Hot Potato: The FY 2008 Budget

What do you do with a hot potato? You toss it to the next person! Remember that game from when we were kids?

The problem is....that we're not kids anymore, and the FY2008 is as hot as a hot potato can get. The mayor has delivered up an irresponsible budget, chock full of generous raises (even a step raise for an employee who hadn't even been with the city a year yet, and wasn't budgeted for in the FY2007 budget!)and new hires...while relying heavily on one-time fixes to push the budget under the tax levy. According to the auditor, the budget was initally delivered more than 2.5 million dollars OVER the tax levy.

One time fixes, however, are not sustainable as a sound, long-term financial policy for the city.

The Board of Aldermen voted last week to cut the budget by 3%, amidst competing opinions as to whether they can cut from the bottom line or if they have to cut the budget line by line. The jury is out on that...but the Common Council takes up the budget tonight. They have one more chance to do a difficult but necessary job . . . take a cold hard look at this budget and make it work for the taxpayers.

Let's hope they do the right thing. Cut the budget! Get this done now. This budget isn't fair to the taxpayers of this city, who have already seen their taxes go up 26.8% during the last fiscal year. The hard-working citizens of this city deserve far better than financial ruin. This administration has worked overtime during the past 18 months to blame the former mayor, but that ship has sailed. This is their second year in office and it is inexcusable to lay this at anyone else's door but that of the current mayor, John Hanlon.

We hope the Common Council will do the right thing and cut this budget to the bone.