know what commissions and for how much they should get money.
Do not give any of our money to any of these stupid commissions!!! They don't produce anything!!! I don't even know why halve of these commissions even esist!!!
Exactly right, PRU. And your point about getting residents to show up who aren't city employees or looking for handouts from the city is spot on. I'm betting 2/3 or more of the people at last Saturday's session were cops, fire and workers. They may pay property taxes, but their interest goes well beyond taxpayer status.
Savior Schmitty will save us!
We have budget problems but so do alot of other towns.
I, for one, am very happy I don't live in Harvey Ill.
I know the blogs don't have anything good to say about the council, but I do think they are trying their best.
I would hope everyone can be respectful and work together to make positive changes for out town.
The political bickering is getting us nowhere.
1:40: One person's political bickering is another person's spirited debate.
1:40 PM
If year after year of million dollar plus deficits is "trying their best," then it's time for them to realize they aren't up to the task and that they need to step aside.
Before we can start making "positive changes" for Park Ridge, we need to stop making negative ones. And if you consider the stopping of bad behavior "political bickering," then we need more of it rather than less.
It is time to finally get away from the get-along, go-along mentality in Park Ridge. That means holding elected officials' feet to the fire. And it means a few feathers will have to be ruffled in order to get the city back on solid financial ground.
Does anyone on the Council have the courage to ruffle?
...:::waving to Fr. McK:::...how's things, Padre?
This clowncil...? Not in a million years...
Bean:
Things are splendid. I have faith in the Park Ridge electorate. They did throw HOward out last year. Of course, this faith in our neighbors may not be rational, but is faith ever?
Padre...sometimes faith is all ya got left...
Wondering when the city will look closer at two positions:
1) Dir. of Community Development (a cheerleader whose input is rarely taken by the second questionable position...)
2) City Planner (a confrontational city employee who is known to be stubborn, hard to work with, and a roadblock to several potential new businesses in the uptown section where we now have thousands of vacant retail square feet available!)
Anon@12:16 --
We're always more than skeptical when we are entertained with complaints about specific city employees.
We've found, more often than not, that city employees who enforce city codes to the letter are those who are most likely to garner criticism.
The Crew has never believed the Dir. of CP&D was up to the tasks demanded by the position.
We've not been regaled with too many stories about the second position you mention, which should not be taken by you as an invitation to provide any further details.
We will state for the record, at this point nothing can be off the table.
What's wrong 12:16, didn't get your way on something? Everybody thinks the other guy should have to follow rules but they want to be the exception to the rules.
I am not so fast to blame the city council or the boards.
Every public body and village is having financial problems.
People just love to complain and play the blame game.
March 10, 2010 9:38 PM
We don't play "the blame game" enough. That is why the same people (or their clones) keep on doing the same stupid things time and again.
If the Chicago Tribune and the Sun-Times had played "the blame game" with people like Mike Madigan 20 years ago, we might not be in the mess we're in.
And just to be consistent, I blame blame-averse people like you for helping people like Madigan (or our aldermen in Park Ridge) avoid the blame they deserve.
So there.
I got a kick out of the letter in the Advocate today from Mr. Dick Barton Haney. There is no pile of b.s. too big for that guy to try to sell.
Anon@1:42 --
The Park District's Mr. Haney, a.k.a. Dick Barton, may very well believe what he wrote for public consumption.
Or, he may be trying to protect a friendly inside contact and a fellow Taste of Park Ridge committee member.
It's too bad the Economic Development Direct has a person of Dick Barton's ilk to going to bat on her behalf.
Is it just me or has anyone else noticed an increased police traffic prescence during this recent time associated with budget cut discussions involving the Police dept?
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