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I have served the City of Isanti as Mayor since 2007. We have accomplished great things together and I look forward to building on our success. United, we move forward to a better future. You may contact me at 763-442-8749 or e-mail me at george@georgewimmer.com.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

2011 Budget

We will be passing the 2011 Budget and Levy at the next meeting.... I will be writing a lot about this in the coming weeks..... a few points.... The police budget has gone from 24% to 32% of the budget since 2007 and we have cut general obligation debt payment from $515,000 to $400,000... unfortunately the development debt racked up by previous Councils and Mayor is weighing us down and has to be dealt with - only painful options exist to fix this problem.... I fought hard against this wasteful spending but now have to deal with the bad choices of others..... a lot of details to come in the following weeks.....

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

After printing and thoroughly examining the 2010 budget you posted on the Isanti main page; I have a few questions. Why does the liquor store manager make more per year than a full-time police officer? What is more important for the city? A Police Officer? Or a liquor store clerk?

Also, I happen to know for a fact that the city of Isanti doesn’t pay the school resource officers entire payroll, the Isanti Middle school pays the city to have the officer available to them. So why Mr. Wimmer are you wanting so quickly to cut a police officers job which is costing the city nothing?

George said...

The School District pays about a 1/3 of the school resource officer position. There will continue to be a school resource officer regardless of an officer position being eliminated.

The School Resource Officer position is a potion and not tied to a specific person.

The budget issue is the high benefit plan that only the police union officers get.... there budget has gone from 24% in 2007 of the budget to 32% for 2011....

Anonymous said...

Another words the only reason a police officer position is being cut is due to the benefit plan?
Are negotiations in place?

George said...

We just finished the binding arbitration process for the Unions preferred one year contract were just completed. Negotiations have been scheduled and will begin soon for the next contract....

Anonymous said...

A POLICE OFFICER IS BEING CUT!?

SERIOUSLY?

We have no other options?

No other choices?

George said...

It is a sad choice we have to consider this but unfortunately every other employee in the City has willingly accepted paying more for their health care except the Police Union employees. We have already cut over 10% of our city staff. If we cut elsewhere we will be eliminating entire city departments...

Anonymous said...

START WITH LOWEST IN SENIORITY

George said...

Police Union rules control this process