MASON CITY – The Mason City council is again in the budget process, hearing from department directors about their various needs.
City documents show that a 20 cent monthly increase is needed in the city’s sanitation department. City Administrator Brent Trout told the city council there would be a $.20 increase this year and next year in order to build the reserves needed to make capital purchases for the department’s on-going needs.
Mr. Trout says the the intent is to purchase three trucks over a five year period using this increase in revenue.
In previous years, the city made attempts to privatize the sanitation operation and shut down the service provided by the city. Only after a severe backlash from the public did Mayor Eric Bookmeyer and the council halt that quest.
As recently as last year, the mayor and council were completely frozen in the decision-making process as to whether to raise rates or fire workers and sought emails from the public on how to proceed. No one lost their jobs.
If the council would combine the Mayor and Administrator’s job, I will be running for the Mayor’s/Administrator position.
Not only could I do it better, I could do it with less cost. And, you could hold my feet to fire every 4 years and throw my butt out the door if I wasn’t performing the job to the voters expectations.
Plus would me we would no longer have a bully at the helm in Mason City.
Plus, we would no long have a bully at the helm in Mason City.
I also think the mayor and trout should get on the back of these trucks and work on it for 1 month straight, Weigh in before and after the 30 days and see who was the biggest loser, I mean weight wise as we know who the biggest loser really is. Now that would be a great contest. Shit I’d donate money for each pound they lost for a charity. Matt get this started
City Mayor and adminastrator should be one and the same
Bookmeyer would love that. He’s already trying to set that up – for his own benefit. He’d love to have a real job, his first in years. Seems like this move won’t be panning out for him, though, as the council knows this would bring an avalanche of scrutiny upon all of them.
I agree with the little increase but people like trout, and dterman that are blleding the city needs to take a decrease in salary. There are a few more that is getting overpaid and under worked. Clean house and take a lower wage.
@Bookie-I certainly do not mind the .20 p/month increase, but I do think they should stop beating the hell out of the trucks.
If the guys are beating the trucks that is a management issue. So management needs to do their job and stop this behavior.
If they would slow down and quit beating the hell out of the trucks they would last a lot longer and be a lot more efficient. Take away their incentive and they will slow down.
LVS, you might have a point, but, the incentive was implemented over 60 years ago by the city. The great citizens of this town, complained about the stink, from their garbage, and wanted it picked up as soon as possible. So, rain or shine, 90 degrees plus or 20 below, the garbage gets picked up, as soon as possible. It’s still a good deal for the cost. As for beating the hell out of the trucks, I don’t know, but you’d think that their supervisor would.
It’s not really a (new) investment, as the city is already invested in the trucks. It used to be that a truck was replaced every 5 years, that’s considering packer depreciation, (box) (hydraulics) etc. When parts wear out they can only be fixed (cost effectively) so many times.
I agree about them beating the heck out of these trucks, the RPM’s they run them in reverse is ridiculous and unsafe. They don’t obey traffic laws either. Also I would like to point out how our government officials keep saying “Revenues coming in,” instead of taxes or fee’s. Revenue is earned income, it is much different than taxation or a fee for service.