Before we get to the ‘tree scam’ proposed by the city, first a little back and forth between the city councilors;
“It’s been embarrassing as a citizen to watch previous leadership,” Councilor Michelle Erpenbach said.
“Last year’s budget was totally ridiculous,” Councilor Jim Entenman said.
“Remember, Jim, there’s a couple people here who voted on that ridiculous budget,” Councilor Greg Jamison said.
Oh, but councilor Staggers was such a bad guy, you know, the boogey man of responsible spending, now all of sudden everyone is a fiscal conservative now that the bottom dropped out of the economy. Yet Erpenbach supports funding the Zoo, and Entenman supported raising sales taxes to build an Events Center. Sorry folks, can’t have it both ways. Either you support spending tax money on taxpayer needs, or you don’t.
The first cut the council discussed Tuesday was the elimination of the street tree removal program, which removes dead or diseased trees from rights-of-way.
The $60,000 program will be discontinued under the 2011 budget proposal.
So who does our mayor propose pay for this program? Kinda sounds like he wants to use the same unconstitutional city ordinance that forces people to trim city owned trees to force people to pay for the removal of the city owned trees. So I ask you again, Mike, who do you suppose pay for dead tree removal? The Feds? The County? Because it sure as Hell shouldn’t be property owners who don’t own the property.