Lynn newsletter II

Just thought I'd add a few more sections from Alderman Lynn's newsletter.

Problem-How to Cut Budget
Some of the members of the council did not want to cut public safety and I agreed. We looked at several ways short of raising taxes to keep public safety. The new council members found out that many of the cuts they proposed would not solve the problem because the money was tied up in funds that could only be used for one thing. What we needed to do was cut operating costs in other areas. We did cut some money out of public works, but much of that money is tied up in funds such as road use funds and we can only use this for roads. For example, we looked at engineering, but most of the engineers are paid by road use funds.

Automated Garbage Program
I have been receiving calls about the automated garbage pickup. This was enacted by the previous council. I opposed this program for several reasons, but the biggest reason was that I felt the details had not been worked out. Also, this was part of a very large bond issue and felt this could have waited a while since we were bonding some very expensive projects. It was simply more money than we should spend at one time. Also, I felt that we should have tried it on one or two routes first and see if it works. We could then expand it. That aside, it has passed and we are going to implement it. There will be a new fee that replaces the old garbage and recycling fees. You have a choice of three can sizes. If you choose the smallest one, your fee will go down a little. The other two will cost you a more than you are now paying. If you have a problem in moving the can to the curb on pick up day, you need to call public works at 326-7732.

Panhandling Ordinance
You may have heard that I introduced an ordinance against aggressive panhandling. I have received many complaints about this and have been approached by panhandlers myself. I felt an ordinance was necessary to curb this problem. By the time you read this, it should be passed and will be in force by May 1.