Whack-A-Mole City Budget Management

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Every now and then but with much less frequency, the Janesville Gazette will begin an editorial with breathtaking wonder in apparent support of a people driven local initiative, only to revert back to their core principle. Such is the case in the Sunday Gazette editorial titled ‘City should reopen upper road, pool at Riverside Park.”

The editorial starts off in full support of reopening a primary road in one of Janesville’s most scenic parks and mentions all the good things that have transpired since the city chose to close it. All was fine until….

JG Editorial Excerpt:
Operating costs likely will mean sacrifices elsewhere. But if the council can find a way, it will help restore this park gem to its historic origins.

If the council can find ways to cut costs elsewhere…. This snippet is not only the Janesville Gazette’s idea defining their shared taxpayer sacrifice, but probably the number one golden rule guiding Janesville city government for the past several decades.

Want to mow the knee-high grass in some of the city's parks? Sure, if we drop weed and curb gutter clean-up in the parkways among half of our most traveled streets. Want to save the Tallman House? Sure, if we can no longer mow the grass in our parks. Want to reopen a wading pool? Sure, just cut $25,000 from some other "useless" city service.

When the Janesville police department wanted a canine unit, they knew in advance what had to be done. They knew it was a tough sell without presenting a detailed explanation of where they could cut costs or find some surplus elsewhere in the department for start-up costs. This mentality is the key principle so repeatedly ingrained within city hall by the newspaper over a period of decades, that it could now arguably be classified as a genetic imprint.

And with this editorial, the Gazette did it again. Right before the next city council meeting, they dropped the whack-a-mole budget monkey on the shoulder of every council person when it comes time to thinking how the city will pay the costs to re-open the park road and restore a wading pool. Not only that, but the editorial “cornered” the council not to ignore the citizen group friends of the park passion and to do the right thing. After all, even the Gazette approves.

One of the members of the Forward Janesville political action group recently said "Janesville's spending on city operations ranked 37th out of 40," and said we have a reputation for efficiency and frugality. Knowing how this is accomplished, I wouldn't brag about it too much.