Friday, February 5, 2010

Let the Budget Process Begin

Let the Budget Process begin with a goal toward making some tough decisions.....

"Sorry, but I think that $133,333 per officier is a little pricy. I agree something should have been done years ago! What is the total assessed value of the down town corridor in question?

Thanks"

(a concerned citizen and business owner)
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"Don't let their words remove the effective pressure that's been brought to bear. Keep the painful pressure on. This is no time to reward good intentions. They've always had good intentions. FOLLOW THROUGH...ADD to the pressure now...don't lessen it! These bureaucratic idiots will stroke you till the cows come home. Their PROMISES mean less than nothing!!!

The only reason they're acting at all, is that citizens have finally had enough, and are making them pay for their foolishness."

(a frustrated citizen and taxpayer)
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"Simply put from my perspective funding public safety comes down to:

Logic
Common sense
Obligation
Prioritization
Commitment
Productivity
Sacrifice

Safety, utilities, and transportation are the backbone of a healthy society.

The neglect over the years and the resulting reputation Eugene has on the West Coast will take years to rebuild.

It needs to start now and aggressively move forward.

Considering there are no budget committee members residing north of the Willamette river something needs to be done to establish balanced and non-biased representation."

(observations and suggestions from a taxpayer and citizen)
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Serenity Lane says:

"Although most patients relapse (estimated to be 75-85%), and those with dual diagnosis tend to relapse more frequently, they will get better if they keep coming back for help...treatment works!" "Continue Treatment Despite Relapses."

(question is who should be responsible for payment for these continued services per individual?)
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"By the way, I thought I should mention that "Data Led Policing" is just the city getting a new software program and trying to lead people to believe this is something new.

Police Officers have been directing their efforts in areas of high crime for decades. This is nothing new, just a new name and a new software program to get people to shut up about crime problems for a while.

That's my humble opinion. I don't think it's right. We need to be more honest with citizens. Sure this new program might help the Police get the data a little quicker and help to be a little more efficient, but if you don't have the officers to support it, it means nothing.

But it sure sounds good on the news and with the citizens!"

"If I were the Chief of Police, I would tell the citizens this is what we can do with the resources we have. We are happy to continue to provide this level of service. If you want this higher level of service..this is what we need and this is how much it will cost. If not, we will continue doing what we are doing and try to make some modifications to do it more efficiently. But buying a software program and ...well I don't need to go over that again. "

(a concerned citizens' viewpoint)
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"To the Eugene Budget Committee

I believe that the first priority of any government is to provide public safety for its citizens. The situation in downtown Eugene that has been publicized over the last few months is an example of what can happen when too little attention is paid to small problems. These small problems that have not been addressed have grown and festered and have become bigger and bigger problems. The crime statistics show Eugene's crime rate is leading Oregon and most of the other similar size cities.

If the goal of the City Government of Eugene is make the downtown area a vibrant and economically important area, then the issues of panhandling, begging, public drunkenness, public urination, unchecked graffiti and the like must be contained.

As a business person I will tell you that investment in an area like downtown Eugene is not a smart move unless these problems are addressed in a meaningful way,. This does not mean lip service.

Solving these problems,of course, will cost money for more police, prosecution and incarceration facilities. I strongly urge that the Budget Committee put significant funding into the cleanup of downtown Eugene."

(a concerned taxpaying citizen)
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Did you know that last years City of Eugene budget included approximately $200,000 to feed staff, council, Mayor, and volunteers who chose to meet during the noon lunch hour or during dinner time. That equates to almost two additional police officers to work crime in Eugene. This does not seem to be a prudent use of taxpayers dollars given our current economic crisis. We are hopeful that this years budget committee will be more prudent and will focus on zero based budgeting and that the Council will provide a list of priorities for spending and when the revenues no longer cover the priority list then the remaining expenses are discontinued. Seems simple but the results have not been very positive in the past. Perhaps this Council, this Mayor and this Budget Committee can work harder to make those difficult decisions and that our Safety will be the first priority.

EugeneAdvocates for a Clean City