This story features Sid Regnier, the former Cowley College business administrator, urging the Cowley County commission not to raise the mill levy (tax levels) even if it is only slightly.
Regnier says that personnaly, he's cut out most all extraneous costs at his household, including cable and the newspaper (I'd call this an essential :)
He makes a compelling case. It's similar to the situation with the ark city school board earlier this summer - why approve a budget with a small mill levy increase that could come with big political consequences. People are mad at all levels of government now and want political leaders to behave like they are — cut expenses and live frugally, especially at the local level.
Practically speaking, if the need to raise $40,000 to $60,000 saves an important job or keeps an important program running, I think it's the right thing to do. Both the school district and county have been been efficient operations. In fact the USD 470 has earned national recognition for low administrative costs but quality education.
Still, I think Groom made the right move here. At least politically. He has the standing now to claim he's the protector of the taxpayer.
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The hypocrisy of it that local leaders (I presume republican) are blasting the POTUS over his policies and agenda.
Still no one here has teh spine to make some tough decisions such as cutting a program or position. or even some moderate decisions like simply delaying a project.
I remember a relative once saying, no matter how good the say the price is, if you don't have te money it's not a good deal for you.
Case in point, we can spend $36mm on building expansion projects but can only pay the bills by hiring someone to go around shutting the power off to every electrical item in every building.
$36mm for buildings and sports complex but no money to print a school calendar so that parents can easily know what's going on? So, interest rates made it seem attractive but the actions of administration say we really have much more than we can afford.
Same for the City... Half cent from tax payers for road improvement projects and $3mm for downtown streetscape but they cannot afford to refresh the planters downtown and the street scaping is looking a bit crusty now.
We're living above our means and they keep telling Sid and the rest of us (thanks Sid for making it plain) it's only another $100 dollars from you. Of course, then Masset will run out and shut off your water so he can further penalize you.
The poor tax payer is the only one who cannot print more money to pay his way.
I don't think I have ever read where seaton expresses anything but a 'rubber stamp endorsement' of anything our government spends money on. Just as with the new law that allows alsip to now draw nearly TWO HUNDRED GRAND for the same job he had been doing for one hundred, because the gov. employees and lawmakers only look out for themselves and to hell with the taxpayer. Why is it that people wonder why our government agencies never have enough money to get the job done??
"called Arkalalah — a Native Indian word meaning "good times."
Could we *please* put an end to the baloney that arkalalah actually means something in some obscure indian language. If so, which one?
In 1919, Independence put together their fall celebration and called it Halloween spelled backwards: Neewollah. 9 years later Arkansas City started their own festival calling it Arkalalah after the name of the town.
Although Ark City and its people are known for their "stories", the real history of Arkalalah is rich enough to stand on its own without fabrications.
Actually we did not hire someone to run around and shut the power off. This is part of an energy management plan that was reviewed and approved well before any expansions and is used by districts all over the country. The position has paid for itself several times over. I am very familiar with it since I was on the board when we voted the program in.
Great post, I am almost 100% in agreement with you
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