This has got to be one of the biggest jokes the City of laredo has pulled off in quite a while. Today's Laredo Morning Times includes an article about all city's proposed fee hikes. Of course this is now reportedly necessary because of all the mis-management going down at city hall.
The funniest part of all is that, in an effort to try to justify all these fee hikes, the city has put out a detailed report comparing Laredo to San Antonio and some Rio Grande Valley cities. How can anyone in their right mind try to compare Laredo to San Antonio? Like the old adage says "You can't compare Apples to Oranges". I guess anything goes when you're trying to impose such a vast array of fee increases.
Virtually every city department has put a long list of what fees they are willing raise, double, triple or even worse. Citizens using the newly-opened Haynes (Hines) recreation center, for example, would see their costs go from $10 per year to $15 quarterly. That's an increase of 600 percent from the current $10 annual fee to the proposed 60 bucks (15x4=60).
The library fees are scheduled to skyrocket as well. First of all, the amnesty program which was usually held during April of each year was recently gotten rid off. Users returning their books during the month of April were allowed to do so without any fees whatsoever. Perhaps that was a bit too generous but now the city is about to make up for it. Instead of the current 20 cents a day per book late fee, the city is proposing a 35 cents per book, per day penalty. Take that readers! Maybe the city's Public Information Officer was predicting the future when she commented recently on facebook that "no one uses the libray anyway"- or something to that effect.
Read much more at:
http://www.lmtonline.com/articles/2012/08/14/news/doc5029f8e396369637814948.txt
Damn it. Even the price of torches and pitchforks is going up. Grrrr.
ReplyDeleteNo open burning in the city....what, you want to start a grass fire.
DeleteWhere do you think the money should come from to operate these rec centers. Hell lets just offer everything for free and then blame "mis-management at city hall.". Get a clue. These services are not free. Not when we build them and not when we use them. Propose some solutions rather than just complain. I have a solution... Stop building non- revenue producing monstrosities with no plan to help pay operating costs. If we follow your logic then we should stop paying for trash pickup. It's too much. What about your water usage? This should be free right?
ReplyDeleteWhy start charging $10 annually only to have it skyrocket to $60 within months? This budget shortfall was seeing long ago. No one had the foresight to say "let's charge a little bit more from the start"? That's what I mean by mismanagement. And the $8Million, I mean $18 Million, I mean $23 Million. That's not mismanagement? If not, then it's just misleading people I guess.
ReplyDeleteWater bills- yes, another example of how mis-management led to skyrocketing water bills. Good point!
LEA, UNITRADE Stadium- see monstrosities.
Is this the PIO again? OK maybe not.
Nobody is saying anything about offering services for free. We just think the fee/tax hikes are ludicrous.
ReplyDeleteIn the list of proposed fees, posted by the LMT, I don't see proposed fees for Mami Chulas, or 8 liners. The maquinitas could fall under the conditional use fee but that needs to be clarified.
Garbage pickup may go from $9 to $11, and then $1 extra in the subsequent years. Do you think that's right?
Washigton D.C. A la Laredo style! Charge "fees" and spend more Dinero!
ReplyDeleteSo your saying the city should have started out charging $60 from the get go? Then the argument would have been that the city is charging too much. You have to charge enough to cover the operating costs. Of course the politicians roll out these plans with little to no foresight but it catches up with the budget eventually. Tell me what the fees should be for garbage pickup, recreation centers etc... And I don't mean "fair" fees but fees that are commensurate with the expenses involved in operating these services. Your arguments are silly. It's like the people that say let's get rid of all the politicians because they are all on the take, worthless etc. yet you propose no alternatives. Politicians are in office because we elect them. If you don't like them then run yourself. But I guess it's a lot easier to talk about doing things then actually doing them.
ReplyDeleteIt's called Freedom of Speech last time I checked. Also for the combined salaries of over half a $Million dollars for the City Manager and assistants and we you think we should not complain huh? Actually, I'm already doing something about it by, as you say, "complaning" while you-on the other hand- are trying to keep things quiet. Come on now, is that you PIO?
ReplyDeleteSomebody has got to pay for the police and fire departments....they spend money like they have the same money printers the US government has. Their budgets are almost 2/3rds of the money spent in this city. No wonder Del Mar never gets finished, or that Bartlet will never be finished. Or that water lines and sewer will never be up to standard. Yet we have 75% of all firemen trained to be paramedics, and also receive a higher wage for that I am sure. Don't even go near pensions, and you will see the true nightmare this city is facing in the future.
