| Santa Clara County, CA | November 7, 2006 Election |
 |
BudgetBy Althea PolanskiCandidate for Council Member; City of Milpitas |
This information is provided by the candidate | |
Accountability, responsible spending, and public oversight are needed to prevent special interest overspending.In October 2003, as California's credit rating was nearing "junk bond status", Vice Mayor Patricia `Trish' Dixon led a city delegation to Wall Street in New York City to demonstrate that Milpitas is a unique, culturally rich and financially well managed city. Her efforts paid off as Milpitas embarked on the largest capitol investment plan in our 50 year history. Milpitas received a "Triple A" bond rating, the highest rating given to any city in California at that time with a 4.5% interest rate. The first 200 million dollars in bonds was used to purchase the remaining property around the Elmwood Jail to stop further expansion, for affordable housing, the construction of a new library and new senior center, a medical clinic, a downtown parking structure, implementation of the Midtown Specific Plan (downtown area), parks and trails, and refinancing old debt to achieve a lower interest rate. All of this was accomplished through the Redevelopment Agency while preserving the City of Milpitas' General Fund with a 15% reserve. In 2006, the City of Milpitas was faced with a $6.5 million dollar deficit. What happened in two short years? A new council majority hired a retiring police chief to be acting city manager at an astounding salary of $218,000, formed subcommittees consisting of members of their majority and attempted to discredit anyone involved in the city prior to December 2004. When the city council directed staff to go out to the public to receive their input on potential cuts, the residents were not given the information they needed to make informed choices. The list of cuts to choose from did not give the community the ability to share their concerns on salary and benefits, on capping benefits or any areas relative to the largest portion of the general fund budget + employee salaries and benefits. Citizens of Milpitas deserve factual information delivered by knowledgeable city staff so they may provide meaningful input in the budget process. The budget process must become more open, accessible and understandable. We need leaders who will be willing to make the tough financial decisions for the future of the City of Milpitas. Special interests must not be allowed to continue to influence budgetary decisions. We must regain control of our city and our financial future. |
Next Page:
Position Paper 2
Candidate Page
|| Feedback to Candidate
|| This Contest
November 2006 Home (Ballot Lookup)
|| About Smart Voter
ca/scl
Created from information supplied by the candidate: October 3, 2006 15:45
Smart Voter <http://www.smartvoter.org/>
Copyright ©
League of Women Voters of California Education Fund.
The League of Women Voters neither supports nor
opposes candidates for public office or political parties.