Question from an e-mail

A reader sent this question : "What do you think the present problems on the council are? How would you work to resolve these problems?"

I think the largest problem the city council has is that despite working long and hard to balance the budget without increasing the tax levy, the current rules allow the state to fund economic development with our local sales tax.
We count on that sales tax to pay for what we have budgeted locally, so even though the budget was accepted, if revenues fall short, we've got problems.
Some background.
In 1987, the state legislature enacted the Employment and Investment Growth Act, LB 775. The goal of the bill was to reward companies for creating jobs in Nebraska. This was to be done by refunding the sales tax that companies paid when they purchased goods or property that resulted in job growth. An example would be if a company purchased lumber from a city business to construct an office complex and the end result was new jobs at that complex, the company could apply to have the sales tax it paid on the lumber refunded.
Sounds good on paper, but when a very, very large company spends several hundreds of thousands of dollars in a small town, it can have an extremely negative effect. The city often is collecting sales tax for point-of-delivery items, without any sales being made from local companies.

Long story short, if the rules are not changed, Sidney won't regain control of how local sales tax dollars are allocated.

How would I work to resolve this issue? As the present council and city manager have shown, working with our state senator and attempting to change the rules through legislation is the only recourse we have.
The squeaky wheel gets the grease, so I would continue to turn up the volume on this issue, and could devote more time and energy to this mission than any other candidate.

Taking a Stand

As a news reporter in this community, I have worked hard to be an objective observer, to get the facts right, to see the issues from both sides and to be clear and concise in my telling of the events.
Journalists understand the subtle ways in which they can influence – or attempt to influence – the reader. Words paint pictures, and sometimes a writer doesn't see the personal bias filtering into the work. It can be a continual struggle for a legitimate news reporter to stick to the facts and only the facts.
Now, having thrown my hat (complete with my press credentials still stuck in the band) into the ring for this city council race, I confess the idea of taking a stand on public matters is a bit daunting.
Don't get me wrong, my friends and family can tell you that I am not short on having opinions, but when it comes to taking a public stand on public issues, this is on–the–campaign–trail learning.
I still intend to listen carefully, and get the facts right. I intend to know my source, and trust yet verify.
It will probably sound at times like I am trying to stay on the fence, but it will be because I haven't decided which pasture looks like it has less manure in it, not that I am going to sit on the fence forever.

Comment Moderation

I am not going to automatically publish the comments on this blog.
It might be "old school" but I am not going to approach this campaign with an uncontrolled debate about the issues that degrades into insults and finger pointing.
Please feel free to send comments or questions in an e-mail, and I will do my best to address your questions and comments in a future post.
If you agree with what I think, or most of it, then please vote for me.
If you don't agree with me, then don't vote for me.
Either way, please vote.

Old Issues

I never ceases to amaze me that some people cannot understand that the past is in the past. We cannot continually debate a decision made by council members years ago. Purchases are made, projects are approved, and ordinances are passed. If you want to be part of the decision–making process, then you should attend the council meetings and speak your mind.

But, because people have asked me about two items in particular, let me state my position on:

A) The fire truck.
A wise person understands that whenever you have a dedicated group of volunteers like the Sidney Fire department, you should provide them with the best equipment and training possible.
The job is as dangerous and dirty as any job can be, and yet these volunteers gladly respond when the call is placed.
If Sidney had to hire and pay its fire department, the payroll would be greater per year than the one-time purchase of the newest fire truck.
Our historic downtown district is filled with two–story buildings. Many single–story structures in town do not have easy access from all sides. The ladder on the truck doesn't just go up and down, it can go over.
Our volunteer force continually trains for the worst–case scenario.
Some day, the fire truck will be used to save a life. Then people will understand it was not expensive, it is priceless.

B) The walking trail.
In March of 2006, the Sidney City Council unanimously approved the construction of a concrete pedestrian and bicycle trail linking the existing Sidney Deadwood Trail system to the Interstate 80 interchange. It was clearly stated in the resolution that the cost to the city would be approximately $171K. It was also clearly stated the Federal Transit Act and the Nebraska Transportation Act would provide $500K for the project.
In November of 2006, the resolution was given a deadline extension by unanimous vote of the council.
In June of 2007, the project was given a deadline extension by unanimous vote of the council.
In October of 2007, the project was given a deadline extension by unanimous vote of the council.
In February of 2008, the project was given a deadline extension by vote of the council. Council member Marv Filsinger abstained from the vote, the four other members voted yea.
In September of 2008, the project was given a deadline extension by unanimous vote of the council.
In March of 2009, the project was given a deadline extension by 4-0 vote of the council. Council member Bob Van Vleet was absent, excused, from the meeting.
In December of 2009, the project was given a deadline extension by a 3-2 vote of the council.
Time and time again, the project was discussed in meetings. Rarely did anyone stand in objection to the project.
Four years have passed since the project was officially approved. If a majority of the citizens in our community stood in opposition, the project could have been killed at any time.
I suspect that the majority of the community either supported the idea, or, to be quite honest, didn't care one way or the other.
Do I support it? While I find it laughable that the state and federal government will give us half a million dollars to build the path but not to repair our roads, if they are going to give us half a million dollars we'd be foolish not to take it.
And yes, in the last four years the cost of the project has increased, but due to a generous offer by Cabela's, the city's share has not increased.
If Cabela's wants to invest $200,000 in the project, than I say Sidney would be foolish not to take it as well.
Will I use the path?
Doubtful.
But I believe that it will be popular with a sector of the population.
According to Public Works Director John Hehnke, the path will be cleared of snow and ice, as not doing so could open the city to liability if someone were to fall. Yes, he will have to budget for the expense, but does not expect that to be significant because the snow will be cleared using the roller brushes on a mower or the little push plow if the snow is deeper.
One last thing. To those who refer to the trail extension as the "path to nowhere," I wonder how all the fine people employed at the businesses near the I-80 exchange, or those who own businesses there, feel about being labeled as being "nowhere."