Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Last Minute State Funding Fuels GR Spending in Spite of Economic Turmoil

GR Commissioners Spending Spree Leads to Accusations of Closed Door Management
by ChuckyDaniels
June 9, 2009

Today's Grand Rapids City budget proceedings provided a glimpse into the just how bad we have it as tax paying residents. The tax-happy mentality continues to swell and resonate from GR city hall. In fact (and I say this w/ tribulation) Mayor Heartwell was the lone voice of fiscal responsibility when City Fiscal Director Scott Buhrer announced the city may, in fact, receive $1.3 million more in state revenue
, which apparently was not expected entering the meeting. The commissioners had no problem spending it, and did so without debate, which raises and eyebrow. How could they spend $1.3million so quick and without public debate? More on that in a bit.

Mayor Heartwell urged commissioners to be frugal with newly discovered tax payer dollars, but his advice fell on deaf ears. With a hole in their pocket the commission ordered the reappointment of two additional fire fighter and reopening of three city pools for 2010.

A comment posted to Grand Rapids Press writer Jim Harger's story (posted at 12:43pm on mlive.com/grpress) accuses Commissioners of withholding the budget information during contract negotiations.

One commenter said: "Of course they found money, they do every time the unions settle a contract. Each and every time the City claims they have no money, and when the unions settle - and take their lumps in the chin, the city discovers more money."

The accusation suggests that government transparency is being ignored and that Commissioners and city staff are withholding knowledge of pending state funds while at the negotiating table with labor, which paints a far bleaker budget scenario and stacks the deck in favor of our government. The mysterious and sudden resurfacing at the final minute should beg the question, how long has
City Fiscal Director Scott Buhrer been withholding this information; and were the city commissioners aware of the money prior to the meeting? Judging by the swift and decisive allocation of all $1.3 million, I'd put my money on both.

I must voice an alternative protest as well. How is it that police, fire and basic infrastructure are always threatened during budget crunch time? Just today the Commissioners voted to demote five fire captains down to lieutenants while reducing the amount of battalion chiefs to one per shift. This would have been a logical move to releive the burden on taxpayers even if our city budget was in a surplus. This is lean management at its finest, and ensuring money is well spent is the main function of government.

Yet all the conversations involving budget cuts will continue to be directed toward our protective services like GR Police and Fire, as well as our basic infrastructure. In fact, already there is talk of raising the gas tax in order to fund our roads. DON'T BE FOOLED. The surfacing of today's political tactic regarding the mysterious State allocation of $1.3 million exposes our commissioners... the city is hiding knowledge of incoming dollars in order to scare voters into supporting higher taxes.

What The Press hasn't acknowledged are the federal stimulus dollars we're recieving ($3.5 million) to aid in road repairs. That money is currently being used on Bridge Street, Lake Drive, Scribner, Leonard, Breton, Fuller, Hall and Turner.

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