The City Council is considering passage of a new $27 million bond to help pay for Lincoln's streets. Lincoln's street financing gap is estimated at over $135 million, so this would make a small, but not inconsequential, dent. A smallish property tax increase may accompany the bond, should it pass.
Lincoln has a long way to go to figure out how we're going to pay for all of our impending road financing obligations (not to mention all of the other items we would like to pay for), but this sounds like a reasonable way to start. I would love to hear if anybody has any better ideas. And before you say, "We should start by cutting spending!", let me say that in general I agree. But. Spending cuts alone won't get the job done. Not unless they are accompanied by a great plan to get the private sector to replace the services that get axed.
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There are far too many potential bond issues that may need to be passed. The city and the schools need to get together (perhaps the Lincoln 2015 group could facilitate?) and look at long-range bond issue needs and prioritize them.
The roads one is probably necessary right now but not if bond issues are going to be piggybacked on voters. Especially if passing the roads one now precludes a necessary school bond issue, for instance, from being passed.
A couple of things come to mind. First, we could use that few hundred thousand dollars the mayor dismissed for the late fire trucks. Second, I’m not sure how much we spent on that silly bike art, but that money could have been saved. Also, I’ve been driving by blank traffic warning panels on the west and east sides of 33rd on O street for the last couple of years. I saw those things on maybe once or twice, and they were telling me about meetings on the O Street project. I’m sure they weren’t cheap. Plus, I trip over 4-5 downtown trash picker-uppers on my walk to work every morning. Do we really need that many, or any at all?
There is a lot of foolish spending, especially at the city level. My dream is that one of next mayoral candidates is some radical who proposes to either freeze all budgets or cut entire programs out of the budget. The atmosphere is ripe for a drastic change in leadership philosophy here in Lincoln, primarily because we’ve been absent one since Johanns’ last term. Seriously people, this person is currently our most powerful local official:
http://www.journalstar.com/content/articles/2006/11/04/top_story/doc454bd05606c9d845450358.jpg
Good points, foxspit.
Dave, a couple quick reactions:
1. Re: firetrucks. True, although it’s possible that potential legal hassles could wipe out some of that money. I don’t know how likely that is.
2. Re: Tour de Lincoln. True, but I don’t know how much money the City invested. Arguably the social capital dividends were greater than the financial capital expenditures, but that’s a tough objective case to make.
3. Re: electronic signs. Seriously, what’s up with those things?
4. Re: trash picker-uppers. I believe they are funded entirely by the Downtown Lincoln Association.
My dream is that one of next mayoral candidates is some radical who proposes to either freeze all budgets or cut entire programs out of the budget.
Roger Yant sounds like your kind of guy.
I’ve been wondering about those electronic road signs too. I drive by a set on 27th and Old Cheney each day and they are never in use.
I don’t look forward to someone freezing the budget or cutting entire programs, but I do look forward to new leadership.
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