Jim Graham makes some strong points about the importance of maintaining adequate resources for public safety, especially in our neighborhoods that are already vulnerable to drugs, gangs and other crime.
However, it's also important to note that out of the $260 million dollar general fund for 2003 (pre-recent cuts), the budget for police is $98 million and for fire is $44 million. Public works is next in line at $38 million. Police takes up 38% of the general fund budget. The big three take up 70% of the general fund budget. That means when you're talking about $20 million cuts, there's just no way you can get there without including those departments. Here's one question I have, though. Does anyone know how judgments against the City are paid for? For example, if we had a situation like St. Paul where the city inspectors were charged with harassing a business owner and that person was awarded a million bucks, where does that money come from? Does it come out of inspections or is there some contingency fund for stuff like that? If the latter, I wonder what kind of impact it might have on rogue inspectors or maybe thumpers on the MPD if those judgments were charged back to the department that were guilty of them? Does anyone else think we'd have less of a problem with police brutality if the MPD had to pay those lawsuit awards out of its own budget? I'll bet that would make more of the good cops be a bit more willing to stand up to the "bad apples" and keep them in line so they don't get laid off next time one of the thumpers loses his temper. Mark Snyder Windom Park TEMPORARY REMINDER: 1. Send all posts in plain-text format. 2. Cut as much of the post you're responding to as possible. ________________________________ 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
