where do I start?

OK, so here's how I sees it...

these are the only priorities of a budget for any elected government body.
priority 1) Public Safety
priority 2) Infrastructure
priority 3) Trade and Commerce

cut every thing else. leave the rest of it up to us individuals to take care of ourselves.

we should never be having to vote on whether or not to raise taxes for Police, Fire or EMS.
that should be the first spending priority.

Same goes for removating and expanding our infrastructure

Commerce will benefit from eliminating regulations.

We should then vote on increasing funding to parks, museums etc. or other nonessential spending. not on public safety items.

so, cut all non essential spending to start and let the voters decide what to add...
did I neglect to mention that I am a hardliner when it comes to spending?

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You better laugh at yourself,
Everyone else is.

www.parkenfarkergroup.blogspot.com

OK ANDY...
If you open your eyes and squeeze once instead of pray and spray you would have less hamburger and more lovely vennison steak...

or is that prey and spray...I forget.

---

You better laugh at yourself,
Everyone else is.

www.parkenfarkergroup.blogspot.com

Thanks Brat, I was going to suggest that to Andy. Public records are just that; "public" with the exception of personnel, property negotiations and litigation and maybe some that I don't know about; all else is available.

I recently traveled to Seattle for a Mediation session that ended up going an extra day. Mayor Pike immediately filed with one of the "cheap hotels" online sources and got us a cheap room for the extra night. He and saved the COB several hundred bucks. This Mayor is not Mark. If Mark were to answer that charge he might say that he used his own frequent flyer miles to get the upgrade. For what it's worth in my thirty years with the COB, 19 of it on Fire administrative staff, I know of no time that anyone in the COB employ flew anywhere "first, or even business" class.

Damon,
I hope folks take up the challenge. I'd like to start by suggesting that the Police and Fire departments turn in their SUV's for Hybrid's. We seldom need four wheeled drive and they have the manpower to chain up for those few times. I also think the COB has lot's of vehicles that are oversized for their current uses and down sizing could save funds. In the defense of the COB Equipment Rental division of Public Works, they do keep vehicles for a lengthy useful life. When I was at Fire in the nineties the COB routinely bought me a new vehicle every three or four years when I often had less than 20 K on them. They would then suffle them to another department like a building inspector but they often sold sedan's with low miles too.

Lastly, anyone can say things like listing 1, 2, 3, priorities being public safety, EMS, etc. It's a lot harder to go to an existing department and find "fat" and defend it's being cut. Years ago someone decided that copiers were costing too much city-wide so they pulled them all and declared that clerical staff could come to City Hall daily to do their copying. What a pain that was and, since employee costs are our largest expense by a huge margin, it didn't take long to figure out that it saved money to have copiers spread out to departments outside of City Hall. It was an expensive lesson, so let's be sure "before" we cut so that we really do save taxpayers in the long run.

Useless?? Front wheel drive is hardly useless. The city and county both run a fleet of hybrids and are quite happy with them.
It's too bad that Medic One doesn't have a single 4x4 Ambulance. Problem with having one of something is that it's usually not where you want it when you need it. The medic units have "spot chains" that get them around most places. Drifting snow in the county causes everyone trouble.
My thought with the Battalion Chief's 4x4 units is that keeping them would be a good thing, especially if they could be converted to 'relocate" patients during inclement weather. Same problem, they are out trying to find someone that needs transportation and they get a fire call and can't respond to their first responsibility.

(I'm not sure if the Hybrid Technology is that good yet for 4x4 units) I have a friend with a Toyota Highlander and loves it.

Remember when Bellingham sold off their plows to save money?
It cost the county folks access when county trucks and plows were reassigned to the City.
Bellingham was plowed before our fire district and other outlying fire districts were plowed.
Did Bellingham ever purchase new plows or are they still using our county plows?

Bellingham sold off their plow attachements to their dump trucks, then several years later we had a series of major snow falls and they bought three or four plow blades with readily attach to their dump trucks. I don't recall the County plowing in the city. North of the Smith road most always has way more snow and drifting snow than we get in town. What I remember is that since the city didn't have plows they just let the snow pile up on the roads and that caused the outrage that forced Public Works to buy the plow units in use today.

I'd not be thinking of hybrids for police cruisers although my friends Highlander develops three hundred horse power when the engine and motor are at maximum output. It plants you in the seat big time.