How much of the budget is for pencil-pushing bureaucrats who spend a lot of time sitting on their hands?

As for interpreters, people who want services in other languages should move to countries where they are spoken.

To William Joseph:

I agree as far as the bureaucrats go.

As for those who speak other languages? I think the English speakers should set the example and go back to so-called Old World first. The Native Americans were here before them, and it's a hypocrite who speaks English like he owns the place.

Perhaps I should say "here before us," but I'm only really interested in the complainers leaving! :D

I suppose I must admit to being bigoted against bigots...

C. Lanam:

The Native Americans had no concept of tax and spend until you're bankrupt. You're logic is flawed besides. This is the system we inherited from our former English masters, so it's only appropriate that English is used when disputing it. If you still think not, then provide me the translation for bureaucrat, bloated retirement packages, police and firefighters unions, and city manager who earns more then $250,000!

Thanks, Big Al! I was hoping someone would continue a more practically minded-bent to this!

I am sure any Native American language currently surviving has evolved over the years the same way American English does, but it hardly matters since I was hardly advocating it as a rational choice. I only meant to point out the flaw in saying "all people unlike me should be rounded up sent elsewhere" without considering either the social merits or the nitty-gritty logistics of actually accomplishing the matter.

I like that you return to the heart of the budget matter at the end of your comment; I can't disagree with your sentiments there!

Choices – cut in services, cut in personnel, cut in salaries, cut the 20 year General Plan for growth.

Remember the big fight over utility taxes a few years ago. It was to support the growth of MV.

The Mayfield Mall sales taxes (125,000/ year – big money back then) was to support growth. Taxes on high-rise in-fill housing projects are suppose to pay for growth.

Growth does not look like it is paying off.

Ben

Choices – cut in services, cut in personnel, cut in salaries, cut the 20 year General Plan for growth.

Remember the big fight over utility taxes a few year ago. It was to support the growth of MV and pay for services.

The Mayfield Mall sales taxes (125,000/ year – big money back then) was to support growth. Taxes on HP sales when they move into the Mall were to pay for growth. Taxes on high-rise in-fill housing projects are suppose to pay for growth.

Growth does not look like it is paying off.

Ben

"The city's costs are increasing by about $4 million every year, officials say, mainly due to rising employee compensation costs — increasingly expensive pensions, retirement health benefits and contractual cost-of-living adjustments."

This is the 800 pound gorilla in the room that the City Council will not address. We cannot fix this by cutting services. The only way is to fundamentally re-organize the way public employees are paid. No one in private industry nowadays has a fixed payout retirement plan with a fully paid for cadillac insurance policy. Public employees have to change to a 401K style defined contribution plan and Medicare when they are older just like everybody else.

If we do not stop the current insanity the City will be be bankrupted. Just like GM managements in the past made agreements with their unions that eventually bankrupted the company, past City Councils agreed to unsustainable compensation with the politically powerful public employees' unions. This has to end right now but I bet the current City council just tries to kick this down the road for someone else to solve.

If things are so dire why did the city spend close to 20 MILLION DOLLARS on land at Moffett and 101 for "future development"? Why did the city purchase the church across from the senior center for a couple million dollars? Ten million dollars for a fire station?

I cannot believe we are talking about cutting city services and blaming the city employees/labor groups for the financial woes. Don't be fooled by this "sky is falling" rhetoric. Granted times are not as good as they have been and we should be tightening things up but what we should be questioning is how our city "leaders" are choosing to spend money.