Here is my first attempt at sharing council meetings with everyone online. I know this will offer a better resource for everyone to have rather than meeting minutes or my own account of what happened. I must be honest my equipment could not record the entire meeting of April 20th. It was simply to long for my recording equipment. I think we left around 11pm.
Click on the play button and let the video begin to buffer. It may take a few moments to load but it will play.
City of Columbia, IL Public Budget Hearing & Council Meeting April 20, 2009 from Levi Ottwell on Vimeo.
Sorry for the degraded quality. This was a longer meeting and quality had to be sacrificed to get it online to share.
I promise to deliver better quality as meetings go on. I will learn a few tricks along the way I am sure.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Videotaping Council Meetings
I started Monday on a new endeavor. Videotaping the city council meetings.
I cannot take notes fast enough to catch everything I want to and the minutes are not enough for my records. I am searching for a place to share the videos online. Youtube allows video 10 minutes at a time. That a lot of work splitting the video of your average 2 hour long council meeting. My recording media didn't last long enough for Mondays marathon.
A copy will be presented to the city for their records on or before the next council meeting.
If anyone has any ideas on where to upload this content to feel free to email me.
I cannot take notes fast enough to catch everything I want to and the minutes are not enough for my records. I am searching for a place to share the videos online. Youtube allows video 10 minutes at a time. That a lot of work splitting the video of your average 2 hour long council meeting. My recording media didn't last long enough for Mondays marathon.
A copy will be presented to the city for their records on or before the next council meeting.
If anyone has any ideas on where to upload this content to feel free to email me.
Fiscal Year 2010: The Budget
Sorry for taking so long to get around to things this week. It’s been a little busy around the house and I have been thinking about what happened on Monday night. I wanted to let it soak in and really think about it before I shared with you. I have been looking at the city budget for a few weeks and thinking about things that could be cut or should be cut, thinking about things that should stay and things that must stay.
It’s been a struggle for some families making ends meet the past year or two. Some families have had to only cut back on going out to eat or not taking a vacation while some have had to make much more difficult decisions. Maybe they have an adjustable rate mortgage that they did not entirely understand and now they are facing a foreclosure. Some families have lost one income that they depended on and are now facing very difficult choices. Our city is facing many of these same challenges.
It is no secret that Columbia is losing income. Income based on sales tax makes up a large portion of the city’s revenue for the general fund. Columbia made some cut backs last year in an effort to keep their revenues greater than expenditures. The council then covered the shortfall of revenue with transfers of funds from the capital development fund.
Going into Monday meeting the council again planned to dip into the capital development fund to cover shortfalls in revenue. Former mayor Les Schnider spoke before the council meeting asking the council to stop using these funds to cover shortfalls in revenue. His main point being that if the pattern continues then Columbia is not fixing their problem, they are only spending down reserves and savings while seemingly ignoring the main issue. Columbia is spending more money than they are taking in.
The council began to talk over the budget and it became clear that the majority of the council felt some cuts should be made. No one wanted to be the person who said what should be cut. The game that was played by the council in passing the buck around the table for what must have been an hour was ridiculous. Alderman Row made the first real proposal for cuts that were of substance. He seemed to be the first that took the step from saying “this item seems excessive to me what does everyone else think” to “here is what I think we should cut anyone disagree?” No political figure wants to say things that may seem bad to voters. Cutting projects and upgrades is not a popular idea.
The discussion went on and cuts were made. A budget voted “no” on by Mary Ellen, Gene, and the Mayor was passed on Monday.
I do not want to come across like I cannot see the point of view supported by the “no” votes. Just because the item is budgeted for does not mean they would have to buy every item throughout the year. Maybe revenue will be greater than the numbers we have projected. I believe that sure if months from now when Ron Williams came to a meeting and asked to purchase a new truck that was in his budget that if money was tight the council could say no. I also believe that every department head will work to keep their spending in under budget and maybe making hard choices without the council stepping in. I know all of this to be true.
The reasoning that the budget is a worst case scenario did not make it ok. If that worst case became a reality then we as a city would be in a bad situation mid year, I understand people will be monitoring things throughout the year but if you leave yourself some breathing room up front things are much simpler down the line, things like pay raises and emergencies we have not projected for in the budget.
I would love to have some feedback on this topic as I know I do not fully understand all issues facing our city. Hopefully in the next year things get back on track and our city can experience some growth and not be faced with these situations in the future.
