City Council Ignores Budget
From John Hammer at The Rhino Times:
The Greensboro City Council is so bored with the budget that it is all interim City Manager Denise Turner Roth can do to get the council together in one room to hear a presentation. There has been virtually no discussion on the vast majority of the city budget this year.
The budget that the council passes this month is essentially the budget that Roth and her staff developed without much council participation or interest.
One thing is certain, the economy may not be good where you’re sitting, but it is great at city hall. For the second year in a row, employees of the City of Greensboro will get a raise. There is no telling at this point how many employees will get a $28,000 raise like Assistant City Manager Mike Speedling received this year, but it could be a few. The city is also implementing parts of the compensation study it recently received. The study, to no one’s surprise, said that city employees were underpaid. It’s remarkable. You have to wonder if in the history of government a compensation study has ever reported that government employees were overpaid. If so, that study should be at the Smithsonian, because it is a rare treasure.
The primary reason I supported Robbie Perkins for mayor was his presumed ability to tackle the budget and make tough decisions in light of our troubled economy. It never occurred to me he lacked the inclination to do so. So far this year, all council has discussed is how to build a performing arts center. Meanwhile, city staff is left to do as it pleases. They will have no one but themselves to blame when they are voted out of office for a slate of budget-cutting conservatives.
I voted for Bush once. I voted for Obama once. I can forgive you for voting for Perkins once.
Thanks. It looks like I’ll vote for Romney once.
Romney is Obama light. But I’ll forgive you anyway.
I can’t speak for all council but I know Nancy Vaughan takes her job serious but you need 5 to get things done.