IRONWOOD, MI - Sunday, June 15, 2008 - Samaritans are people who are generous in helping those in distress. The term comes from the parable of the good Samaritan in the book of Luke 10:30––37 in the Holy Bible. Everybody knows that money is tight these days. Very few people are able to make ends meet with the high cost of gasoline; home heating fuel; food; clothing; etc. Even our government – at all levels – is forced to cut services and/or increase taxes to balance their budgets.
For many of us, life is a struggle. Residences that have been abandoned, and empty lots can be found in every neighborhood of Ironwood. Although the City now owns many of these vacant properties, they are not able to maintain them to the level they should be maintained. Neighbors of these blighted properties often complain that the tall grass and overgrown yards reduce the value of their homes. Knowing this, and just to make his/her neighborhood a better place to live, an unknown volunteer cut the grass on a couple of vacated properties in Ironwood sometime yesterday.
"Don't think I did this to brag or to show off!" wrote the volunteer in an anonymous email to the Chronicle. "I just wanted to show that people can help out one another with very little effort. Do you realize it took just a few minutes of my time and a drop of gas to dress up these vacant properties?"
The Samaritan submitted the photos above. "How many people bitch and moan because things aren't getting done? I just wanted to prove that a little effort by everybody could pay off in a big way for our community. Since the City is having troubles, I think we all need to pitch in and do what we can to make Ironwood a better place!"
The City just approved a new "balanced budget." Other than eliminating a bizarre hydrant fee that the IPSD was paying to the water department, virtually no cuts were made and there hasn't yet been a significant reduction in City services.
Personnel costs, according to Financial Director Julie Frederickson, are the biggest expense in the City. Realizing this, the City staff suggested cutting out overtime charges across the board. Overtime hours are a result of fewer workers in the City. Very few overtime hours can be eliminated because there aren't enough people employed to do the work. Especially in the case of the Ironwood Public Safety Department – it's nearly impossible to reduce the overtime and expect the same level of service.
"As the economy slows, and as we all struggle through life, we need to start working together to help the City save money," the anonymous volunteer wrote. "Parks – at least the small ones – can be cut by all of the neighbors near them. Only the larger parks, which would be impractical for individuals to attack, would need to be maintained by the City. I don't think any individual would be overly burdened by pitching in and helping out. Neighbors could work out schedules so that they take turns mowing the smaller parks. Taxes don't need to increase – and there would be no significant loss of services either!"
There are several other ways the City could save money and increase revenues as well. The City needs to start taking steps to do so because things are not going to get better or easier. Here are some of the ways the City could save money and increase without a significant impact.
- Start using electronic media whenever possible. City Commissioners and Committee members can have their "packets" emailed to them. The savings on toner, paper, labor, and postage would be significant.
Expand the City Website - Eliminate the printed newsletter! Use the City website to post notices and information relative to the City. Expand the Agendas, Schedules, and Minutes to include all boards, authorities, and committees.
Initiate an Email Call For Bids Program - Create a database (address book) for every type of service available and used by the City. When the City needs smaller items, they can simply email all of the appropriate businesses for bids. It's a more fair system than what is currently in place, and it would save significant time and money.
Increase Licenses and Fees - There are 500 licenced businesses in Ironwood. Currently each of those businesses pay $20 per year to operate. This amount is ridiculously low! It's only a $1.67 per month! Would it kill any business to pay $10 per month to operate a business in Ironwood? That increase would generate an additional $50,000 for the City. Other cities charge graduated business fees based on gross income. The City of Ironwood could consider that option, as well, without overly burdening any individual business. If needed the City could initiate a vehicle license fee; a parking fee; or even bring back parking meters.
Improve Our Downstate Presence - The best way to get grants and assistance from our Legislature and State officials is to "press the flesh!" We need to start doing a better job garnering State and Federal funds.
Start Income Generators - The City rents out the Memorial Building Auditorium for DOVE to run Bingo games. Why can't the City have it's own Bingo games? How about raffles? Radio Bingo? Drawings? Feeds? Benefits? People could win money and prizes and at the same time, save taxes and guarantee or even improve City services.
Create a Municipal Court - If the City rewrote their Code of Ordinances and changed minor offenses from misdemeanors to civil infractions, tickets could be issued on a City-wide level. Fines and fees would be paid directly to the City for these tickets, and the City would benefit. Having a Municipal Court would give many of our existing ordinances – such as blight, code violations; underage drinking, underage smoking; overnight parking, etc. – more bite, while at the same time, they would help the City generate needed income.
Cut out Special Favors and Freebies - How much did the water for the Snowmobile Olympus (Sled Fest) track cost? Was the City ever paid for the thousands of gallons of water used? How much free "tippage" (dumping of construction debris) was the contractor for the Wal-Mart project given? How many contractors are allowed to use City equipment without being charged? How often do City employees get called to construction sites to repair damages made by contractors? Does our City Manager need a car allowance in addition to his $90,000 salary? Should our Projects Engineer get a free home; free fuel; free car; free lawn care; free phone; free insurance; and no property taxes?
Start Acting Like the Small Town We Really Are - The City of Ironwood suffers from delusions of grandeur. Sure, at one time, we were a community of 20,000 people. The City hasn't yet realized that we are now a small town of under 5,000. It's time to start cutting back! We need to reduce the size and scope of local government. What we pay to administer this small town, is equal to what many much larger cities pay. Cutting out services and increasing revenues aren't the only way to reduce City spending! We need laborers to do the work – we don't need so many leaders to make sure the work gets done.
Jim Albert