Again if you were at the meeting and feel I have mis-stated the facts then by all means comment here or email me and I’ll post your comment for others to read.
It’s been a struggle for some families making ends meet the past year or two. Some families have had to only cut back on going out to eat or not taking a vacation while some have had to make much more difficult decisions. Maybe they have an adjustable rate mortgage that they did not entirely understand and now they are facing a foreclosure. Some families have lost one income that they depended on and are now facing very difficult choices. Our city is facing many of these same challenges.
It is no secret that Columbia is losing income. Income based on sales tax makes up a large portion of the city’s revenue for the general fund. Columbia made some cut backs last year in an effort to keep their revenues greater than expenditures. The council then covered the shortfall of revenue with transfers of funds from the capital development fund.
Going into Monday meeting the council again planned to dip into the capital development fund to cover shortfalls in revenue. Former mayor Les Schnider spoke before the council meeting asking the council to stop using these funds to cover shortfalls in revenue. His main point being that if the pattern continues then Columbia is not fixing their problem, they are only spending down reserves and savings while seemingly ignoring the main issue. Columbia is spending more money than they are taking in.
The council began to talk over the budget and it became clear that the majority of the council felt some cuts should be made. No one wanted to be the person who said what should be cut. The game that was played by the council in passing the buck around the table for what must have been an hour was ridiculous. Alderman Row made the first real proposal for cuts that were of substance. He seemed to be the first that took the step from saying “this item seems excessive to me what does everyone else think” to “here is what I think we should cut anyone disagree?” No political figure wants to say things that may seem bad to voters. Cutting projects and upgrades is not a popular idea.
The discussion went on and cuts were made. A budget voted “no” on by Mary Ellen, Gene, and the Mayor was passed on Monday.
I do not want to come across like I cannot see the point of view supported by the “no” votes. Just because the item is budgeted for does not mean they would have to buy every item throughout the year. Maybe revenue will be greater than the numbers we have projected. I believe that sure if months from now when Ron Williams came to a meeting and asked to purchase a new truck that was in his budget that if money was tight the council could say no. I also believe that every department head will work to keep their spending in under budget and maybe making hard choices without the council stepping in. I know all of this to be true.
The reasoning that the budget is a worst case scenario did not make it ok. If that worst case became a reality then we as a city would be in a bad situation mid year, I understand people will be monitoring things throughout the year but if you leave yourself some breathing room up front things are much simpler down the line, things like pay raises and emergencies we have not projected for in the budget.
I would love to have some feedback on this topic as I know I do not fully understand all issues facing our city. Hopefully in the next year things get back on track and our city can experience some growth and not be faced with these situations in the future.
Again if you were at the meeting and feel I have mis-stated the facts then by all means comment here or email me and I’ll post your comment for others to read.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Commitee Meetings of April 13, 2009
Ordinance, Planning, & Zoning.
The bowling alley is proposing to install two sand volleyball courts. They hope to have the courts in place with leagues starting at the beginning of June. The leagues will work in correspondence with the YMCA. There were some concerns of the committee regarding drainage, music volume, and the lighting they will be installing. A shed the bowling alley already has on their property will become a concession stand.
The proposal must go before the zoning board of appeals and the planning commission for approval before construction can begin. They will be cutting it close to their goal of June 1 for completion.
There were concerns regarding a drainage ditch that the bowling alley needs to clean up and hand over the easement rights to the city for them to continue the maintenance. The bowling alley is working with the convalescence center across the street to clean this ditch area up. It was said this was an issue when the bowling alley was under previous ownership and this issue has nothing to do with the sand volleyball courts.
License, Insurance Claims, CEMA, & Contracts
A RFQ for legal council has been drafted by Al Hudzik at the request of this committee. The RFQ has been reviewed and edited/amended by both Jay and Mayor Hutchinson. The RFQ will be advertised in the Clarion, Belleville News Democrat, St. Louis Post Dispatch, & a tri-county court reporter. The advertisement will point interested parties to the city’s website where the actual RFQ will be posted. Notification of this RFQ will also be sent to Columbia law firms and firms representing other local communities. Mayor Hutchinson will check to see if the RFQ link can be added to the East West Gateway website at the request of Candace.
I know it has been mentioned in the past what the RFQ is looking for but I have forgotten. It was not made clear if we are actively looking to replace current council or if we are just seeing if there are better choices with better rates available.
