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| Sakry, ABC Newspapers, online here. |
They could sponsor something at one of the libraries that does not waste gasoline.
PART 2 Same general online link, ABC Newspapers reports that Andover will be spending thirty grand on the McComb Group doing a study of what new business growth might best benefit the community. Recall that McComb Group is the consulting firm that did a comparable study early on in the process of making the Ramsey Town Center the success it is. East Bethel will have a consultant review its comp plan. The usefulness of consultants, and comp plans being undeniable. There is reporting on the Anoka County Rail Authority, and the Northstar Corridor Development Authority. Lucky for us in Ramsey that the mayor proposed firing the city administrator at a hundred and a quarter per year, as a move against government waste and costly activity - or some such - while apparently embracing the rail government overlap and duplication, with this photo showing the mayor's Northstar in Ramsey gala happening.
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| A special train run and special stop, in Ramsey, for show. |
ABC Newspapers reports Matt Look will be on both the Anoka County Rail Authority AND the Northstar Corridor Development Authority, it needing the continuity in both operations that is provided by using the same individual for the same thing, twice, on taxpayer money.
Can anyone tell me, are the budgets of the County Rail Authority and the Corridor Development Authority budgets that will be holding the line, or will there be cutting to lower levels than the immediate preceeding year's exactions?
In these times, unneeded waste is being pared, and that would have to include authorized overlapping authorities. Yet, I have not seen authorities' budget cutting fervor touted in any press coverage, so I am wondering.
Always remember, these dual authorities do have non-overlapping authority - the power to separately exact taxes, and they do that so they can spend on stuff. On exercising authority.
____________UPDATE____________
Can anyone tell me the budget of the Minneapolis-Duluth/Superior Passenger Rail Alliance joint powers board for the proposed Northern Lights Express (NLX) project from Minneapolis to Duluth/Superior through Anoka County? As a guess, they have unlimited authority to tax so that they can exercise authority, but that they are restrained in what they exact so that they may have enough but not too much money for whatever it is they are to be spending on. Because Matt Look is reported to be on that authority too, and because he ran on not wanting that rail development, I have to suppose the operation will be taxing us in order to not build any such linking rail between Duluth and the Twin Cities and the thing I wonder about is if nothing at all were spent on that authority, including the Look stipend, (if any), how would that affect the non-building of the rail line one way or the other.
Presuming this Duluth-TC thing pays some amount of money to the politicians appointed to serve on it, would not the Look goal, wanting the result of NOT having that train be the result if it were to have no budget - nothing for paying to political appointees and nothing for any other stuff? I am confused by having an authority continuing to operate concerning a train routing that the politician-appointee(s) oppose and want to see rendered stillborn. It seems a zero budget would serve the ends that Mr. Look anticipates as best for this proposal, but I have seen no press coverage beyond the mention of his appointment. Could anyone inform me of what stipend attaches to a politician once appointed to each of the three rail "jobs"? I know there is a substantial paycheck with being on the county board, more than being in either house of the legislature, hence I wonder, in that context whether we are seeing quadruple dipping? In boom times quadruple dipping would be questionable, but these are not boom times.
___________FURTHER UPDATE___________
This is encouraging. Matt Look emailed:
No stipend or credit card expenses. NCDA not have taxing authority. Membership includes leaders along the corridor and has a membership share/annual fee that has to be approved by the regional rail authority consisting of county commissioners, which had a 60 some percent cut
NLX set up same way....couldn't get support on a cut this year, but transferred 1/3 of annual budget from unused reserves.
Getting such information public is helpful. Fiscal attention and restraint apparently exist. That is as it should be.