27 APR 05: CUT-DOWN DAY
Riddle me this: Q: What do thousands of Columbus Civic Center concert-goers have in common with the Fraternal Order of Police?
A: What they saw Tuesday gave them nothing less than Widespread Panic!
Columbus Mayor Bob Poydasheff unveiled his long-awaited budget proposal Tuesday. It offers all public safety workers a one-time $200 bonus - although for many, it may remind them of the Monopoly game: collect $200 as you pass GO.
Mayor Poydasheff proposes a $200 check for everyone working in public safety. But the total number of public safety positions would drop by 16 under his budget plan. If those positions are unfilled now, the Mayor hopes this will be "sweet 16 and never be missed."
Mayor Poydasheff described his proposed $200 check for public safety workers as "hazardous duty pay." If all upset police officers attend hearings on this proposed budget, the Columbus Council might demand the same thing.
Mayor Poydasheff dips into city reserve funds to provide the $200 supplement, as well as a one-time five-percent bonus for all Columbus city employees. Those workers are encouraged to rebuild that reduced reserve -- perhaps starting tonight, by trying to win the Lotto South jackpot.
Mayor Bob Poydasheff admitted Tuesday Columbus Council could revise his budget - and turn his proposed five-percent one-time bonus into a permanent employee raise. But the question then would be where to get that money in upcoming years. This is when it pays to have Councilor Evelyn Turner Pugh working at a bank....
The mayor's proposed budget cuts funding for public safety three percent - but other city departments could be cut 30 percent. Where IS the outcry of support from voters, to spare the Election Board? Or from computer geeks, to save money for Information Technology?
WRBL noted Tuesday night the budget plan would eliminate city money for seven "before-school" programs at local schools. If your children are affected by this, I have a suggestion. Drop them off at Jim Rhodes's house at 6:30 a.m., since he offered this idea first.
The proposed Columbus budget reduces ten police officer positions, six for police civilians and more than a dozen slots for fire and EMS workers. So if there's a fiery crash, the lawyers would be more likely than ever to reach the scene first.
The mayor's proposed budget tries to do city employees a favor, as city money would absorb a $250 increase in health care costs. That way, they won't have to pay more for being sick to their stomach from a lack of raises.
The proposed Columbus city budget for fiscal 2006 totals about $185 million. This computes to about $1,000 for every resident. I was planning to reduce my share of that - but civil rights leaders called off those "days of abstinence."
As we somehow expected, Fraternal Order of Police President Randy Robertson was NOT happy with the mayor's budget proposal. He said any cut in the public safety budget would be unacceptable. Now hold on a minute -- don't police get annoyed when suspects claim THEY should be exceptions to the rules?
Randy Robertson railed on the proposed Columbus city budget, calling it "politics as usual." Of course, there's a way to change this - so when does Ken Suddeth plan to announce he's running for mayor?
Randy Robertson calls the $200 bonus for public safety employees a nice start. But then he declared the employees would "have to pay taxes" on that $200, so it actually is like being "spit in the face." Maybe Suze Orman should come to Columbus, and talk to a Fraternal Order of Police meeting about tax-free Roth IRA's.
At least common ground was found Tuesday on another Columbus city issue. Officials announced you still can take trash to the curb in containers bigger than 32 gallons - BUT the trash must be in bags. Please note, all husbands: it does NOT say trash must be taken out by your "old bags."
OVERHEARD OVER HERE: Two women talked Tuesday about the stars of "The Simple Life."
"I heard Paris and Nicole aren't together anymore."
"Yeah, I heard that on the news...."
These women happened to be Amy Giuliano and Roslyn Giles, as they co-anchored WRBL's "News 3 at Noon." And I thought all this time they WERE the news.
Let's see what other things were newsworthy, on a rainy Tuesday:
+ The Russell County Commission decided to increase security at the courthouse, adding security cameras and X-ray machines at the front entrance. Alabamians who delight in shotgun weddings will have to go elsewhere.
(Russell County Commissioner Peggy Martin said increased security steps are needed to be "proactive, and not reactive." Ms. Martin owes the most recent Muscogee County Grand Jury some money, for stealing words from its report on Columbus Police.)
+ Rigdon Road Elementary School faculty members revealed students have to go to the restrooms on a schedule, because there's only one for boys and one for girls. How pathetic is this?! Every redneck workplace joke from the 1970's is becoming reality in Columbus....
(But that's not all - Rigdon Road's principal says the school is in its 14th year of using "temporary" portable classrooms. The faculty members should have been suspicious, when the classrooms showed up without wheels on them.)
+ The CBS Evening News traveled to Montgomery, to report on an Alabama legislature proposal to ban school library books written by homosexual authors. If I was a librarian, I'd go ahead and remove the Elton John and Melissa Etheridge CD's now.
+ Instant Message to WSFA-TV in Montgomery: I was able to watch your 10:00 p.m. news on my home TV Tuesday night - but what was that "Beyond Alabama" segment? Were those the news stories too complex for many of your viewers to understand?
BURKARD'S BEST BETS: Gas for $2.05 a gallon at the Phillips on Wynnton Road (as of Tuesday afternoon).... milk for $1.49 a half-gallon at Walgreens.... but two doughnuts for $1.70 at Veri Best? Try Veri HIGHEST....
COMING THURSDAY: The special blog coverage that MIGHT have been.... but plans changed....
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