Steve_Corbin (anonymous) says...

ok, this is our chance;

Everyone who posts on here about taxes, tea-bags, and run away govt. spending needs to be @ Sacred Heart School Tues. to voice your concerns to our city government. If the city has a program that you think should be cut, ( I think EDA), you should be there . If you don't think we need a visitors kisok, be there. If you are tired of tax increases and living on a fixed income, be there. If you attended either t-bag rallies, you should be there.

These meetings are hardly ever well attended and if we are not part of the process we shouldn't complain.

July 10, 2009 at 4:24 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

spectator (anonymous) says...

Some of us, rbow, are, shall we say, "somewhat under the thumb of the whims of the commissioners" a LOT more than others and it'd be suicide for us to do so. It's not about having a pair, it's a simple matter of having a job.

July 11, 2009 at 10:52 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Steve_Corbin (anonymous) says...

Spectator;

I know what you mean. At my stage in life I find it easier to say what I think without worrying so much about any repercusions. But if I were working for some of these people I would be a lot less vocal. An anonymous letter copied to each commissioner would serve the same purpose.

July 11, 2009 at 12:01 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

methusla (anonymous) says...

Also, I think the attitude of most of the towns people is, what use is it to go and voice my opinion when it won't matter anyway or their are only those few influential citizens that the City government will going to listen to and heed the wishes of those few, certain people and my voice isn't heard or considered anyway !
This is the way the City of Emporia and its public meetings have been and gone for years and years !
I am planning on attending as many of the public meetings as I possibly can .

July 12, 2009 at 8:33 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Steve_Corbin (anonymous) says...

TONIGHT

July 14, 2009 at 6:53 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

giggles (anonymous) says...

I will try to attend rbow. I agree that the city certainly holds a few people with high regard, and therefore those few have more clout. Is there a list of issues on the table besides the ones you have already stated? Is there also a list of the items that are already on the budget? I tend to forget some of the things I would object to when there are so many.

July 14, 2009 at 10:13 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

yev_kassem (anonymous) says...

Is there a link to the city budget that someone could post? It would be helpful for all who want to attend to be able to get a look at the budget before they attend the meeting.

July 14, 2009 at 11:42 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

methusla (anonymous) says...

For those who want a look at the 2009 budget proposal go to the following website. http://emporia.ws/
Then click on " For Current Draft of 2009 Budget click here "

July 14, 2009 at 11:55 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

giggles (anonymous) says...

Thanks Methusla!

July 14, 2009 at 12:06 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

spectator (anonymous) says...

methusla, last November, the commissioners and C.M. asked the employees to vote on the health care package they wanted. Then they, the commissioners and C.M., installed the one they wanted to begin with; the one that will increase employee premiums at least 20% for 2010 and another 20% for 2011. 20% minimum unless the INSURANCE COMPANY / employees have a PERFECT year with no serious claims. So yes, they will be attentive and listen and then do what they want to anyway as in the example above. Sorry to be such a downer on this but I've seen way too much of the city politics and been unable to attend, and comment, at the meetings.

July 14, 2009 at 2:12 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

create (anonymous) says...

Good point, spectator. I've seen them listen, stare into space, then do what they want to anyway. Remember when 300 people showed up for the Somali situation? Previous to that, the only member of the commission who was really interested in meeting with the public was Bobby Agler, and he showed up to the preliminary meeting to answer a few questions. Then at the big meeting, when a large crowd was there with members of other organizations, the city commissioners still just sat there mum. I also remember what it took to get that many people to attend. A forum member named "Renegade" did her darndest every single day to get people recruited and interested in attending. Were it not for her talking it up, I doubt that many would have attended.

July 14, 2009 at 2:43 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

yev_kassem (anonymous) says...

I briefly looked over that link that methusla so kindly gave us and right off the bat I noticed a big problem.

Total budgeted revenue is 15.5 million.

Total budgeted expenses is 19.3 million.

I may not be the smartest individual but 19 is more than 15. Why would we/they approve a budget that is 3.8 million below the revenue.

Regular individuals can't do this so why can governments?

They need to trim the fat somewhere. Things either need to be pushed off until next year or later or one of 2 things will happen....Either people will lose jobs or our taxes will go up.

You can't spend more than you make!!!

