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Creighton’s challenge
At this afternoon’s budget study session, with council, the mayor and several department heads, the veteran councilman Dave Creighton just said, to the department heads present (Mike Styner, Police/Fire; Ken Lanfear, Public Works; latecomer Ken Mercer, Convention Center): “This is going to be the hardest budget that staff has ever gone through. I’m going to nail you guys for every single dime. This budget will be council driven, not staff-driven
“I don’t feel in the last few years we have done a very good job in budgeting . . .
“I believe it’s about time we took control of the budget and decide where the money is going.”
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on Monday, August 9th, 2010 at 1:51 pm and is filed under North Coast News.
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Why do we have city? Only to bring the manipulation of assets closer to home, therefore offering more power and political opportunity to locals for personalization. Everything a city provides can be provided by county or utility district, and usually cheaper.
People feel a city provides them with services, and maybe even think certain services can’t exist without a city. Mostly, they believe this because it is what they have been told. By whom? By people who think they can make life better if they could only have your money also to do it!
My other home is in a small loop of residences between Seattle and Renton. Those two cities have been vying for our tax money for many years and we repeatedly voted “NO” to being incorporated anywhere. We got all kinds of propaganda that our police protection and other services were neglected by the county. Not so! The King County guys were always on it in my experience (a quarter century).
The same happened at my Lk. Meridian home, between Kent and Covington. The option of “no city” was totally downplayed because, of course, nobody new can get your money.
Who defends “no city?” Maybe we should incorporate everything and get it over with. Then maybe we could get rid of the county. What would we need them for?
And here is some more fat trimming news from other local governments. Who is leading the charge in Ocean Shores?
Local news for Sultan, Washinton: “No more Sultan? Former Planning Commissioner Bart Dalmasso and Sultan business owner Kay George, are leading a charge to disincorporate the city of Sultan, saying that the city government has become expensive and unnecessary.”
I believe this to mean that if the expensive city govenment is removed the land will go to the county, state and federal levels for tax purposes. I wonder if there will be a stimulus plan in conjunction with the disincorporation.
You missed the great rate reduction they just gave us. Then they took most of it back with the EMS Utility. They need to go line by line and make these guys show productivity numbers. Strange, you lose one person doing permit reviews on spec homes and the delay escalates. Sounds like a work slowdown to me. They can not strike, but they can slow down. Math Word Problem: If you slow the mower down to half speed, how much longer does it take to mow the grass?
I agree with you Mark, about looking at the utilities. Wouldn’t we ALL like to see a rate reduction?
we really can’t afford any of them. i suggest a clean sweep.
My only question is: Why hasn’t Mr. Creighton been doing that for the past eight years? If he didn’t feel they’ve been doing a good job budgeting, then why hasn’t he been speaking out? An eight year learning curve is longer than the citizens of Ocean Shores can afford…
Yeah… Spend it like it was your money, and you just retired without an inheritance or future prospects.
Thank you Dave for listening to the citizens. Yes, look at every item. Expand the accounting system to really tell you where the money comes from and where it is going. Do services we offer pay for themselves? Flush out all the hidden funds. We are told we can’t mow the grass, but it is mowed. We are told that we are using X money to pay for Y and then told that it did not come from there. let’s get a budget that is a budget and not just a slush fund for the year. This is not an exercise to appease the state, but an exercise in fiscal control. Start thinking about how we can get more for less. Departments need to start generating revenue to support their demands. Police have to issue those tickets. People know when they have been speeding or running a stop sign. They know they are using cell phones without handsfree. People know when they are camping without a permit or exceeding the 90 days. They know when they clear a lot without a permit or put in that driveway without a permit. Do not give away Ocean Shores land for a song. Keep it for the future. You will need a new city hall, fire house, permit center, and convention center in the future. Spend like it was your money.
Very Good Dave. It’s been long overdue. I hope that council doesn’t just stop with those departments, but also goes into the utilities to look for savings and budget cuts there. Every penny they save there is something that could immediately go back to the ratepayers in the form of reduced utility rates.