Northeast News
February 25, 2015

The city released its new budget for the next fiscal year and this infrastructure minded news-dog is seeing a lot of red this week. We’re in good company too, because a number of urban core denizens are less than pleased with the draconian cuts to basic services offset by exponential funding increases given to the toy train streetcar and an inaugural party.

Wait, what? You read that right. The taxpayers are on the hook for roughly $30,000 for something called an, “inaugural celebration event.” The most egregious money laundering scheme, however, is the transfer of over $2.1 million from the KCATA to the Streetcar Authority. This is on top of the $1.7 million budget increase for streetcar improvements. Apparently, this is all being paid through the freezing of salaries and the elimination of roughly 85 positions from city hall. The mayor’s office is hiring, however, increasing his staff from 15 to 18 people. Slashed in the process are health services to the city’s poorest residents, namely indigent care.

Citizens have one remaining opportunity to comment and question city hall insiders on why, once again, infrastructure improvements take a back seat to legacy building projects that suck taxpayer cash from sidewalks, streetlights and law enforcement. That’s right, even the Police Department’s Mounted Patrol gets cut from 10 positions to seven. That’s tantamount to a 30 percent budget cut. No word on whether those eliminated positions will be four legged or two legged.

This newsdog isn’t surprised. If you’re as outraged as this conservative minded news-canine, you’ll want to make plans to head over to the Southeast Community Center this Saturday morning and offer up some constructive comments on why once again this Mayor and City Council are more interested in building pet legacy projects than they are rebuilding the city’s crumbling infrastructure.