Posted on 02/01/2010 11:27:55 AM PST by worst-case scenario
COLORADO SPRINGS — This tax-averse city is about to learn what it looks and feels like when budget cuts slash services most Americans consider part of the urban fabric.
More than a third of the streetlights in Colorado Springs will go dark Monday. The police helicopters are for sale on the Internet. The city is dumping firefighting jobs, a vice team, burglary investigators, beat cops — dozens of police and fire positions will go unfilled.
The parks department removed trash cans last week, replacing them with signs urging users to pack out their own litter.
Read more: http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_14303473#ixzz0eJXAz9A8
(Excerpt) Read more at denverpost.com ...
That letter is AWESOME!!!
You make excellent points on the differences of IT needs for municipal services vs. a luxury hotel as regards scope and complexity. Taking that into account, a good audit could probably find ways to streamline, especially with an eye towards personnel redundancies among the departmental functions.
Maybe now is a good time for a redefinition of essential services ...
Cops, firemen, lights, trash, etc. are essential.
Parks, libraries, etc. are NOT.
Education ... debatable.
If the localities in this country provided only essential services ... we’d be a lot better off.
SnakeDoc
"Taking that into account, a good audit could probably find ways to streamline, especially with an eye towards personnel redundancies among the departmental functions."
Also look for custom in-house designed and maintained software that could effectively be replaced with off-the-shelf commercial software.....seen that MANY times during my career.
That's true, but it's not necessarily easy.
We tend to forget that city bureaucracies tend to build up over decades. The problems with restructuring in an environment like that are manifold; not just because of turf protection (which is a real issue), but also because the governmental entities are more like an organism than a set of well-defined departments -- it's often difficult to tell where one department stops and the next one starts.
That's true, but it's not necessarily easy.
We tend to forget that city bureaucracies tend to build up over decades. The problems with restructuring in an environment like that are manifold; not just because of turf protection (which is a real issue), but also because the governmental entities are more like an organism than a set of well-defined departments -- it's often difficult to tell where one department stops and the next one starts.
Your opinions on what is "essential" mark you as a fellow who may well have rooted for Potter over Bailey in It's a Wonderful Life.... As it happens, your knowledge of Colorado Springs is somewhat lacking.
Cops, firemen, lights, trash, etc. are essential.
Cops, firemen, etc. I agree. However, trash pickup is done by private companies -- there has been no municipal trash service in Colorado Springs for many decades: it is clearly not an essential government function, though the government has a vested interest in ensuring that trash gets collected somehow.
Parks, libraries, etc. are NOT.
Parks are an essential part of any livable city.
Ben Franklin and a long line of others would reject your characterization of whether or not libraries are essential. But as it happens, the Pikes Peak Library district is not part of the city government and therefore not at issue in this discussion. It's a separate organization, paid for by its own tax district. It is very well-run.
Education ... debatable.
I'd suggest you take up the question of public education with Mr. Jefferson, who favored it. And, as it happens, the Colorado Springs area school districts (there are several) are also not paid for out of the Colorado Springs city budget.
“If a playground burns down, I can’t replace it,” Schroeder said.
How does a “playground” burn down? Do you set fire to the jungle gym?? Torch a backboard? A molitov cocktail in the sand box?
We went to the same playground 3 times, as I remember, to put out the plastic/fiberglass play set. Some pyro kept setting it on fire.
Fiscal responsibility and tight budgets is always the goal. Some street lights being shut off is not gonna have a serious effect on anyones lives. Once tax receipts start to increase, the city budget will get a boost.
Absolutely on point about bureaucracies in general. Your comment on turf protection reminded me of "Office Space" when the consultants were trying to streamline and follow the work flow.
"But I have people skills, dammit!"
Well if the Springs weren’t paying outrageous benefits to their unionized workers then it wouldn’t be so ‘tough’.
>> Your opinions on what is “essential” mark you as a fellow who may well have rooted for Potter over Bailey in It’s a Wonderful Life.... As it happens, your knowledge of Colorado Springs is somewhat lacking.
I’ve been to Colorado Springs once. I was speaking generally. Second — non-essential services should be privatized, its as simple as that. I’m not anti-park, anti-library, etc. ... I just don’t think it should be the focus of government to build playgrounds.
>> However, trash pickup is done by private companies — there has been no municipal trash service in Colorado Springs for many decades: it is clearly not an essential government function, though the government has a vested interest in ensuring that trash gets collected somehow.
Fair enough. Private is fine — the city has an interest.
>> Parks are an essential part of any livable city.
So, trash can be privatized ... and parks cannot be? Come on. I’m all for pretty spaces for people to frolic ... but why must they be the purview of city government?
>> Ben Franklin and a long line of others would reject your characterization of whether or not libraries are essential. But as it happens, the Pikes Peak Library district is not part of the city government and therefore not at issue in this discussion. It’s a separate organization, paid for by its own tax district. It is very well-run.
Like I said ... I was speaking generally. I don’t live in Colorado. As for libraries — people can buy books. If places want to rent them out, like videos, fine by me. I don’t see why the government needs to be involved.
>> I’d suggest you take up the question of public education with Mr. Jefferson, who favored it.
I said they were debatable. Certainly some measure of privatization would be worthwhile.
SnakeDoc
Actually, the Springs rejected a millage levy increase in their property last November.
A lot of thqt terrain is straight up and helos aint particularly good for those areas
Wrong. These bureaucracies build up because we have allowed city, state, and federal employees to become unionized. Fire em all and start over.
Have you ever been to a private city park? I've never even heard of one.
As it happens, though, there is a city ordinance dating back to the founding of the city in the 1870s that requires a certain acreage of city parks in proportion to residential areas. As a result, there are 130+ parks within the city limits, and they're a wonderful thing.
To have "privatized" parks would require somebody to buy and maintain all those parks .... to what end?
Uh, no. Utterly simplistic twaddle.
I may agree with you in principal, however how many municipalities in the United States have neighborhood parks successfully privatized for the general enjoyment?
In Colorado, local governments can be forced to divest city libraries and parks if the enough citizens petition to put the issue(s) on the next ballot.
Do not call yourself a conservative.
Yes I have seen private parks in a city. So what? A small is charged to get in to use the facilities. If you don’t want to use it then you don’t have to. If you want to use it you can. Having someone maintain the park is the responsibility of the owner. If they do a good job folks come back.
You may have heard of Lakside or Elitch Gardens? Or perhaps you have heard of Arapaho Basin or Copper Mountain. Lots of private property being used for citizen enjoyment.
‘
Seems to me you want someone else to pay for access to a lawn or picnic area.
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