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May 08, 2008
Time For A Snicker Snack?
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| Image: Budget cut alternatives presented to the Finance
Committee, and the savings from limiting COLA to 1% for 2 years. The City Manager, Dave Burkland, recently asked each city department to come up with a budget realizing 7.5% cuts. When coupled with a cost of living allowance (COLA) reduction to 1% the city is able to fix its structural deficit by balancing the General Fund. From the chart above it looks like the Private Development Fund is also balanced under the 7.5% cut. The Finance Committee asked for other alternatives that allowed for less cutting of police and fire. Three additional alternatives are shown in the image above. Jenn Klein has a good story in the E-R regarding yesterday's meeting where these alternatives were discussed (see here). Councilors, in particular Gruendl, want cuts to be determined differently. From the article it sounds like Councilor Gruendl would like department managers to get together and work out cuts not based on a formula but based on what's best for the city. Ummmmmm. I have one question. WHAT HAVE THEY BEEN DOING FOR THE LAST YEAR!!!! You can't honestly tell me that city department managers haven't gotten together in the last year to discuss the budget. They must have. They must have also discussed how breaking union contracts is the only way to come in under budget without cutting services. I think Burkland showed leadership in calling for across-the-board cuts. Is it the best solution? There is probably a solution that is more efficient than others. Each person in Chico probably has a different perspective on what cuts are best depending on what services they use. I've never been on fire, so cut the fire department. The party ordinance people suggested cutting the police 50%. Local builders might want to cut the Planning Commission. A giant pair of scissors could be constructed and placed in the giant hands to artistically represent cutting the art department. With so many interests both inside and outside of city hall and 9 unions to deal with, there's really only one fair way for the City Manager to cut the budget. That's to distribute the cuts across the departments evenly. If another calculus needs to occur that placed the budget burden on planners and not police, then the Councilors should step up and make the tough call. |
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 CI Challenge: Can you guess what it is? Winner: All mimsy were the borogoves, and the Gregg Paynes outgrabe. See comments below for the answer. |
Posted by Lon at May 8, 2008 07:36 AM
Comments
Is it the Cloverfield monster looking for snacks?
Posted by: Gregg at May 8, 2008 08:27 AM
OK, It's a Jabberwocky.
Now we know where Cloverfield stole it's monster.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d0/Jabberwocky.jpg/300px-Jabberwocky.jpg
Posted by: Gregg at May 8, 2008 09:00 AM
Yes it's the Jabberwocky, and snicker-snack is the sound the vorpal blade makes when it lops off the head of the beast. See the portion of the poem "Jabberwocky" below.
Lon
"Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!"
He took his vorpal sword in hand:
Long time the manxome foe he sought --
So rested he by the Tumtum tree,
And stood awhile in thought
And as in uffish thought he stood,
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
And burbled as it came!
One, two! One, two! and through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back.
Posted by: Lon at May 8, 2008 12:13 PM