The following is from Rep. Schaefer's weekly update on the legislative session:
"If you or I have a drop in income, what do we do? If you are responsible, you'd reduce spending. if you are irresponsible, you'd continue spending and running up credit cards.
I just read that Namap and Caldwell will force the overburdened taxpayers to pay more so they can continue spending more. That's irresponsible. The county is cutting back and so is the state. The cities don't appear to understand how serious the state of the economy really is.
Do they not read about the thousands of citizens being laid off?? Builders are not building and stores are not selling. Cities should take the lead from the county and state and not penalize taxpayers who have lost too much income already. It's incumbent for government at all levels to be responsible."
Editor note:
County Commishes and Elected County Officials have been doing a fair amount of hand wringing over just how to manage the drop in revenue. They have cut positions in Development Services and put a hiring freeze and a further paring of positions is talked about with a yet to be defined across the board cut in pay for everyone at the county. The full measure of cutting at Canyon County is not yet completed.
Meanwhile Nampa and Caldwell and the "Singing Mayors" continue to play the fiddle while Rome burns. Mayor Nancolas of Caldwell and Mayor Dale of Nampa spent tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars on a trip back to Washington DC with eleven high school students. The necessity of this trip has not been satisfactorily explained to taxpayers. Caldwell advanced the MYAC $3,000.00 out of city funds to finance the trip, as a loan based on anticipated revenue from a golf tournament this summer.
Caldwell tally for the trip as represented to THE GUARDIAN is $10,300.00. This was an unnecessary expense to the taxpayers. Ditto for Mayor Dale. Shame on these guys.
I've heard that Nampa is considering lay-offs but unlike Canyon County they don't go shooting their mouth off to the media at every little hairbrained idea that they are thinking of. Canyon County first said unpaid holidays, then it was closing early on Fridays and the latest is an across the board pay cut. Canyon County commissioners don't even have the common courtesy to let the employees know what they are thinking, the employees have to read about it in the newspaper. Nampa is probably being professional and respectful to their employees and not so in love with the media.
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