Tell the City About Your Budget Priorities

By: Mr. Wilson on April 7, 2008
The City's budget priorities survey is now online. The survey gives Lincolnites a chance to rate the relative importance of various aspects of the budget, and to provide written feedback on a number of topics. I haven't completed the survey yet, but so far it's pretty much what I expected it to look like. I do worry that some populations will have a hard time with the survey. I'm not sure that a lot of "computer inexperienced" people will be able to figure out the drag-and-drop interface, for example. It looks pretty, but it isn't necessarily intuitive to those who aren't used to it. I am also concerned that the form isn't "accessible". That is, according to my testing the form is unusable by visually impaired users, and it is very difficult to use for those with certain mobility impairments. Phrased more bluntly: a lot of handicapped people are going to have troubles with it. Fortunately, a paper version of the survey is available at all city libraries. That fact isn't stated on the online survey website, but the Mayor's press release confirms it. That should be a viable option for most people that the online version misses. If you use the survey, let us know your thoughts, both about the survey instrument and about the topics it covered. Is it useful? Were you surprised by anything?

Syruppy Fingers

By: Mr. Wilson on April 4, 2008
Well thank goodness Lincoln's Village Inns aren't closing. No seriously. There just aren't that many breakfast options in Lincoln, and I love breakfast. Hmm, I wonder who has the best breakfast in Lincoln? I think a lot of folks would push for Stauffer's and Green Gateau. You've got your classic "healthy" (hah!) options at Hi-Way Diner and Shoemaker's. There are the Hy-Vee restaurants. And then of course there are the various Sunday brunches around town. Where do you go out for the best breakfast in Lincoln?

We’re Down to Two

By: Mr. Wilson on April 4, 2008
Two finalists have been selected for hotel and convention center projects that will accompany the new Haymarket arena -- if voters decide we want the arena. The finalists are: John Q. Hammons Industries, of Embassy Suites and aborted hotels on Q Street and 17th Street fame; and Robert and Will Scott of WRK LLC, who have been very actively lately in a number of projects around Lincoln. There are no details on either of the proposals. We do know a little bit about the proposals that didn't make the cut. One proposed a 7,000 seat arena -- a far cry from the 15,000 - 16,000 figure often thrown around by the folks with the loftiest goals. Another developer is dubious about the amount of private financing the two finalists might be proposing, implying that taxpayers are in for more of a hit than we're being told. If true -- and remember, this is coming from somebody who lost the bid, so take it with a grain of salt -- it would not be surprising. It's almost a truism that the public gets sacked with a much larger bill than they were promised in these things. I want to take a quick moment and critique the Journal Star's headline on this news: "2 finalists selected for arena project". There is a lot of confusion among the public about the distinction between the arena, and the hotel and convention center projects; who is in control of each part; who will pay for each part; and how much say the public has at each step of the way. To me, the use of the phrase "for arena project" in the headline is very misleading. Sure, the project is related to the arena, but in fact the developers are working more on the stuff that sits next door to the arena, not the arena itself. To be fair, it's all sort of one big jumbled mess at this point -- especially since voters could still shut down the entire project -- but it would be nice to see the Journal Star try a little more actively to help clear up the public's confusion.

The Fourth Meeting

By: Mr. Wilson on April 3, 2008
As I mentioned the other day, there will be four meetings in the coming weeks at which the public can talk about the City budget process. Three of the dates and locations had been announced; now the fourth location -- Lincoln North Star -- has been added. Here are the four:
  • April 22: Lincoln Southwest High School
  • April 24: LPS District Offices
  • April 29: Lincoln North Star High School
  • May 6: Lincoln High School
For more details, see the press release.

Scooter Baggers

By: Mr. Wilson on April 2, 2008
I see that Scooters and Brown Baggers are now open side-by-side at 84th and Van Dorn, in the same strip as Dino's Eastside Grill. Note that the 84th Street Brown Baggers is not the same as the Brown Baggers on 70th and Van Dorn. I think the 84th Street BB is related to the Haymarket Brown Baggers, which also sits next to a Scooters. I once asked what the deal was with the two different BB's in town. The only answer I got was effectively "we don't like them, and they don't like us". Suddenly buying a sandwich was like taking sides in a bitter rivalry. It's all so very confusing.

