Dear City of Greensboro Tax Payers: Do you remember being duped by last year’s city budget information dissemination?

All that was needed was an unending series of victories

over your own memory

George Orwell

"...a penny on the tax rate is worth $2.2 million to the city of Greensboro.

City Manager Rashad Young proposed $9.26 million in cuts last week..."

Why not mention the $4.9 million of cash reserves to be spent

and admit to having a $14 million deficit?

.

George Hartzman

Amanda Lehmert
Greensboro News and Record, April 11, 2010

Sometimes I wonder

whether the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on

or by imbeciles who really mean it

Mark Twain

" *No tax increases

*Combining yard waste with leaf pick-up, while eliminating loose leaf collection

*Reducing, but not eliminating, summer park programs

*Limiting bond projects to $40 million

If $1 million in debt not borrowed saves $88 million,

why not save about $3.5 million by not borrowing $40 million?

.

George Hartzman

*Eliminating school crossing guards"

Highlights of the proposed City budget
via press release via Ed Cone, May 25, 2010

Half the work that is done in this world

is to make things appear what they are not

Elias Root Beadle

"City Budget Designed To Generate Outcry

Across the nation and around the world, because of the recession, governments are making serious reductions in their size and scope of operations. In Greensboro we are continuing along as if everything is hunky-dory and, according to the proposed budget, Greensboro will be taking on $70 million in new debt in the next two years.

...Young made the predictable cuts. He cut services that would result in councilmembers receiving lots of calls and emails.

...How many calls do councilmembers get when the city decides it will stop loose leaf collection in the fall, or reduce library services, or reduce services at city parks? A lot.

...Eliminating school crossing guards involves both children and police. It is difficult to find a cut that has the potential to cause more public outcry...

Evidently, in city manager school, they learn that cuts should be made in places that will make the taxpayers howl. In many cases, then the elected officials will decide not to make those cuts..."

John Hammer
Rhino, May 28, 2010

.
He who wishes to deceive will never fail to find willing dupes

Niccolo Machiavelli

.
"Libraries, loose-leaf collection and crossing guards are back.

And a tax cut may be on the way.

...City Council members agreed to keep a variety of services that had been slated for cuts

Without mentioning $4.9 million of reserve spending

while borrowing to build a money losing swimming pool?

Didn’t Greece borrow money while simultaneously spending reserves?

George Hartzman

...Council members peppered Young with their own budget-shrinking suggestions. If enough of those suggestions stick, the city could be heading for its first true tax cut in decades.

...Young’s recommended $420 million budget had called for service cuts across the city. But council members restored funding Tuesday for many of those items, including:

$600,000 for loose-leaf collection.

$400,000 to make up for Guilford County’s funding cuts to the Greensboro library system.

$90,000 to maintain recreation at city lakes.

$256,000 for school crossing guards..."

The great majority of mankind

are satisfied with appearance as though they were realities

and are often more influenced by the things that seem than those that are

Niccolo Machiavelli

Amanda Lehmert

Greensboro News and Record, June 9, 2010