Comments on: Higher Fees, Taxes Proposed http://sewardcitynews.com/2009/10/01/higher-fees-taxes-proposed/ Read it, Write it Wed, 17 Mar 2010 16:58:04 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 hourly 1 By: Carl http://sewardcitynews.com/2009/10/01/higher-fees-taxes-proposed/comment-page-1/#comment-30963 Carl Tue, 06 Oct 2009 05:50:55 +0000 http://sewardcitynews.com/?p=8053#comment-30963 For a City of less than 3,000 people, the "operating" budget is not only ridiculous, it's tragic. Today a news item was "massive lay-offs on the slope". What next? Who will be the next laid off? Certainly not City employees. The City is living in a dream world where financial ignorance is bliss. When the crash comes to Seward, it will be worse than painful. Refusing to control spending and cut the budget by the City administration will deal a blow to Seward that we may not survive financially. Wake up Seward. The time is now to get our financial house in order. Not try and deal with disaster after it slaps us in the face/wallet. Seward has enough employees to run a city many times it's size, and run it well. I and my wife have spent our lives in Seward. To witness deliberate destruction of everything Seward has been and should continue being is not only sad, it is beyond comprehension. Our "City Leaders" need to walk the walk and do what's right to save our city. Cut costs. The City of Seward owes millions now. Why dig the hole deeper. Stop spending and borrowing and start cutting and saving. City employees should not be driving city vehicles as if they are for their personal use. If not laying off employees, cut work hours. Install energy efficient street lights. Sell some of the city property that generates no taxes. Put the city RV parks out to RFP and let someone else worry about payroll, insurance, etc. There are lots of ways to cut costs and save. Carl For a City of less than 3,000 people, the “operating” budget is not only ridiculous, it’s tragic. Today a news item was “massive lay-offs on the slope”. What next? Who will be the next laid off? Certainly not City employees. The City is living in a dream world where financial ignorance is bliss. When the crash comes to Seward, it will be worse than painful. Refusing to control spending and cut the budget by the City administration will deal a blow to Seward that we may not survive financially.

Wake up Seward. The time is now to get our financial house in order. Not try and deal with disaster after it slaps us in the face/wallet. Seward has enough employees to run a city many times it’s size, and run it well.

I and my wife have spent our lives in Seward. To witness deliberate destruction of everything Seward has been and should continue being is not only sad, it is beyond comprehension. Our “City Leaders” need to walk the walk and do what’s right to save our city. Cut costs.

The City of Seward owes millions now. Why dig the hole deeper. Stop spending and borrowing and start cutting and saving. City employees should not be driving city vehicles as if they are for their personal use. If not laying off employees, cut work hours. Install energy efficient street lights. Sell some of the city property that generates no taxes. Put the city RV parks out to RFP and let someone else worry about payroll, insurance, etc. There are lots of ways to cut costs and save.

Carl

]]> By: Carri http://sewardcitynews.com/2009/10/01/higher-fees-taxes-proposed/comment-page-1/#comment-30953 Carri Mon, 05 Oct 2009 17:41:22 +0000 http://sewardcitynews.com/?p=8053#comment-30953 I don't think cutting Parks and Rec in the winter is the answer. Parks and Recs offers us activities in the winter time. For some of us, it keeps us busy and sane throughout the winter. We pay for these activities(just like we pay a business)and I only use Park and Rec facilities in the winter because I don't have time to use it in the summer. Not to mention what it offers the students at AVTEC. We need to curb our spending on items that are unnecessary. I think city council needs to decide what the city really needs vs. what the city council wants. We do not need to cut jobs. If we start cutting jobs then we lose year round residents which in turn effects year round businesses. However, I do not want to pay any more taxes. Maybe taxes need to be treated as a seasonal business. Raise the taxes during the summer and lower them again during the winter.(Is this possible?) Whatever is decided, one thing I do ask is that the city does not cut programs that benefit the year-round community. I don’t think cutting Parks and Rec in the winter is the answer. Parks and Recs offers us activities in the winter time. For some of us, it keeps us busy and sane throughout the winter. We pay for these activities(just like we pay a business)and I only use Park and Rec facilities in the winter because I don’t have time to use it in the summer. Not to mention what it offers the students at AVTEC.

We need to curb our spending on items that are unnecessary. I think city council needs to decide what the city really needs vs. what the city council wants.
We do not need to cut jobs. If we start cutting jobs then we lose year round residents which in turn effects year round businesses.
However, I do not want to pay any more taxes.
Maybe taxes need to be treated as a seasonal business. Raise the taxes during the summer and lower them again during the winter.(Is this possible?)
Whatever is decided, one thing I do ask is that the city does not cut programs that benefit the year-round community.

]]> By: Lynn Hettick http://sewardcitynews.com/2009/10/01/higher-fees-taxes-proposed/comment-page-1/#comment-30929 Lynn Hettick Fri, 02 Oct 2009 00:19:52 +0000 http://sewardcitynews.com/?p=8053#comment-30929 When is the city going to start looking at cutting some positions and its costs. Why not look at cutting our certain departments like the ones that cost us money. I am talking about Parks and Rec do they really need a million dollars for what. If the city ran Parks and Rec like a business it would be a seasonal business. You make money in the summertime and layoff in the wintertime. Before you tax people out of Seward look in your own back yard. When is the city going to start looking at cutting some positions and its costs. Why not look at cutting our certain departments like the ones that cost us money. I am talking about Parks and Rec do they really need a million dollars for what. If the city ran Parks and Rec like a business it would be a seasonal business. You make money in the summertime and layoff in the wintertime. Before you tax people out of Seward look in your own back yard.

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