MASON CITY – The Mason City council has in its possession a proposed list of cuts from this year’s budget that they are looking at to reach the $295,000 needed in order to avoid raising taxes on property owners, and Human Rights tops the list.
As far back as 2010, Mayor Eric Bookmeyer and Councilman Scott Tornquist have long zeroed in on eliminating or crippling Human Rights in Mason City. The current state of the budget and lack of public outcry on the matter may give them the opening they need to put the issue to bed and secure their goal.
Other items on the list of potential cuts or cost-cutting measures are: eliminating a compensation study; opening the public pool a week late; reducing police equipment and a police officer position; reducing wages of employees; eliminating seasonal help for the parks department; eliminating a position from the fire department; and closing the commons area in the library.
Left off the proposed list of cuts is funding for the North Iowa Corridor agency, slated to receive $105,000. The Corridor is tasked with bringing jobs and economic development to Cerro Gordo County. Mason City pays by far the lion’s share of the funding to the group. City Administrator Brent Trout and Corridor Director Brent Willet ignored questions from NIT Publisher Matt Marquardt asking for an explanation on the return on investment to the people of Mason City for funding the agency with over a half a million dollars over the past 5 years.
Not in the discussion are expenditures over the past year that helped precipitate the $295,000 budget shortfall. Tens of thousands of dollars were approved by 6-0 votes by the council – and at times very little discussion – for downtown sculptures, a remodeling of City Hall, Micro-Enterprise, Blue Zones, incentives to businesses and the Corridor, among other items.
The budget will be discussed at a 6 PM work session Thursday at City Hall.
We need to make cuts starting with Bookmeyer and Tornquist. Isn’t there a way to get them out ? If so you have my vote.
Lets be real the council and Bookmeyer caused this budget shortfall. What kind of leadership would approve spending on sculptures because a special interest group wanted them. No wonder the mayor can’t hold a job he might have a degree but no common sense. We need to elect leaders in this community not people who run for office for the sake of their egos.
HRC helps the person who can’t afford the atty to have their rights protected. As we sit right now, the people complaining that the little guy never gets heard, get rid of HRC and then another avenue where the little guy has a voice has been eliminated. I pose a question, the city was sued and lost both times, was HRC involved with that? If so, my guess is the little city employee had an avenue for a voice, and now the Mayor is needing to shut that avenue down. I do not need to look at statues, I need a clean city, ran with city employees not contracted out so the revenue (shopping, eating, property taxes of house owners) stays in Mason City. I want the HRC to stay so the little person always has a voice. I thought about running for city council two years ago, and I did not. I am sorry I didn’t. I may not comprehend all of the politics, but I do understand common sense.
Amen. You really need to consider running. You appear to have more knowledge than you give yourself credit for. We need people like you on our council.
With regards to the city being sued: This has nothing to do with the HRC. The fact is that the insurance company will gladly settle for pennies on the dollar compared to going to trial. It has nothing to do with the merit of the case.
Every year we go through this budget process but it’s hard to believe due to past actions that there is not some personal agenda against the HRC. I’m not the biggest Foster fan but understand the need for HRC and wonder why statues and remodel projects are more important than human rights. Spell check ok. 🙂
The HRC isn’t doing itself any favors allowing that editorial in the glob written by that “member” of the board. Rude, condescending and downright insulting. I used to work at a place that dealt with her and believe me, you can’t believe a word she says. And she’s just as nasty in person.
I am just curious why we need the budget we have for the HRC? Was there a flaw in the study done comparing what other towns of our size spend? It seems to me the HRC was originally created with good intent, but it’s time has passed. I certainly could be wrong, but I’m not seeing a return on investment at this point.
Please don’t reply to this post with complaints about other things they are spending money on, I’m only interested in the HRC for this post.
It’s the 2nd busiest commission in the state! Apparently our area has more problems than others. Why is that? We also have more employees that do more of the work than other commissions. They allocate the workload to other city departments. Does that allocation get counted into their cost?
It’s a done deal anyway. I’m beginning to believe this city’s leaders only care about a lot of pretty frosting and very little cake.
Second busiest in the state with a budget 90% larger than any other? I don’t see the justification.
Thanks LVS. I like being put up on the spell check podium. I just figure small minds like Anonymous need something to do to fill their time so I put out blog with an incomplete sentence and jumbled words to try to take him out of spell check mode.
Katie I have had dealings with both of these self proclaimed king pins. What I say is a direct result of that. Respect needs to be earned and their not worth it.
Oh Anonymous hasn’t your Osama Obama check showed so and your drugs running low. Loser.
So when we talk about reducing wages does this include trout? Or is that other city employees we are going to reduce and give trout a 5% raise?
Hello poop – in response to your reply below I am not Scott. Even though I am 20+ years older than him I at least can claim to have more hair.
Getting rid out Trout should be at the top of the list for budget cuts. Not the HRC.
People, your comments sure don’t do anything constructive to convince our city leaders to change their minds! Instead of calling them names and insulting them, why don’t you put forth some arguments for how they should cut the budget and save what needs saving? No wonder they all hate this site and try to ban it. Try posting some positive input for a change!!!
“City government, please stop spending our money on crap we do not want, need, or cannot afford. Thanks.”
Something like that?
Hey Katie-why don’t you run for council? You say you own property here so you have a interest.
I don’t live in MC.
Good post Katie – we get lots of name calling, etc. and very little constructive criticism.
I am all for cutting our current HRC as it has evolved into a little fiefdom that reportedly refuses to cooperate with the City who is trying to draft budgets.
If we as taxpayers cannot get information that we have a valid right to then those that refuse to cooperate need to leave and/or our support needs to be eliminated.
well hi Scott how are we doing today. Thought you dislike this site.
@Katie, I have tried to express my concerns to the council. When the sanitation issue was on their agenda, I emailed every single council member and the mayor, and Mr. Trout. The ONLY member of this team that returned any response to my was Alex Kuhn. That told me right there that they don’t care what a citizen thinks. I’ve also watched some of the meetins and see how terrible they speak to some of the citizens during the public forum. These people deserve every bit of criticism they get.
Why is it that everytime I see a picture of bookmeyer, it turns my stomach? What an ego on this guy! His head’s so big I’m surprised he can fit through his $76,000 office door. Time to get this guy out of city hall.
Old Lionel might just as well figure on retiring. Nothing is going to stop these idiots and they don’t care one bit what the taxpayers say. Of course they wouldn’t answer Matt when he asked about a return on investment as there is none. After all the money we gave Curries to help them expand and increase jobs they are now CUTTING people. It always happens. Top management sells corporate a bill of goods on how much money they will save by going lean and then after it is set up they start cutting people but the managers don’t care because they got their bonuses.
Unless you drink at the Country Club and buy the fatman and his trained monkey a drink you are nothing to this looser and have no rights. I would ask turncoat to look me in the eye and explain his position on the matter but I can never tell what direction his eyes are pointing.
Learn to spell “loser” unless you wish be considered one yourself.
@blog-wow, you have been hit by the holier than thou, always correct Anonymous. Are you not happy that you have someone to correct and guide you in your post. Anonymous-get a life. This is a post, not a English paper.
Maybe it’s Turncoat himself that’s hiding behind the “anonymous” postings.