Stupidest City Council EVER

$3.5 million for radio-equipped wheeled recycling carts
-- majority supports while $28 million deficit swells --New Council member Greg Harris addresses Council budget
deficit with $3,500,000 in high-tech recycling carts
This is just too good; we can’t make this stuff up!

We know this is disrespectful to our elected officials. We know we should restrain ourselves. We know this is the time when we are all supposed to be lowering the vitriol and learning how to get along – right?

But is there any other way to respond to Monday’s Committee vote? As the Enquirer reports here, City Council was supposed to meet Monday to put the finishing touches on painful cuts and layoffs to balance the City budget that is $28 million out of whack.

Instead, a majority of the nine fine fools voted to spend $3.5 million to lease high-tech recycling carts with radio transmitters. We are not kidding. We could not make this stuff up if we tried.

The radio-equipped recycling bins are designed to report automatically on who is recycling and who is not, allowing the City to incentivize those who recycle and punish those who do not. (It’s both weird and “Big Brother” all over again.)

Let’s briefly review the history of how we got into this ridiculous budget position. First, in late 2008, in the midst of the worst economic downturn in recent memory, bureaucrats backed by UC economists projected the City would see an increase in revenue of 8%. By May, City officials realized their error, projecting instead a 4% decline, resulting in a $20 million deficit. By July, that 2009 deficit had grown to $28 million and the projected 2010 deficit was over $45 million.

Instead of making real cuts, in June a Council majority violated their own rules to spend down reserves by $10 million and promised savings from furloughs of an additional $4.5 million.

Over the coming few weeks, the City’s four major labor unions sequentially rejected the furlough idea, showing that all of the City’s budget savings were illusory.

Then, since Council could not impose any fiscal discipline of its own, the City Manager announced he would unilaterally decide on the $28 million in budget cuts, primarily through layoffs. That layoff plan was first supposed to be unveiled two weeks ago, and then again this week. On Monday, as the Big Brother recycling bin plan received preliminary Council approval, the City Manager again deferred identifying layoff announcements.

Each day that passes without layoffs, the City’s budget picture worsens.

Supporting the ridiculous proposal were Council members Greg Harris, Roxanne Qualls, David Crowley, Cecil Thomas, and Laketa Cole. Standing against the almost indescribably stupidity were Council members Chris Bortz, Chris Monzel, Leslie Ghiz and Jeff Berding.

For no reason other than that we want to single him out for ridicule over his foolish budget votes, and now this ridiculous expenditure on self-monitoring recycling bins, please e-mail or call (352-5303) Council member Greg Harris. Tell him your thoughts.