A $70,000 Laser. I couldn’t think of a better expenditure for a city during a recession.
Tax receipts down. Who cares.
5,000 jobs loss. Whatever.
Commercial construction down 50% from last year. It doesn’t matter.
I was looking at the Sioux Falls budget report yesterday and I found the final numbers, interesting, to say the least. While most cities are cutting like crazy the city of Sioux Falls is gearing up to SPEND MORE. $89 million more. And it is only April! Many of the expenditures are carry over from the previous year, but really? During a recession the city wants to spend MORE instead of LESS?
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Okay, I am not surprised, but where is our MSM on this?
I combed thru the 22 page document to see if I could find anything ‘glaring’. I only found one thing (well two*), $33 million for rail relocation. Though I support the project, I don’t think taxpayer’s should foot the entire bill. I think we should use Eminent Domain to force the RR out, and pay them market value for the land. They can figure out the rest. Either way, it is 10 years overdue. *I also got a chuckle out of the Parks and Rec buying a $70,000 laser. Because during down times, you can always fall back on crappy free entertainment at Falls Park.
So once again, I ask, where is the MSM? You would think if the city was spending a cool $33 million to move the tracks, it would be a HUGE news story. Nope. Nothing. Nada.
So the RR relocation is $33 million. So what is the rest? My guess is that contractors have been begging for work, and since the private sector is deader then a doornail, they want the city to pony up.
Don’t believe me? The rumor is the tree trimming contractors are the ones pushing Project TRIM, because no one else is hiring. So my assumption is the contractors are doing the same by pressuring the city planning office for work.
Is it a city’s job to help out private industry. Yes, in some cases it is. Like deregulation and tax increments. But when it is work that can wait, taxpayers concerns should come first. It seems these days when the private sector is in trouble they want a bailout, even in Sioux Falls, but when the working stiff is in trouble, government tells him to go to Hell.
My bad,
$37 million NOT $33 million for RR relocation.
Speaking of tree trimming, the mental giants working on a few parts of my street decided it would be a good idea to chop off some of the major roots of a very large maple tree down the street from my house in order to improve the curb. I wonder how much it will cost for them to come back and remove the tree after it dies – or better (worse?) yet – when it falls over, blocks the street, and crushes a car and a house.
Well if it dies, the homeowner will need to pay to have it removed, and if it falls on a house or car, the homeowner’s insurance will pay the tab.
Duh!
Funny you bring that up. When I went to the public meeting for Project TRIM, one of the attendees mentioned that while the city was fixing a pipe they messed with the tree in the blvd. The result was the tree begin to lean and the roots popped the sidewalk up. So you would think since the city messed with a city owned tree and damaged the city owned sidewalk that the homeowner wouldn’t be responsible. Nope. The solution offered by the foresty manager? He said he would give the guy a permit (for free) to cut the tree down. Nice, huh?
This seems to be rather hit and miss. I have a friend who lives in an area they were doing sewer repairs a few years ago and because they had to dig up the road and remove a large quantity of the roots from one of “his” trees, they told him it would likely die and need to be removed.
Since he didn’t have any objections (and had plans to remove it himself anyway since it had a large branch that was threatening to fall off onto his house) the city not only cut down the tree, but they ground the stump and hauled it away too. He figures he saved around $1500 by letting them do it for him.
They are ‘Hit and miss’ about it. They did the same for one of my neighbors (even though he didn’t want them to cut it down) the roots were in the sewer line. I don’t think they have a ‘real’ policy. I just think they do it when they feel like it. And if they can get the homeowner to pony up, they will.