Here we go again! It's budget time for the City of Dearborn but the story remains the same. The city continues to spend more, taxpayers get hit with millage increases, but get less and lower quality city services. The mayor and council will need to pull a rabbit out of their negotiating hat with the police and fire unions in order to keep the city from going broke by 2015. If the rabbit turns out to be duck that only quacks but doesnt' deliver the cost savings promised (like our current Mayor does), taxpayers will need to vote out the mayor and the "rubber stamps" on the Council in 2013!

How can this mayor in good faith expect union workers to take any concessions after he has given himself a raise and his appointees 10% pay increases above their already six figure salaries. How can this mayor propose closing branch libraries, when he wants to build another train station for a high speed rail program that does not exist and will not exist for at least 5 years. This rail station is budgeted at costing Dearborn taxpayers almost 300 k a year, not funded by the Federal government. How can he propose closing local pools when he wants to spend almost 5 million building a waterpark at Ford Woods? A park used primarily by non residents. How can he propose closing anything when he wants to spend 20 million redeveloping a new city hall, and 9 million building a convention center connected to an outmoded and defunct hotel. This mayor wants to burdon children, seniors, and homeowners with cuts in services and extra taxes but reward himself, appointees, and his financial supporters with raises and new projects

What about the Amish cabins at camp Dearborn, the segways the police department bought, the HUMVEEs the National Guard threw away that the police department picked up spent more than $50,000 to fix and they still don't run! The IT department that doesn't have time to help Dearborn departments but the Mayor has helping Dearborn Hgts. I'm feed up!

How can one express concerns about a 2013 Dearborn budget when it is not made available to the residents to review? The only budgets I could locate are here.........interesting that there was no link to this site, yet the discussion was about the 2013 budget. Jessica??

http://www.cityofdearborn.org/government/city-services/public-information/latest-news/782-proposed-budget-docs

Just a few points of interest.....

Being a public official in any capacity pays well in Dearborn.
The Justification costs have now been changed to 'H.I. (Health Ins.)Waiver Bonus', and average anywhere from $2000 to $7000 per worker or dept. This , of course, is a bonus paid to a city employee for picking another form of health insurance rather than the city's, something the private sector dumped decades ago. I say, pick one coverage or the other, but don't pay them for doing it. That would save around $300,000 or more (I haven't added it all up) per year.

Longevity pay, an entitlement or bonus for staying around a long time, usually over ten years, is at least ten times that of the Waiver Bonus, and totals in the millions for the 2013 budget, all on top of the pay that the employees already earn. The private sector allows up to 4 weeks of vacation for longevity, and usually stops there. Not the longevity for govt, which increases each year and has no maximum. Think the Mayor makes $$, check this out. http://www.michigancapitolconfidential.com/16501

Longevity bonuses are nice if the city can afford it, but costs above and beyond already generous salaries and wages need to be reduced, and brought back to what we can afford. This link also mentions Dearborn's longevity costs,
http://www.michigancapitolconfidential.com/16485
and interesting that bonuses never seem to be discussed with a thought toward reduction.

Hhmmmm! Let's see - by 2013 I'll be outta town all together. In fact by the end of this month my business will be closed.

"I used to care BUT now I take a pill for that!"

Citizens need to stop the insanity and attend this council meeting and ask why OReilly thinks that partnering with a defunct hotel, that the Hyatt saw as hopeless, will be good for Dearborn's economy ? Why will building a 5 million dollar aquatic center at Ford Woods, a park primarily used by non residents be good for Dearborn?
Why will building a 20 million dollar city hall be better for Dearborn than modernizing our historic City Hall? How does spending 1 million dollars on soccer fields in Crowly Park help Dearborn? Why does Dearborn need to manage another train station when high speed rail is years away at best, couldn't this be done by Amtrack, or the Railroad Company that owns the tracks? Why does this mayor expect dedicated blue collar Dearborn employees to take major concessions when his non resident appointees get outrageous raises? The pathetic vanity of this mayor is only superseded by the foolishness of our city council and the apathy of our residents. Wake up Dearborn or you will be taxed Dearborn taxes for Melvindale services