Toledo's money problems from unemployment, overtime, and fuel costs during the first half of 2008 have helped sink the city more than $2.5 million in the red, Finkbeiner administration officials said yesterday.
At its rate of spending, the city could end the year with a $5 million deficit.
John Sherburne, the city's finance director, said income-tax collections are below expectations for the year, property taxes are down because of revaluation of properties, and revenue from traffic enforcement cameras have fallen short.
To correct the budget problem, the city is exploring every option, including layoffs, Mr. Sherburne said.
http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080725/NEWS16/807250...
The crash of the housing bubble and the overall added economic collapse in Toledo are two big hits to government revenue. You've gotta increase taxes, decrease services, or some combination thereof.
Just imagine if Czarty pulled a Schwarzenegger around here, by telling city employees to take a uniform pay cut.
Maybe diverting the police from the northwest station is not such a good idea after all. They will be driving back and forth from downtown and Scott park at each shift change. Burning fuel.
But Navarre claims he is going to save money.
I wonder if anyone's made the comparison of fuel efficiency between the new Charger police cars and the old ones.
The city announces plans to expand their red-light camera program.
Please repeat after me.
I LOST playing SIM City!
- Just the KAT, thinking out loud again.
Here's are my questions that nobody has asked so far: What were the original reasons for and against putting a substation there in the first place? How do those reasons square with "closing" it now?