One other question I have is, are we reviewing the 2009 budget or the 2010 budget? The numbers I am quoting from are from the proposed 2009 budget. This might be a newsflash to some but 2009 is over half over.

July 14, 2009 at 3:22 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

create (anonymous) says...

Yeah, but what about the kiosk at the visitors' center? :(

July 14, 2009 at 3:26 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

methusla (anonymous) says...

Well, I am planning on attending the meeting. Do you suppose that they will listen to facts and figures about errors in the figures published in their budget !
I have gone over the budget proposal and found several errors in the adding of numbers and found that the TOTAL EXPENDITURES total arrived at of $ 3, 981,240 is acutally short by $321,909 dollars and the actual figure should be $4,303,149 . I believe that everyone involved in the budget process needs to go over the figures several more times and make sure that there are no errors and the figures that they are working with and presenting to the public should be correct.
No wonder the City of Emporia is in terrible shape ! Kind of makes me wonder about the Citys bookkeeping, etc
And I wonder how they are going to pay for the expenditures, when the total receipts ( income) is $886,649 less than expenditures.
I smell an increase either in services or taxes !.

July 14, 2009 at 3:34 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

giggles (anonymous) says...

I haven't been able to review it fully yet, but just a preliminary glance has me wondering how they could be considering some of the expenditures. The first one I saw were the golf course budgets. Why do they need to enlarge the pond at Hole 9? Is it essential to the running of the golf course? If there is a very good and valid reason to do this now, then maybe, but I can't see any reason as of right now. "New carpet for the golf shop." Again, is it necessary to replace it to run the business? Are the other mowers run down and broken? Perhaps this can wait. "Refurbish court room and lobby." Do they really need to? I for one don't care what it looks like when I go there to renew my tags, and I don't tend to go for any other reason usually.
I just don't see why they feel the need to spend the money on these things, when it is clear the budget won't balance.

July 14, 2009 at 4:12 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

justthinkin (anonymous) says...

Thanks for the link, methusla. I just went & looked at it, and it certainly appears that none of the current work is there. They are currently working on the 2010 Budget & holding hearings on that, not on the information posted. If you look closely, it is what is "Estimated" to be for 2008, and "Budgeted" for 2009. I can't tell if that is the final and approved budget for 2009 or just an earlier draft. It would be of interest to see how they are progressing on the 2010, but they probably think the public doesn't need to know until its a "done deal".... Face it. Public hearings are done because 1) a certain number (at least one) is REQUIRED by law, and 2) they don't want you to know what they are looking at because they really don't give a Rat's A _ _ what the public wants and doesn't want. I know, been there, done that !

July 14, 2009 at 5:42 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

methusla (anonymous) says...

I attended the City Commission budget meeting at 7 oclock this evening along with steve (rbow) and about 8 maybe 10 other people. You were provided with the 2010 proposed city budget. Right away I noticed that 2010 would start off with the City already being about 4.3 million dollars in the hole or red !
The City and County Commissioners sort of begged for help from the citizens to help them make decisions on where to make cuts either in services, etc. or whether the citizens wanted tax mill levy increases !
All the Commissioners, City and County, stated that they did not want to raise the tax mill levy, but would not commit to not having to do so and sighted several reasons for the difficulty of coming up with a viable budget with the drop in property value assesments and decreased revenue from sales taxes.
I told them that a lot of people have left Emporia because of the tax burden and I believed that if they raised the tax mil levy very much at all that action, could sound a death nell for Emporia and cause more people to leave Emporia.
I believe I could see a real concern on the faces of the Commissioners and believe that they would be very receptive to any reasonable suggestions the citizens might have about what services could be cut and the citizens would be willing to live or do without.
So I believe that if you as citizens want a say in the Citys Budget, now is the time to plan on attending the next 2 City Budget Meetings. I do believe that the Commissioners will be receptive to any suggestions you as citizens of Emporia may have.So if you want to participate in the Citys budget process, please attend both or either of the next two Public Budget Meetings and have a say in the governing process of your City !
I believe that you may be able to pick up a copy of the proposed 2010 City Budget at the City Managers Office.
Pick one up study it and attend the next public budget meeting and make recommendations and suggestions as to where to trim the budget .

July 14, 2009 at 11:18 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )