Has Detroit Common Council taken any budget reductions?...

**Honky Tonk** · March-03-13, 08:24 AM

Originally Posted by mam2009

Posts 4, 13 & 38 did make that implication, for the record. And you still haven't said how much of the City's budget is appropriate to be allocated to the City Council. How are you determining that the Council has not made enough cuts? How do you determine if they're 90 lbs overweight or just 5 lbs overweight?

I usually use a scale.

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...cts-pay-raises

Anything else I've pulled up shows the DCC has cut wages for "non-union workers", nothing for themselves or staff. Charles Pugh DID say in a press interview he took a 10% pay cut, nothing on anyone else. I'm sorry you lost your job. I do hope you land on your feet. The one thing you have to accept is the golden goose is dead, and it's about to get buried.

**skyl4rk** · March-03-13, 09:00 AM

http://legislature.mi.gov/doc.aspx?mcl-141-1553-new

Effective March 28

**Richard** · March-03-13, 09:45 AM

http://www.detroitmi.gov/Departments...iveBudget.aspx You can read the budget there ,funny how they cut out the workforce development aspect,its a good thing the city carries a well trained workforce. Keep em broke but fed,keep a roof over their heads but no more,keep them dependent on you for their survival and you can control them.

**grancan** · March-03-13, 10:52 AM

It would be refreshing to hear the Council just once say "Yes, we'll get on board with you and make this thing work". No, it's more "We're going to seek outside council and mount another legal challenge to whatever plan you're proposing". Who's going to pay for that with money the city doesn't have?

**Wesley Mouch** · March-03-13, 11:10 AM

Originally Posted by Richard

http://www.detroitmi.gov/Departments...iveBudget.aspx You can read the budget there ,funny how they cut out the workforce development aspect,its a good thing the city carries a well trained workforce. Keep em broke but fed,keep a roof over their heads but no more,keep them dependent on you for their survival and you can control them.

Glad to hear they are cutting things like 'workforce' development.

1) Its not an appropriate job for a city.

2) They can't handle their own payroll, tax collection, water board, or police department right, and they're going to train people? Good Heavens?

3) Sure, the citizens need jobs. Make it safe. Do that one thing. Do it right.

**313WX** · March-03-13, 11:11 AM

Originally Posted by Honky Tonk

I'm sorry you lost your job. I do hope you land on your feet. The one thing you have to accept is the golden goose is dead, and it's about to get buried.

Agreed.

The goal of a government is not to provide everyone with good-paying jobs, it is to make sure the services its taxpaying citizens are paying for are provided in an efficient manner. Once the services are provided in an efficient manner, then the investment from small businesses will come who will create jobs for the people of the city. DAn Gilbert with his tax incentives to invest downtown despite the city's fiscal crisis is an anomaly, given that he's committed to downtown Detroit [[a very little cost to him I might add relative to what he could be paying) no matter what happens to the city fiscally or the neighborhoods .

Until the city can assure the police will arrive to a crime scene in 5-10 minutes, buses will come every 5 minutes and all of the streetlights will be on, pensions for retirees and jobs for union members should play second fiddle. Otherwise, if you piss off the taxpayers too much with more cuts to their services to fund these unsustainable contracts, then there won't be any more taxpayers around to sign your paychecks.

I say this as a fiscally conservative liberal BTW.

**313WX** · March-03-13, 11:15 AM

Originally Posted by skyl4rk

http://legislature.mi.gov/doc.aspx?mcl-141-1553-new

Effective March 28

That has nothing to do with Detroit's situation.

Any EFM appointed by March 28th [[which Detroit's EM will be) will grandfathered to an EM with the same powers as they had under PA4.

That said, I think there are two diference that will apply for Detroit though...

1. The state will pay for the EM, not the city [[which was the case under PA72 and PA4).

2. The city [[council) has the option to send the EM packing after 18 months under PA436.

**mam2009** · March-03-13, 11:28 AM

Originally Posted by Honky Tonk

I usually use a scale.

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...cts-pay-raises

Anything else I've pulled up shows the DCC has cut wages for "non-union workers", nothing for themselves or staff. Charles Pugh DID say in a press interview he took a 10% pay cut, nothing on anyone else. I'm sorry you lost your job. I do hope you land on your feet. The one thing you have to accept is the golden goose is dead, and it's about to get buried.

You & your assumptions...I left for a new job because I was underpaid and needed health insurance & to save for retirement. Never saw any golden goose...But ur sincere concern for what you thought was my plight was touching.

**mam2009** · March-03-13, 11:37 AM

Originally Posted by Honky Tonk

I usually use a scale.

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...cts-pay-raises

Anything else I've pulled up shows the DCC has cut wages for "non-union workers", nothing for themselves or staff. Charles Pugh DID say in a press interview he took a 10% pay cut, nothing on anyone else. I'm sorry you lost your job. I do hope you land on your feet. The one thing you have to accept is the golden goose is dead, and it's about to get buried.

Its good you don't get paid by City Council because if that's all you found, you're a lazy researcher. There is no union for City Council staff so as I said earlier, who do you think that10% applies to? I would go through the trouble of finding it for you, but i've done that on this forum ad nauseum and people still ignore cold hard facts and continue to believe what they want to believe as long as it fits their narrow perception of the Detroit City Council. Unlike some on City Council I know when to stop beating my head against a wall.

**mam2009** · March-03-13, 12:03 PM

Originally Posted by Eber Brock Ward

Exactly. He/She actually *defended* Watson at some point.

Really?! Please find that post. I support the institution. I don't ”defend” individual members.

**mam2009** · March-03-13, 12:59 PM

http://www.detroityes.com/mb/showthr...rs-apart/page2

Since I was having a sense that this topic has come up before, instead of repeating research efforts, I decided to just post a link to the thread where someone else questioned whether the City Council had reduced its budget...

**Honky Tonk** · March-03-13, 02:10 PM

Originally Posted by Richard

http://www.detroitmi.gov/Departments...iveBudget.aspx You can read the budget there ,funny how they cut out the workforce development aspect,its a good thing the city carries a well trained workforce. Keep em broke but fed,keep a roof over their heads but no more,keep them dependent on you for their survival and you can control them.

I've always wanted to pitch for the Tigers. Tell you what, I'm going to apply for the pitching position, and it's up to the Tigers to train me for it.

**Honky Tonk** · March-03-13, 02:22 PM

Originally Posted by mam2009

You & your assumptions...I left for a new job because I was underpaid and needed health insurance & to save for retirement. Never saw any golden goose...But ur sincere concern for what you thought was my plight was touching.

I'll give you I "assumed", but my assumption was based on your post # 27, "Council office where I worked, [[past tense), was downsized by 50%", You do seem touched. [[no, wait, that didn't come out right).

**mam2009** · March-03-13, 09:05 PM

Originally Posted by Honky Tonk

...[[no, wait, that didn't come out right).

Wouldn't be the first time what you "said" didn't come out right. You seem to be a pro at that.

**Novine** · March-03-13, 10:18 PM

This whole sub-discussion about spending on "workforce development" demonstrates the problem of people spouting off when they don't know the first thing they are talking about. The workforce development activities have nothing to do with training city employees as some have implied. Those activities are geared toward helping Detroit residents develop skills that will help them become more employable, a serious problem for many potential workers who lack skills to secure jobs in today's economy. These programs are largely funded by state and federal dollars and eliminating these programs would have little or no impact on the city's budget. But this doesn't stop the usual uninformed commentary from people who don't appear to even have a clue as to what they are talking about.

**Wesley Mouch** · March-03-13, 10:45 PM

Originally Posted by Novine

This whole sub-discussion about spending on "workforce development" demonstrates the problem of people spouting off when they don't know the first thing they are talking about. The workforce development activities have nothing to do with training city employees as some have implied. Those activities are geared toward helping Detroit residents develop skills that will help them become more employable, a serious problem for many potential workers who lack skills to secure jobs in today's economy. These programs are largely funded by state and federal dollars and eliminating these programs would have little or no impact on the city's budget. But this doesn't stop the usual uninformed commentary from people who don't appear to even have a clue as to what they are talking about.

Novine, The current budget shows that what you say is accurate. In fact, the revenues almost exactly meet expenditures. The budget isn't very transparent, with lots of opportunities for confusion, but clearly they got the memo.

That's really good to see. I do hope its true.