-----Original Message----- From: michael libby ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) Someone explain to me why we're in the process of tearing down a working facility without a plan for its replacement. How many years will the library block sit as a surface parking lot while this gets hashed out?
[TB] Give it 10 .... just a bit more than the number of years the city plans to take to "Bring property-tax supported expenditures, including past deficits, into line with reasonably available revenues by 2010 while at the same time preserving as much of the current service level in core city businesses as possible." (Michelle Mensing (9 Oct 2002) [Libby] I'll be very disappointed if the rest of my daughter's childhood memories of the library are of some slipshod "interim" library. At least the children's section is carpeted, and rather presentable. [TB] OMG, that's it ... again it's "for the kids" that tired worn out reason of why somebody else should spend all of our money. Maybe with a little .... (censored). BTW, the Greens tell me its an overpopulated world, maybe somebody needs to have fewer kids. But the real question is this: Why does the City Council find a need to micro-manage the Library and why is the Library Board letting them do it? We elect a Library Board to run the library, they're specialists in the library system. The city council has the job of trash and sewers. For the council members who want to manage the library, next election, run for Library Board. Until then work on sewers and trash. And for you council members who think you can't give up the council for something else, it was even done not that long ago. Remember Walt Dziedzic? He moved on to the Park Board. Minneapolis should adopt the St. Paul model and not raise property taxes. While we're being fiscally responsible, don't bond (i.e. send the kid's the bill) for the deficit in the city pension plans. Let the city do what each of us needs to do on an individual basis: Live within our means (hint: that means cash going out can't exceed cash coming in plus whatever cash we had to start with). If the city doesn't have any money why is the mayor proposing that the number of IT employees go up over 25% from 81.85 to 103.1 FTEs http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/citywork/city-coordinator/finance/services-budget/docs/budgetbook2003/Section6.pdf#page=61 And does it really take 81 people to run the city IT department? Me thinks a 10% increase in the IT budget is a bit much when the budgets are tight. Okay everyone ... find some unneeded spending in the city budget and help out the mayor and council by letting them know. Hmmm ... maybe the council has a strategy in this library delay stuff. Maybe, just maybe, they figure that if they delay the library until Block E gets paid for, people will go to the Block E book store and keep it in business so that the city doesn't get stuck with an empty Block E (again). No ... that gives them to much credit, they're not that creative. Then Lydia Howell comes along and says: "There's something really obscene about buying a billionaire a stadium,while short-changing kids..." [TB] See what I told you, the problem is all these kids. Hey folks: No more kids!! Now explain to me why its better to spend money on your kid than some billionaire. At least the billionaire behaves him/herself in public. [Howell] Given the big cuts to public schools this year ($35M to Mpls alone & yet another tuition hike for UM students), based on budget shortfall, [TB] You've been listening to the teachers union to much. A quick look at the Minnesota Department of CHILDREN (that's kids) Families and Learning website squashes that myth. ESTIMATED REVENUES, 1998-99 TO 2002-03 http://cfl.state.mn.us/dpf/Endof2002SessionFIVEYR.xls Budget Year Mpls Amt. FY 1999 396,368,533 FY 2000 426,713,222 FY 2001 442,746,031 FY 2002 CURRENT 445,811,733 FY 2003 CURRENT 448,299,939 Clearly the rate of increase has gone down, but there is more money this year than last year or the year before that or .... Okay, MPS didn't get as much money as they wanted (I don't know how much they really need) but then alot of us don't get everything we want. Terrell Brown Loring Park (where 2000 census data says there are 191 people age 14 and under (2.5% of the total population) if the rest of the city could meet that standard we wouldn't have the education funding problem. And BTW 62.5% of the population is in the kid producing age range of 20-44) __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Faith Hill - Exclusive Performances, Videos & More http://faith.yahoo.com _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
