By: Diane Benjamin
Remember the Budget Task Force? Remember how they were looking for places to cut?
GOLF won’t be one of them. On the Agenda for Monday night it this:
There was a Citizen’s Summit. A Budget Task Force. Budget hearings.
What did citizens get?
A proposed budget that spends another $20,560,849,
only an 11% increase.
Get ready for the dog and pony show. The Council will want cuts, Hales will cut some and then propose cuts that will outrage citizens.
Result: What Hales and Renner want is what they will get.
We’ve seen this show before.
Then there is this:
What is ILCS 120/2, Ch. 102 Section 2(c)(1)?
The Council only has one employee: David Hales. As City Manager, Hales makes all other personnel decisions.
Anybody want to guess what’s coming next? Until it’s on the agenda, it’s a secret.
There are a lot of other goodies for Monday. See them here:
http://www.cityblm.org/index.aspx?page=242&parent=9534
Cuts??!!?? Expenditures exceed revenue by $13M. Expenses for the new management of the Coliseum will increase. However, there is a projected increase in revenue to offset the additional cost. Promises, promises. We’ve all heard that before.
I’m not convinced expenses will go up. I think salaries will be less plus mgt fees and commissions. Concessions go to the city mostly. Those numbers will be interesting
My comment is based on this:
“FINANCIAL IMPACT: City staff will be working on developing an interim transition budget based on the existing budget for Coliseum operations. There may be an interim increases in costs, however City staff projects long term increased revenues to help offset operational costs in the future.” Page 364 of Packet
Of course I’m hoping the financial situation with the Coliseum improves but when I read that statement, I bristled.
I still can’t believe the Manager has the audacity to submit a budget that has a $13M shortfall–this is including the tax increase–while purchasing vacant land for $1.4M the city doesn’t have. How dare they complain about the State’s financial condition. They need to look in the mirror.
Elections aren’t going to non-partisan in the future. People need to know what they are voting for!