deja vu all over again?

There was NOBODY asking any questions of substance except Mr Dotson. Garcia said, as usual, that we must keep the pool open year-round NO MATTER what it costs, as usual. He doesnt care HOW much WE pay, as it not like its HIS 200k subsidizing that private business! Again, STILL, no semblance of any sign of fiscal responsibility on ANY of the Councilmen's part, except Dotson. Youngs DID question the golf operation as it is projected that they will lose 190k in this FY. The spoke about holding off on new purchases. Youngs DID say he was a tleast somewhat troubled by the trend of the golf course toward greater losses, as the whole idea of backing the new gym was that they could afford to do it IF the golf course was breaking even, or even had losses under 100k. If the Councils whole concept of paying for the new gym was predicated on the golf course breaking even, that isnt happening. This sounds eerily familiar, as big losses at the CC was the reason why it was given to Mr Santana for a song, to subsidize HIS private business! Can it be that we are heading the same way with the golf course? Is it possible that they will decide that the losses at the golf course are intolerable AGAIN, and give that city resource to a private business to run, at OUR expense? The Council and City DOES have a track record of giving away city facilities and resources that have been horribly mismanaged to private entities for THEIR benefit at the taxpayers expense! Could it be deja vu all over again?

deficit spending, no problem

On average, U.S. cities saw spending jump 3% in 2007, while tax revenues remained flat, according to the National League of Cities' annual report. Nearly two-thirds of city officials polled by the league expect revenues to take a larger hit this year, as tax bases continue to shrink and businesses contract. "Any form of government that has a heavy reliance on property tax is going to face massive budget shortfalls," says Matt Moon, a spokesman at the Tax Foundation, a nonprofit tax research group. It appears that we are NOT the only idiots who are spending more while taking in LESS. This is of little comfort to the beleaguered taxpayers in the Springs. Can it be that our city officials are NOT worried about their deficit spending because THEIR paychecks wont be affected, and they just plan on continuing to raise our taxes and fees to pay for their stupidities/cluelessness/corruption?

pool mis-management continues

While the pool and the Rec Dept are not intended to be profitable centers, it is also not intended to lose 300k per year, especially when losses can be easily minimized. The pool is not designed to be paid for by the residents and used by mostly nonresidents for THEIR profit. The deficits at the pool have been growing every year and, in these difficult times, needs to be closed down from September thru June, which will save us $200,000. The six Springs kids on the swim team can use any of the nearby pools to develop their skills. This is just common sense, something that City management has a severe shortage of. Horrible mismanagement continues.