First, I want to give a shout-out to Misty Haji-Sheikh, who presented the findings of apparently self-initiated research into the likelihood and implications of a rail transfer station on the south side if the landfill expansion is approved. She recommends council anticipate these developments and put ordinances in place to protect us pronto. Thank you!…
Tag: budget
Budget Fail
In a previous post, I listed perks that theoretically could be cut from the FY2011 budget. Car allowances, magazine subscriptions, dues to professional organizations, lunch reimbursements, and clothing allowances run into hundreds of thousands each year. (Sure, some of them are contractual — but did they even try to talk to the unions about them?)…
Firefighters-Saving-Cats Open Thread
This is primarily a “No, I haven’t dropped off the face of the earth” message. Anyway, feel free to use this space for commenting on the cat story, the TIF articles from the Daily Chronicle, city budget, etc.
Notes from the “Lunatic Fringe”
I love being called “lunatic fringe” by a City Council member. I really do. Let them show the world how far this body has fallen in matters of decorum and discipline. Let them demonstrate how much they despise the people they are supposed to be representing. Folks ought to know exactly who’s responsible for running…
City Budget: Mulling Over Police, Fire and More
In 2008, in the midst of a self-proclaimed fiscal crisis, City Council voted to allow the (former) Community Development Department to obtain a new SUV. This is symbolic, see? The Police and Fire departments have had to put off replacing vehicles and some equipment since then. The Police Department, in particular, is getting nickel-and-dimed on…
City Budget Open Thread…Mayday! Mayday!
The proposed City of DeKalb FY 2011 budget has total expenditures going up by about $5 million over last year, mostly due to increased spending on the downtown TIF, health insurance and the airport. The budget as drafted will be balanced IF: there are cuts of 25-30 staff (or, alternatively, everyone takes a 12% pay…
Comments on 4/12 Meeting
I jumped in about 7:30 last night, in the midst of citizens’ comments so the proclamations must have taken a long time! Here’s my assessment of what I saw. The Bad The saddest part, of course, was Council’s approval of almost all of ReNew DeKalb’s wish list. With that they closed the door on the…
Voluntary Separation
The agenda packet for Monday’s special City Council meeting to discuss the Voluntary Separation Program (VSP) is missing a few things: 1) An analysis of how much this program could cost us. Surely the city must know how many of its employees are eligible, since only those with 20 or more full years of continuous…
More Water Games
Minutes of the January 12 special joint meeting of City Council and Financial Advisory Committee yielded this: Mr. Espiritu discussed the fund balances along with suggestions to make them sustainable. He recommended that the General Fund build up a 25% fund balance with the City setting aside 5% per year over a 5-year period. Also,…
All Wet
Rockford Park District & reality: Spending cuts of $1.4 million are planned for the 2010 budget year, including administrative wage freezes and changes to health insurance that would total $955,000 in savings. DeKalb Park District & reality: