By: Diane Benjamin
Numerous times Mayor Renner said they could abolish Parks and Rec and not balance the budget. It was his way of justifying tax increases.
A found this document from 2015 on-line: http://www.cityblm.org/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=8116
Many documents exist on-line that were only done once. This is one of them. Evidently the City can’t decide on a standard format for releasing information.
Below is part of it. Note this “Quality of Life” is 11% of the General Fund, then look at the salaries. Maybe it’s THEIR “Quality of Life” we keep hearing about. Also note: the Coliseum is not included.
This is the breakdown of where the money went:
(Yes, some of this info conflicts with past statements)
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I remeber Renner saying a lot of stuff. Especially those false promises of transparency.
I always have to laugh when the professor snarks that we “naysayers” don’t care about quality of life and the greater good. My thinking is…if more and more of my hard earned $$ goes to his pet projects, my quality of life decreases. So yeah…quality of life my rear end.
Who wants to live some place where all the money is spent on roads, but with no destinations other than work and home? Sounds like Ellsworth. And your roads aren’t that great either.
Actually the County roads are MUCH better than the City roads. How about you pay the full price for all that City sponsored entertainment instead of making poor people pay your way?
Rob, PR&CA accounts for 11% of the GENERAL FUND expenditures. Golf, an ENTERPRISE FUND, is an additional expense. The Coliseum, an ENTERPRISE FUND, is also an additional expense. The Museum and Visitor Center is also supported with tax dollars. Government subsidized entertainment constitutes a significant amount of the budget. Last year, the City spent a paltry $12M on roads using Motor Fuel Tax (a separate fund) and Bonds (loans to be repaid with interest.)
Didn’t they claim golf almost breaks even – maybe $100,000 or less?
As an Enterprise fund, golf is less of an issue than other enterprise funds. The above chart looks like golf is included in the 11% but it is not if you do the addition. That is my point, not the dollar amount.
I would like to live in such a place. The private sector will create ample entertainment options.
Now, this doesn’t mean I am against all government quality of life spending. The test I use is whether or not the private sector will provide it and what percentage of the population can utilize it. For example, parks absolutely should be provided by the government. Golf, the BCPA, and the Coliseum absolutely not. They are not utilized by a high enough percentage of the population.