City budget workshop and council meeting tonight (see Bill’s post below) and another beautiful CdA summer day in the making.
The subject of the appraisal on the DeArmond Mill came up today. I recall NIC Trustee Judy Meyer saying at the NIC information forum way last May, I think it was, that the appraisal on the mill site would be completed very soon. We are now into August, and the appraisal has not surfaced. What’s the hang up? Is it not coming in at the price they want/need to justify the expenditure?
Any other comments, ideas, suggestions?
Explain this to me: To fix the sidewalks, which I argue is a basic function of City government, the Mayor and Council decide to go after $200,000 in foregone taxes. Staff said that it just can’t be done any other way; that they need to hire 3 new people for the job. That was the argument made to Council.
Yesterday, it’s presented that those three new people, for which we’re paying foregone (e.g., higher) taxes for, are going to be folded into the Street Dept. budget to help save money. Additionally, the Street. Dept. budget is being “cut” by $300,000. The end effect is that we have the people we need to fix the sidewalks AND we have a $100,000 budget cut in the same Dept.
Am I wrong on this, or did staff misrepresent the situation to Council? If, in fact, the money was there in the first place, did they lie to Woody when he asked them if there wasn’t any other way they could do this without going into foregone?
Comment by Dan — August 6, 2008 @ 11:11 am
Dan,
I had a similar question after watching last night’s Council Meeting. They, and particulaly Hassell, were discussing the impact fees set aside for capital improvements in parks, police stations, fire stations, some streets. Here’s an audio clip of part of what Hassell said.
If there were sufficient impact fees set aside, and it appears there were, why did the City beg LCDC for the $50K to $60K for the as-yet-to-be-built public safety building in the park? Tymesen and Childers told the Council and the LCDC that if LCDC didn’t fund it, it wouldn’t get done this year. So, what happened to the impact fees.
There may be a reasonable explanation, and I’d really like to hear it.
Comment by Bill — August 6, 2008 @ 11:54 am