Dec 8 Council Meeting -continued

Although not on the original agenda , City Administrator Dashield have a power point presentation about the expenditures that drive the budget.At the scheduled special meeting Monday the 15th he will present an overview of the source of revenues,including the state allocations,as well as his estimate for the 2009 year

The original agenda for the meeting was the adoption of changes in the original budget and on the 22nd also at a 7 PM special meeting the budget was to be accepted.However because the state has delayed its special allocation meeting the above time table can not be met.

Dashield also recommended that a provisional estimate for taxes be adopted on the 15th in order that 1st quarter tax bills could be sent out by the Feb. 1 date.

To meet a zero increase budget he noted that 74 across the board jobs would have to be eliminated. To see the breakdown, go to and open Councilman Burney's blog. There is a link to it on "Clips".

Dashield remarked that the unions were approached but were uninterested in making some financial concession from the provisions of their contracts. It is remarkable how short sighted and self interested some unions can be in times of economic distress. In the world of big business their unions have recognized the need for "give backs", or to accept loss of jobs. There have been adjustments in Health Insurance premium payments as well as postponing mandatory raises.

Union contracts can be voided with company bankruptcy. Municipalities can also go bankrupt. That is an uncharted road, but I am sure that some communities will resort to that course out of desperation. Time will tell, but a decreasing pool of taxpayers can not continue to support larger increases in their taxes.