February 14, 2012
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The city commission will hold a public hearing regarding the city’s 2010 budget at 7 p.m. Thursday night at Timmerman Elementary, 2901 Timmerman Dr. , to hear the opinions of members of the community.
Steve_Corbin (anonymous) says...
Bet there is less than 2 dozen people there.
July 30, 2009 at 3:01 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
kcfan (anonymous) says...
Bet your right! There are more "important" things to do in Emporia tonight - don't 'cha know that its wrist band nite at the Free Fair? Why do they call it a free fair? I about died when I found out how much money it would cost to buy one of those silly bands.
July 30, 2009 at 3:20 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
giggles (anonymous) says...
Hey I want to copy the revised city budget, but the only one I can find is this 87 page version online. Anyone got the condensed version? Thanks!
July 30, 2009 at 4:32 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
methusla (anonymous) says...
giggles,
There may be a condensed version available at the public budget hearing being held to night at 7:00 p.m. .
July 30, 2009 at 4:36 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
methusla (anonymous) says...
Are you going to be at the budget meeting ?
I plan on being there !
July 30, 2009 at 4:37 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
giggles (anonymous) says...
I do plan on being there! I just thought 87 pages was a bit excessive for my printer to handle.
July 30, 2009 at 4:40 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Steve_Corbin (anonymous) says...
SO HOW DID IT GO?
July 30, 2009 at 10:29 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
reddog (K. B. Thomas Jr.) says...
i asked one of the commissioners why it costs 666,000 to administer the water fund which is 18 per cent of gross sales. i remember one commisioner saying to the previous city manager if he would please arrange the accounting system so that a businessman could understand it. last week i called the accounting department and was told that we have the same accounting system as we had in 1999. at one time the city was using the water fund to run the city much like the government uses social security to run the government. i have long suspicioned that a part of the water fund is being diverted to other areas. if this is true, this is a concealed tax on the poor people of our community. this needs to be looked into because the city is saying that this water fund is an enterprise fund which means it should opperate like a business but no business can make a profit by paying out 666,000 in administration fees so i would suggest to privatize it.
July 31, 2009 at 1:47 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
reddog (K. B. Thomas Jr.) says...
the city manager and the mayor both stated that they were making a pledge to the voters. i told them that only twenty per cent of the voters voted in the last election and if they would be so kind to extend their pledge to all taxpayers.
July 31, 2009 at 2:01 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
biscuitboy (anonymous) says...
Therein lies much of the rub......the lack of voter turnout. I often wonder how much of the wailing and gnashing of teeeth about the way the city is run on these boards is made by people that didn't even get up off their lazy keisters to go vote?
I also wonder how much different things might be if people other than those with a friend running for office in local elections actually voted. It's too bad people who voted can't somehow be implanted with a magetic strip that made them the only ones capeable of complaining about the operation of government.
July 31, 2009 at 4:23 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
biscuitboy (anonymous) says...
That's suppossed to be magnetic....and teeth....not teeeeeeth.
July 31, 2009 at 4:26 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
giggles (anonymous) says...
I went. After trying to take it all in and analyze some of the things, there is still much I question. I still wonder why they don't give figures for the golf course, JAC, the zoo, and parks separating out the expenditures and revenues for each.
I also understand that people love the municipal band and the fireworks display, but why not during the parades and other community events doesn't someone go around asking the community for their donations for that great display or to hear the band?
Many schools require community service as a requirement for graduation. Why doesn't the city tap into that source for things like park upkeep? There are plenty of students, I think that mowing and other upkeep could be handled during the entire summer if they got that sort of thing going.
I noticed some people get pretty edgy when you bring up the golf course. I know it is a nice thing for the city, and I guess potential business may find it attractive, but the bottom line for me is whether the benefit outweighs the cost.
I have heard that people have had problems with the manager, and was wondering if more people in town would golf if management changed hands? Just curious...
July 31, 2009 at 11:15 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
methusla (anonymous) says...
I also attended the budget meeting. The City Manager and City Commissioners seem to have managed to balance the budget and even show a $13,000 surplus. But I too like reddog still have some questions and doubts about some expenditures I still believe are not needed at this time.
The one thing that amazed me was when I questioned the absolute need for landscaping of the highway entrances to the City, how that riled some in the audience and how it was explained that this expenditure was thought of some 6 or 7 years ago ! If that is the case, I question why, if this was such an important project to sell the City to visitors, tourists, businesses or industries, why was it not done at that time, when the City may have had the money and revenue to do it then, when the economy was much better ! Oh, thats right a clock tower was more important.
Almost all of the Commissioners admitted that the Citys revenues are down drastically and yet see fit to spend $100,500 on the landscaping of the highway entrances.
I suspect that such projects are being pushed for by the certain factions in Emporia that desire and dream of Emporia being a huge metropolis such as K.C., Wichita, Lawrence, Topeka, etc. and want it to happen immediatly or overnight.
I too want to see Emporia grow and prosper, but not at the expense of the City or its people going bankrupt in the process.
I may not attend the last and final budget hearing, as I believe it would be a moot effort .
As far as the Commission being able to hold the line on no mil levy increase.
I certainly hope that every expediture that is listed is an absolutely locked in price for signed contract work or purchases or there holding the line on any mil levy increase may be difficult to achieve !
And I certainly hope every piece of contracted work, every purchase is thourghly inspected as work done as specified, with all materials used and in place as specified and all purchased items are exactly as advertised and work or perform satisfactorly before any moneys are paid out.
July 31, 2009 at 12:52 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )