Budget Shortfall

By JoAnne L. Mounce

The city of Lodi has a great future, and together we will find an answer to this difficult problem. And as my family has enjoyed for the past 72 years, Lodi and its citizen will continue to have quality public safety and city services for generations to come.

We each have a budget at home and we all know what happens when out our personal income is decreased. We have to slow down our spending or look for more work. As a result, things change in the refrigerator. We have to decide what can be eliminated and, sometimes, there has to be tough choices. We have to ask ourselves what we can live without.

As your city council person I have took a hard look at each line item, and asked each department head what he or she can live without. My recommendation is to examine alternative forms of budgeting and see if we can get a more realistic outlook. I cannot get my fellow council member to support me in this effort and I believe it is because of their limited accounting backgrounds. Each budget cycle I will continue to fight for change in this area.

Or maybe it is time for efficiency studies. I am not implying that our employees are doing anything wrong; however, have others cities found ways to provide quality city services while still compensating their people and saving monies too. Our Department Heads may learn something now by sharing information.

Maybe it is time to ask the utility company to buck up. Ask them to economize so that council can increase in-lieu transfers without placing additional burden on the ratepayers.

Another area to look for savings might be debt consolidation. Is there potential interest saving on our certificates of participation? With my many years of accounting experience, these are just some of the questions I have asked.

The city of Lodi has a great future, and together we will find an answer to this difficult problem. And as my family has enjoyed for the past 78 years, Lodi and its citizen will continue to have quality public safety and city services for generations to come.