The fight to lower taxes must originate with a genuine, fundamental decision. The Mayor, the administration, and every Councilman must say, “I fundamentally am committed to lowering taxes. I will guide my decisions as a public official by my commitment to lowering property taxes for Atlantic City property owners.” This commitment has yet to be either made vocally, or acted upon.
Tonight, City Council has at least one chance to cut wasteful spending. Please view the details of Regular Resolution 304. This resolution is to be voted on tonight. The Resolution reads:
BE IT RESOLVED by the City of Atlantic City that the City Comptroller is hereby authorized and directed to issue WARRANTS beginning with # 1. GRAINGER, INC. $1,195.18 and ending with #19. STAR LEDGER $1,225.08.
The fine print – linked to above – reveals that line 12 would authorize AC taxpayers to give $2,470.00 to Atlantic Cape Community College for “DINNER FOR ACPD ATTENDING A “CULTURAL DIVERSITY / SENSITIVITY TRAINING AND WORKING SESSION” 2008/CO LAW ENFORCE.
First, taxpayers should not be paying for a Police celebration dinner. If the police members that undertook the sensitivity training want to have dinner together celebrating their accomplishment, let them pay for their own meal. Let them buy each other a drink and a sandwich after the last session.
Second, why are taxes paying for this training to begin with? We all want employees to respect each other. The City should demand this respect from its employees. Yet the responsibility is on the employee to possess the ability to get along with his co-workers. The City is not financially responsible for grooming a certain cultural sense and sensitivity in its employees. Possessing said sensitivity should be a requirement of potential and current employees. Currently, we hire people who apparentlydo not possess the cultural sensibilities necessary for their positions. Rather than pay money over and above these employees’ already substantial salaries, demand that employees cultivate - on their own - this necessary cultural sensibility or have those employees replaced with people who have this quality. Only qualified persons should hold any city position.
Councilmen, vote “no” on item #12 of Regular Resolution 304. Mayor Scott Evans, if this resolution is passed, veto it. This point may seem trivial and amusing. Only a couple thousand dollars are at stake. But we have to start somewhere. Wasteful spending must stop.
March 12, 2008 at 3:22 pm |
the resolution for the dinner at ACC is a resolution to pay this bill.
First and foremost, this bill originates with a requisition, which must be signed by a Supervisor in ACPD; secondly, the requistion must be approved by the Police Chief and the Business Administrator.
Obviously, all the requisite signatures were obtained.
Lastly, be advised that the Mayor cannot veto a resolution. The opportunity to deny this expenditure occurs during the requisition process, which obviously has taken place.
Council can deny the payment, though!
March 13, 2008 at 9:41 pm |
The spending has gone over the edge, they’ve lost it, couldn’t care less now.