Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Temporary payroll tax - are police & fire layoffs avoidable?

Tonight on Eye On Toledo, I took a look at the .75% temporary payroll tax and options for cutting Toledo's budget. A podcast of the show is available - along with highlights of the discussion - on my WSPD webpage.

Specifically, we talked about the $19 million that goes to the Police and Fire budgets - and the options that exist for preventing the layoff of employees in these departments. Dan Wagner, president of the Toledo Police Patrolman's Association, called in to share his thoughts.

Be sure to tune in tomorrow at 6 p.m. for continued discussion of how the City can survive without the .75% temporary tax.

1 comment:

Timothy W Higgins said...

Maggie,

The budget cuts that you discussed on the show Monday were a view of harsh reality that the city seems unwilling to face. As you rightly pointed out however, the jobs that have taken the least amount of damage in recent years are those where Toledo is the employer.

The time has come for people to be told not just the facts as the politicians see them, but the truth. Nothing is "government funded", it is "taxpayer funded". Those taxpayers are entitiled to a proper accounting and repsonsible use of their money as part of the pact they make with their government.

By their unsubstantiated threats and cavalier attitude towards the truth in this situation; the city, council, and the local unions may have awakened a sleeping giant. Maybe, just maybe, this is no longer only about sending a message. Maybe this has become about fiscal accountability and responsibility as the first steps back from the brink for Toledo.

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