Observer-Reporter forum

george · Posted: Mon Nov 02, 2009 10:26 am Post subject: Sunday 11/1 editoral

Once again the editor is pushing for a merger of municiplities with Washington. If this is ever to occur Washington must bring more to the table besides debt and crime.

I mentioned the pension issues due to the recent market losses months ago and this should not be a suprise to the editor. Every public agency (schools, municipalities, counties, state) have similar issues.

The editor would be better off pushing for relief of full funding of these plans for five years rather that hope the rest of us bail washington out of a hole of its own making.

There are no easy answers for Washington. They will have to cut fire and police forces. A regional police force may work if the editor can convince Canton to pony up. If Canton won't its a dead issue. I expect the state to begin charging Canton a hefty fee for contiinued use of state police.
_________________
George

Brant · Posted: Mon Nov 02, 2009 10:29 am Post subject:

Absent a full consolidation, which probably will not occur in our lifetime, area municipalities can save money by pooling resources for police, fire coverage and purchasing. None of that would require outlying communities to bear the burden of the mistakes Washington made with its firefighter retirement plan.
_________________

The priests of the different religious sects dread the advance of science as witches do the approach of daylight.

- Thomas Jefferson

SSSS · Posted: Mon Nov 02, 2009 11:23 am Post subject:

This issue is raised about once a year by the editorial staff. I like to remind them that the local governments were not even capable of running a park together-how would they ever agree on running a police agency? It would take two years worth of meetings to decide what color the cars should be!
_________________

amom · Posted: Mon Nov 02, 2009 11:35 am Post subject:

The figurative walls between municipalities are higher and thicker than the Berlin wall ever was.
_________________
-amom

"If stupidity got us into this mess, then why can't it get us out?"

- Will Rogers