Hikes and cuts proposed in GR city budget

Maybe Heartwell should not have bought the green energy credits to the tune of $170,000 last year from "savings in other areas". This was THE most irresponsible use of the cities $$ ever!!

How about cutting off the welfare and other benefits for the illegal aliens and thier anchor babies. I wonder how much that would save?

Top dogs in EVERY department need to take the first paycut if anything.
And for the love of Pete leave the fire and police deartments alone we need them!

RollngGrnade wrote:

There are rarely any easy solutions to problems as complex as these - so I don't buy any of the bogus claims that there's some magical treasure trove of fat we can trim from the budget to solve all of our budget problems.
For what it's worth (and even though it's sacrilege to say in West Michigan), I don't mind digging a little deeper and paying more in taxes to the city to keep these vital services (like those offered by the YWCA) from being cut.
Keeping Grand Rapids a great place to live is one of the major factors that is revitalizing this side of the state by attracting investment and people who want to live and work here.

If you don't mind paying more in taxes to keep NON VITAL services like the YMCA please post your address so they can send the bill to you. The rest of us think it is a huge waste of money and want nothing to do with it...

BAH wrote:

City employees currently don't pay ANYTHING for health care benefits.$0/month. It's time they realize that those days are over, and join the rest in us having to pay monthly $ for our benefits. Once again, ignorant unions making the front page headlines. The days of making $50k+ a year with no education are over. Maybe they can just quit their City jobs, and serve me fries the next time I'm in the McDonalds drive thru.

Well lets see... I am a city employee and have a bachelor's degree. I would argue that most people I work with have bachelor's and many have master's degrees. What do you think a police officer's pay should be? Do you really want to dial 911 and get someone that makes 6 bucks an hour carrying a gun and coming to your assistance? I am hoping your making sweeping generalizations about city employees.

I'll say this one again - the city contributes nothing to my pension and also saves money by not paying into Social Security for us. While we have no weekly cost for healthcare - we have had to pay more out of pocket like everyone else. Also - look into it - you'll find our healthcare costs are not rising nearly the average amount.

Bill wrote:

How about cutting off the welfare and other benefits for the illegal aliens and thier anchor babies. I wonder how much that would save?

that would be a great place to start, but will never happen not here in old gr.they get far way to many programs then the legal people and it doesnt cost them a dime lol just the tax payers.

I am sorry, but the YWCA should NOT be one to be cut!!! They are in desperate need and I have needed them before....I will fight this one for sure!

JNH wrote:

<quoted text>
If you don't mind paying more in taxes to keep NON VITAL services like the YMCA please post your address so they can send the bill to you. The rest of us think it is a huge waste of money and want nothing to do with it...

It is the YWCA - for women...NOT YMCA (the gym). YWCA helps with sexual abuse and battered woman. You tell me where they could go for help and shelter, if needed? I would say YMCA should get cut before YWCA (if they get some kind of support from the city). Not to mention how much money YMCA charges you for a membership!

No Heartwell wrote:

Top dogs in EVERY department need to take the first paycut if anything.
And for the love of Pete leave the fire and police deartments alone we need them!

Yes thank you!!!

whasever wrote:

how come da gov't is the only game in town to increase it's revenues when there's a problem with money????don't cha' wish we could do that (Hey boss I need mo' money GIVE IT TO ME)....friggin' moonbats!

"moonbats?" That has got to be the funniest word I have ever heard! LOL Kudos for the laugh this morning!

When you are hit with hard times everyone takes a hit. Why should the City Government be any different. Many of us have taken pay cuts and lost benefits, why should they be any different. Usually there is too many people in the government offices to begin with. Have those positions been looked at to reduce cost instead of the positions that are detramental to the safety of the community? The cuts should start at the top and filter down to the people that put themselves in danger each day to protect us.

Why hasn't a freeze been put on everything as in the past recessions till the Government gets their budgets in order?We as homeowners(most of us) cannot spend beyond our means and so should they.
Get the number right on paper. Quit crying wolf and than cut jobs ( not your bonuses/salary)raise out taxes than find a surplus(accouting error) and than it is already budgeted for some turtle fence and can't give it back to the taxpapers.

Francis wrote:

Maybe the city should just worry about providing basic services such as Police, Fire, Trash, and Roads and stay out of the business of raising peoples children and providing entertainment such as pools. The Mayor should also worry about making the city business friendly and not running businesses of with his extreme liberalism.

Boy this is the TRUTH ! They have over extended themselves with all the Extra's. It's time to fund JUST THE BASICS ! Wake Up GRAND RAPIDS, TIMES HAVE CHANGED !

Bill wrote:

How about cutting off the welfare and other benefits for the illegal aliens and thier anchor babies. I wonder how much that would save?

Those are all myths; undocumented immigrants do not receive welfare and other benefits (heck - our own citizens barely receive any such benefits).

How about instead, we cut the welfare we send to corporate America (which totals far more than what a few people accessing social services amounts to).

JNH wrote:

<quoted text>
If you don't mind paying more in taxes to keep NON VITAL services like the YMCA please post your address so they can send the bill to you. The rest of us think it is a huge waste of money and want nothing to do with it...

You don't think sheltering victims of domestic abuse and providing rape crisis counseling are "vital services?" Wow.

Judy Crow wrote:

When you are hit with hard times everyone takes a hit. Why should the City Government be any different. Many of us have taken pay cuts and lost benefits, why should they be any different. Usually there is too many people in the government offices to begin with. Have those positions been looked at to reduce cost instead of the positions that are detramental to the safety of the community? The cuts should start at the top and filter down to the people that put themselves in danger each day to protect us.

You say that like they're not already exploring all of those options. The city has already cut TWELVE PERCENT of all city jobs in recent years (233 positions which amounts to $50 million).

It is about time!
It isn't rocket science to come to the conclusion that it is way past time for big cuts in the cost of government!
Everyday, the newspaer has articles about employers either cutting jobs and or reducing wages and benefits.
Of course nobody likes to have pay or benefits reduced, but that is how the ball bounces these days!
When times were good,the good paying manufacturing jobs allowed too many government workers to end up being way over paid due to the attitude that they should make what hard working production people earned.
Now that the manufacturing jobs are vanishing, or wages and benefits are being reduced, the government people stand out like a sore thumb as far as being over paid.
People are struggling to make ends meet, yet all the government can think of is raising "fees" and everything else they can think of to try and maintain this over priced work force. The value just isn't there! Someone has to take the bull by the horns and tell it like it is, dramaticlly reduce the cost of operations and give the people that pay the taxes a break.
Thank you

whurlaway -

What are you talking about? The City (like the state) has been making cuts for years. In fact, as of 2006 the city had eliminated fully 12 percent of all city jobs, which amounted to 233 positions.