20060517 KDDC Westminster City Budget column directory

20060517 KDDC Westminster City Budget column directory

A Directory of pieces that I have written on the Westminster City Budget/Westminster City Administrator position, to date:

20060517 KDDC WE 20060503 Tales of the Wster City Budget

Wednesday, May 17, 2006 by Kevin Dayhoff

20060517 KDDC WE 20060503 Tales of the Wster City Budget

Many folks have been in touch as to where/how

they can find my Westminster Eagle column on the Westminster City Budget.

Please find it pasted below in its entirety:

Tales of the Liberty Pole, squawking geese and the Westminster city budget

20060504 The Six Makes No Cents

5 May 2006 by Kevin Dayhoff

"The Six Makes No Cents" May 3, 2006 (c) Kevin Dayhoff.

Kevin Dayhoff - http://www.kevindayhoff.com/index.html

20060503 KDDC Speak or forever hold your peace

5 May 2006 by Kevin Dayhoff

“The county tax rate is fifty cents on the $100, the lowest of any county in the State, and the municipal rate is but twenty cents on the $100, five of which are for water.” Fast forward to the present. ...

Kevin Dayhoff - http://www.kevindayhoff.com/index.html

20060430 An analysis of the FY 2007 Westminster City Budget

30 Apr 2006 by Kevin Dayhoff

An analysis of the FY 2007 Westminster City, Carroll County, Maryland Budget Why a tax increase is not necessary. The following was posted on the Westminster Eagle Website on April 30, 2006. ©2004 MyWebPal.com. All rights reserved. ...

Kevin Dayhoff - http://www.kevindayhoff.com/index.html

The section that in which I wrote about my view of the idea to bring a City Administrator to the City of Westminster is found in:20060430 An analysis of the FY 2007 Westminster City Budget

If it saves you a minute – what I wrote is:

Rescind the recent decision to hire a City Administrator.

Not mentioned in this list is the newly created City Administrator position, which has been reported to cost $100,000. Perhaps we may want to amend that cost by adding the $22,500 for the consulting group hired to find this person and additional dollars for benefits, relocation expenses, office space, staff support and computer equipment. It has been whispered that this new position will cost the taxpayers as much as $200,000 – over a penny to the tax rate.

Hiring a City Administrator is an affront to the employees and destroys a sense of team. Westminster citizens “hired” the mayor to do this job. In 1991, the last time the city hired a City Administrator it didn’t work. Previously in the 1980s, the City also did away with the position in lieu of the department-director cabinet form of government. It works. If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it.

Money to be used on the City Administrator is not necessary and could be better spent elsewhere. The City Administrator will only add an additional insulating layer between employees and the elected officials. The City Administrator position does not have support of many employees. Often citizens currently have direct access to city employees and can get things done quickly and efficiently. The City Administrator adds a complicating layer between public and city departments.

A City Administrator is another step towards “Big Government.” Westminster has never been tolerant of “Big Government or “tax and spend” management.

####