Interesting Conflicts

By: Mr. Wilson on April 2, 2008
It's good to see Councilman John Spatz working on alternative conflict of interest legislation in the wake of the City Council's decision to keep voters from deciding if city employees should be forbidden from holding contracts with the city. Unfortunately, any conversation related to the issue at this point is likely to involve little more than partisan bickering. You can largely thank the Republican City Council members and Democrat Vic Covalt for that. Ethics shouldn't be a partisan issue. But how can you have any sort of intellectual debate about a contentious topic like this when the sides only define each other (and themselves) by party? The two sides are being petty and childish around a serious issue:
Asked whether he had talked to Covalt about his alternative, Spatz said he can’t think of another person in the city he’d be less likely to discuss the issue with, noting that Covalt is running for chairman of the state Democratic Party. ... In response to Spatz’s implication that Covalt is just playing politics, Covalt said Spatz is doing the same: “He’s as much a Republican as I’m a Democrat.”
Ugh. What does party affiliation have to do with ethics and conflicts of interest? Nothing. Grow up, gents, and draw the dividing lines -- which, I suspect, aren't nearly as insurmountable as the two sides think -- based on principle, not party.

I Wonder if Bork Has a Permit For His Peddling Pedaling

By: Mr. Wilson on April 2, 2008
While reading about door-to-door peddlers getting arrested, I realized I've never even thought about asking door-to-door salesmen if they have a permit. I don't see a lot of them, and I've never had a problem with one, but I can see how they might cause trouble for some people. I get especially concerned for people like my great aunt. She is so trusting... Another thing I didn't realize is that selling items door-to-door without a permit can get you arrested. Yikes. I assumed a pushy peddler would just get a ticket. Have you ever had a problem with a door-to-door salesperson? Are you a door-slammer, a patient listener, or a gullible buyer?

Here’s How You Should Spend My Money

By: Mr. Wilson on April 1, 2008
If you've ever wanted to tell the City how they should spend your money, you'll have a few chances in the near future. On Sunday, an online survey will go live. It will be unscientific -- that is, just because 90% of survey respondents give a particular answer doesn't mean that 90% of Lincolnites would give that answer -- but it will give Lincolnites a chance to rate budget priorities and offer written comments. Then there will be four town hall meetings:
  • April 22: Lincoln Southwest High School
  • April 24: LPS District Offices
  • May 6: Lincoln High School
  • TBD
My bet is the fourth meeting will be held at Lincoln North Star or Lincoln Northeast. I get the feeling there is a lot of distrust over this process. Rather than applauding the City for asking for public input on the budget -- something Lincolnites have asked for many times over the years -- there's a good deal of dismissal going on. I don't know if Mayor Beutler and the City Council will take the input seriously or not. I hope they do, and I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt until they demonstrate otherwise. One of the first tests will be the release of the phone poll data. It is due in mid-April. Hopefully they release all the data and let the public come to our own conclusions. If all they release are soundbites and summaries ... well, I'll be concerned. Do you have faith in the City's public input process? How would you have done it differently?

Saying Goodbye

By: Mr. Wilson on April 1, 2008
It has been interesting following the debate over whether or not the State Fair should move from its current digs to make way for UNL's proposed Innovation Park. In the beginning, there was a lot of distrust of UNL, and the notion that the Fair should move was unfathomable to most. Or at least, to most of the people who commented on the Journal Star's online stories. Now that the Fair is all but certainly headed to Grand Island, the tide has turned. Today's comments are mostly supportive of the move, and the proportion of folks welcoming the tech park with open arms seems higher than even just a few weeks ago. On the plus side, Lincoln will probably get its tech park. There's every reason to suspect that will be good for the community in many ways. I can't wait to see how it looks 15 years from now. On the flip side, I'm worried about what the State Fair will look like in 15 years. I'm not as fatalistic about it as many people are. But I'm wary.
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