TAKE CARE OF THE NICKLES AND DIMES AND THE DOLLARS WILL TAKE CARE OF THEMSELVES!

This is an old but tried and true saying.  According to the City of Woodland Capital Improvement budget Adopted June 16, 2009, this budget "Wish List",  unfunded as of June 16,2009, amounts to $292,968,356.

These are the items, if the money was or will be available at the time, that would be spent between the 2009-2010 through 2018-2019. The real surge in budgets occurs in 2013-2014.

I urge you to go the the City of Woodland website and see the projects that are proposed and the cost of the items that make up this number. If you think we are getting gouged for more money now, wait until 2013-14.

While the revenue from the proposed 1/4% sales tax will raise some money, it pales in comparison to the request leading up to 2013-14.  We should stop this nonsense now and let the City of Woodland know that we are not in favor of any sales tax increase until they can prove that their house  is in order, even if it is "Only" a 1/4% increase.
  

TO TAX OR NOT TO TAX-THAT IS THE QUESTION.

As taxpayers, we are going to be faced with yet another "Disrict" tax on the June ballot.

The plea from the City of Woodland will be an additional 1/4%, added onto our rate of  8.75% which we are paying which includes a 1/4% tax we have been paying on measure E, this portion is "Supposed " to be gone in 2014.

To divert the attention of the 1/4% increase,  three "advisory" measures will also be on the ballot, asking the question," IF the 1/4% passes, how do you want to spend the money".  We have seen these "Advisory" measures in the past.

The fact is, in the current economy, we cannot maintain the levels of service we have now.

I would be willing to accept the tax increase if  the City of Woodland would be willing to FREEZE all increases in the budget during the span of the tax increase for the departments affected by the increase.  Maybe it is time for us to  feel the real impact of budget cuts, rather than just the threat of what will happen if the cuts are made.We then might be supportive of future increases.

IS THIS HOW "FOLLOWING A STUDENTS FIRST PHILOSOPHY " WORKS?

Today, a protest rally was held at Woodland Community College. Students and other interested parties were approximately 150 strong, and many of the speakers were those recently laid off on the same day that a closed door meeting was held by the Board of Trustees ,voting  to give Chancellor Harrington a $30,000 raise.  This didn't make a lot of people happy and even brought out a 1/2 page advertisement in the Daily Democrat protesting the action.  It is hard to disagree with the protesters characterization of the raise "that  such an egregious misappropriation of limited district resources  is unacceptable."

This could also be said of many similar decisions made within the recent past by other agencies.

Those attending should be congratulated for their participation.
                                                         Courtesy Photos Taken at Rally

 

 

THE BROWN ACT NEEDS A SECOND WIND!

Since November of 2008, when WJUSD decided to discuss a building purchase behind closed doors, which was confirmed by the Yolo County Grand Jury, to two recent events, that of Mayor Admundson and council member Greenwald and the latest story of similar events with the Yuba College Trustees, it is clear that something has to be done, either to stringently enforce the Brown Act with severe penalties rather than hand-slaps, or the Brown Act should be enhanced.

In this age of technology, perhaps a simple solution would be to REQUIRE that all closed sessions of any public agency be videotaped and only available for view  when a legitimate challenge is made to the content and/or discussions during such a session.  This would encourage those participating in "Closed Sessions" to be a little more aware of their responsibility as "Trustees of public monies" and uniquely aware that they are guardians of the trust that voters have placed in them to make reasonable decisions for the voters.

What do you think?

EVER WONDER WHY DECISIONS ARE MADE THAT ASTOUND YOU?

A lot of strange decisions have been made lately at the local, state and federal levels. Perhaps this quote will shed a little light on the subject.

"(...) the spread of secondary and latterly tertiary education has created a large population of people, often with well-developed literary and scholarly tastes, who have been educated far beyond their capacity to undertake analytical thought." P.B. Medawar

Does this sound like anyone you know?