ReplyDeleteAt least at the ballpark, the city makes money on the rent, sales tax on drinks, food, tickets, and the other items sold. Also, the city makes money on the liquor tax. The rec centers have none of this income to spread cost.
ReplyDeletePS, where is the cities count on just how many people use these centers? I know the ballpark is averaging 3,700 or so tickets sold for each game. City, show us the headcounts.
It's be nice to also know just how much the city is "making" off Unitrade park. I mean afterall, it did cost Laredoans $23 MILLLIONNNNN DOLLLLLARS.
ReplyDeleteFreedom of speech? No one is saying you can't say anything. What I'm saying is that your thoughts are ignorant and show a lack of understanding of how the real world works. Freedom of speech? Really? Really? Wow. No wonder your blog has 13 members. I'll stick to La Sanbe from now on. At least his liberalism shows some thought
ReplyDeleteFreedom of speech? Really? Really? No one is saying you can't say what u want. Rather, what I'm saying is that your thoughts show ignorance of how the real world works. Again, how much should the city manager and assistants make. Should they earn what you earn? Post your thoughts on what each assistant and the city manager should be making. What is their "fair" wage? I say if they can make what they are making good for them. Instead of bashing them for what they make why don't you try to find a job that pays what they make. Just because they earn a wage higher than yours does not make them bad people. You are part of the problem many minorities face when they start to make it I real life? These people have degrees that they earned and are now reaping the benefits. There is a four year university in town you can attend to help you learn the critical thinking skills required to earn more than minimum wage. You might want to check it out.
ReplyDeleteHey Freedom of speech is right. Your comments don't deserve more effort that blurting out something like our first amendment(s)-get it? I agree with "if they're making that much, good for them" only if they're in the private sector, not on my (and everybody else's)dime. So you think government should have such high-salaried people all over the place- talk about ignorance huh? Thanks for the tip on the University by the way, I always wondered what those building were. Is this the PIO again? Come on now, you can do better than this rant-you've proven it before. If you're not the PIO, you should be, you sure defend those guys pretty good.
ReplyDeleteMaximiliano (Excuse me while I go enroll at the University, I sure want one of those cush jobs.
ReplyDeleteWhenever any of the city councils look at pay for managers and employees, they always compare Laredo to the cities that do not have 40% of their people living in poverty. They pick the top 5 or so paying cities in the state, and use that for comparison. That is what I am pissed about.
Good Point, they compare laredo to places like Plano, Texas and ignore the poor towns that they should be using instead. Then they eat on the city's dime at every meeting. Whoever this guy/girl is that's defending them doesn't have a clue.
DeleteI do too have a clue. If you could read and process information you would see we are talking about paid managers and assistants. Now if you want to talk about the city council that is an entirely different conversation. I don't care if they spen a couple of bucks feeding themselves while they discuss city business. Big deal. Your looking at that expense while they deviously bamboozle voters into paying 7 million dollars more for a project we thought we were getting for 16 mil. And by the way they compare Laredo to cities of similar size. Would you rather they compare Laredo to encinal, eagle pass or perhaps cotulla?
DeleteAnother avoider. How much should the city manager and assistants make? Just giveme a number. Stop avoiding the question. Minimum wage? If you think these guys are bad imagine what you'd get with non-competitive salaries. Just give me a number. You make it seem like they sit back and just collect paychecks. Did you ever consider that they actually WORK. Do you understand the concept. There is mis-management in both the public and private sector but that has more to do with the actions of elected officials who put up expense related issues to the voters. This means you! So in essence you, the voter, must be the problem. We should fire you, the voter, for being lazy, uninformed, or easily susceptible to the guidance of your elected officials. And yes please go enroll to get A Cush job. You might not be such a hater if you made a little more money.
ReplyDeleteYawn! No sign of intelligent life I see.
ReplyDeleteLT
With both institutions(LCC/TAMIU) of higher learning struggling with accreditation, and every iota of your life politicized, I'd take my money, family, education, and business elsewhere. :<
ReplyDeleteMaybe Laredoans will have go start going to Kingsville for their higher education needs- again!
ReplyDeleteLT
Do I sense another "lonche" eating city coming up on the horizon?
ReplyDeleteStill waiting for the pay scales boys and girls. Of course this is what I'd expect from those who do not possess critical thinking skills. And by critical thinking skills I don't mean having the ability to criticize. Ijs
ReplyDeleteFor the sake of this comment, let's consider Kingsville to be part of the "Valley" (Why not, even Laredo gets thrown into the RGV labeling". That being said, yes, it's official: The Valley is definitely eating our higher education lunch! Stop the press.
ReplyDeleteLT