Munson
l3wis 
Less talk and more action
Rounds hard at work fixing another dilemma
I guess the recession came out of nowhere, according to Rounds;
Like the rest of the nation, South Dakota is in a recession. Governor Mike Rounds says the dramatic drop in state revenue linked to sales tax is unlike anything he’s ever witnessed. He says this current recession is the largest since the great depression.
This has been taking shape for over 13 months, and when a entire country, heck even world, go into a global tailspin, you take action, fast. Nope, not Mike’s style. Let’s wait until the entire bottom drops out before we take action. When would have been a good time? Well if I was Mike I would have started making cuts this summer when gas prices went through the roof. I think if the governor would have at least made an attempt to cut back across the board 7-8 months ago we wouldn’t be in such a pickle right now.
It tells me something I have known about Mike, for a very long time;
He is an incompetent leader that is more concerned about paying back his contributors in no-bid contracts than helping the hardworking citizens of this state. It think it is grounds for impeachment leaving the taxpayers of this state holding the (empty) bag. Sad. Very sad.
“It doesn’t mean that we’re done. Next year, this same legislative body will be back here for our budget proposal for the next year which is 2011. It’s not that far away. They will begin with a structural deficit of $30 million,” the governor said.
And now I am wondering when Mayor Munson is going to wakeup from his deep sleep and take action. It’s no secret a big chunk of that budget comes from Sioux Falls so what is Northside Davey gonna do? Keep borrowing and spending on projects that are either unneeded or would have been paid for by the Feds? It seems Dave would prefer to hand his financial irresponsibility and massive debt service over to the next mayor and council.
Big government Republicans – scary stuff.
Quality of Life Bond? WTF?
I got tipped off about this a few weeks back, but thought it was a joke. Well I heard more info today from some little birdies. It may be coming down the pipe. The planning department and the mayor’s office didn’t find a need to tell the councilors yet, that’s the rumor anyway (and it wasn’t on Jodi’s Facebook page).
Basically they are working on a loan to upgrade the Zoo, and Great Bear, and some other pet projects by taking out a bond. Yup, all during a recession. Because, if one thing is important during a recession, it is monkey crappers and bunny hills!
I don’t think the city should have bought Great Bear and the Zoo to begin with, my philosophy has always been if there is a ‘need’ for something, it will at least be self-sufficient. The city golf courses actually make the city money every year. Why? BECAUSE THEY ARE USED AND NEEDED!
More to come on the amount and details, once I remember my Facebook log-in.
PS- There is also another storm brewing at City Hall, but I’ll let the MSM handle this one. Let’s just put it this way; if you are still ignorant to the fact that Munson is fiscally irresponsible, you’ll know for a fact after you hear this story.
Is there a disconnect between Rounds and Munson?
It’s about time Mayor Munson gets a clue about the economy
One has to wonder after watching events this week.
First the week started off, all fine and dandy, with our esteemed Mayor telling us that Sioux Falls will weather the storm, even though people are getting canned left and right. Then towards the end of the week, Rounds came out to tell us the budget had to be trimmed by $50 million and our shortfall could be $85 million next year in revenue.
So what spreadsheet is Munson reading from? Or better yet, what is our city finance director Eugene ‘Montgomery Burns’ Rowenhorst providing him?
It’s no secret that Pierre has a hissy fit everytime Sioux Falls wants to limit revenue sources. They threatened us with a lawsuit when we wanted to limit Video Lottery telephone booth casinos.
Why is that? Because a monster chunk of money comes from Sioux Falls to fund state government, and ironically from Iowa, Minnesota and probably even Nebraska.
So what isn’t Munson telling us? I think Rounds’ estimate of an $85 million dollar shortfall is conservative and fluff at best, I think it’s gonna be a lot more. And since most of that kitty comes from Sioux Falls, wouldn’t that mean Sioux Falls is gonna be short on revenue also in 2009? Well logically one would come to the conclusion that yes, professor Ehrisman, it was the candlestick in the billard room.
So when is Munson gonna drop this bombshell on us? I suggest he does it, ASAP, I also suggest the council goes into emergency session and amends the 2009 budget to clean out all the extras, like arterial roads we don’t need, $750,000 suspension bridges, million dollar historical windows for the Pavilion, fancy-smancy trim on the new library, new parks, and the list goes on an on.
I may have been hard on Northside Davey over the last few years, but this is no time to play politics with the city’s budget, this is serious shit, and needs to be treated as such.
Amend now Dave, or the only legacy you will have is a failed one.