Much like the marketplace at large, our wonderful town is in the throes of a fiscal crisis. We, as citizens, expect a wide variety of municipal services from our local government. However, we do not have the revenues to support all of these needs. Our local elected representatives must examine and act to address this situation as soon as possible. We cannot expect the State of California to assist us as they are in a budget crisis of their own. We must rely on ourselves to solve our own. As the public policy can be a time-consuming one, we must begin now for full inclusion of all stakeholders in this vital process. You may ask "where do we find such revenues ?" or "can we eliminate expenditures ?" or "can we resolve this crisis with a combination of reduced expenditures and increased revenues ?". The answer is "all of the above". But first, we must examine what is currently the practice of our local elected representatives. We could ask of them, "is it really necessary to expend approximately $40,000 for transcription of town council proceedings ?" or could we utilize the same process as the Moraga School Board with audio recordings ? Should you elected me as your Moraga Town Council member, I will bring the same inclusion and compromise experience as I did while I was on the Moraga School Board. I welcome your input, experience, and ideas to help us solve this crisis.
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