Committee of the Whole
Gene started off the meeting by asking chief Edwards to explain the COPS grant (http://www.cops.usdoj.gov/Default.asp?Item=2108) he is applying for today April 14.
The grant is essentially a program that will pay the salary for an officer for three years. The city is then obligated by the terms to keep that officer on the payroll for a fourth year and pay the salary themselves. Chief Edwards wanted to apply for three officers under this program. Edwards said this would allow for three active patrolling officers on each shift and the city would have 17 officers, we currently have 14 after some reduction in force over the last year.
The concerns for the costs in the fourth year were brought up by Jay. Understandingly so. At Edwards projections for the salary costs for the three officers in the fourth year are $235,440, or $78,480 an officer. This is a large chunk of money to add to a budget at any point in time.
Alderman Stumpf started asking questions of Edwards resulting in the following info. The COPS grant is a federal grant, it includes the medical coverage costs for the officers, two officers will have to share a car and not be able to take it home when off duty, and counting the chief and assistant chief there may be 5-7 officers on duty at some times, with three patrolling.
Alderman Hejna then asked Edwards why they had not received the information she requested the last time Edwards talked about this program regarding the grant, Edwards said he did not remember the information being requested but he would have had no problem providing it had he remembered being asked. Alderman Oberkfell then told the chief that the council has said before that they need to see the paperwork for all grants that the city is applying for so they can make a more informed decision regarding if they should apply for any given grant. Chief then mentioned he had recently applied for a traffic grant with council approval and no one had asked for any grant information at that time so he did not think to provide the info for this grant either. (I must interject here, if a department head is applying for anything just make some copies and get it over to the council ahead of time so they can see ahead of time from now on, and for the council members who want info that has not yet been provided, the link I placed above for the grant took me about three minutes to find online, a little research goes a long way and saves time in the meetings while not looking like an attack on someone, while making you look prepared for doing the research on your own)
Alderman Stumpf continued to ask questions of Edwards. Question: Could we see a reduction in force required in coming years? Answer: If the community continues to grow then no a reduction would not be needed. Question: Does the assistant chief teach any classes at SWIC, how much time does that require of him? Answer: Yes but not many hours and it varies week to week.
Stumpf then asked the council how we will pay for the fourth year’s expenses. The assistant chief said there are some provisions in the grant that if the economy does not improve or if the city can not meet those commitments then paper work can be filed to the federal government to opt out. Penalties for this would be that the city would not be eligible for grants under this program for some period of time. Mayor Hutchinson stated that if we were awarded three officers per the grant we would be saving almost $750,000 over the next three years.
Stumpf said we should apply for only two additional officers, Alderman Row said we should apply for three as we may only get one or two or none anyway. Alderman Unnerstall asked if in the case of us being awarded three officers per the grant could we decide to only take the money for two if we change our mind, no one really had an answer for this but the consensus was it may hurt our chances for future grants of this type. Edwards noted we have more calls than both the county and Waterloo and less officers to handle them.
Mary Ellen made a motion to apply for grant money on three officers, Fred said he would vote yes if the motion was for two officers. Votes yes were made by Ebersohl, Niemietz, Agne, & Row. Votes no were made by Unnerstall, Hejna, Stumpf, & Oberkfell. The tie splitting vote went to the mayor and he voted yes. Look forward to more split votes of this kind once Unnerstall is done with his term.
The committee of the whole went on to cover some budgeting items. So far it appears that certain funds are going to be tapped to cover shortcomings of the budget. Most of these projects should and need to be completed as we have already invested some money into them. It is also true that the funds being tapped were created to fund projects of these types so it’s not a misuse of the money. I am disappointed to see that no one has really taken a stance that some services may need to be cut to balance this budget. I know that cutting services is not what an elected official wants to bring up but it may be an alternative to cutting or pushing back some improvement projects that should be in the budget for the next year. I am working on getting the most recent copy of the budget to post here.
Public Comment will be next Monday at 6:45pm.
Personnel
The council went into executive session to cover bargaining agreement updates and employees salaries and correspondence with the FOP.
Purpose - Post Election
I am going to attempt to share more info with the readers here than you will find in the minutes posted on the city’s website regarding council meetings and some committee meetings (I cant make it to them all).
Remember these are my views; I will try to stay the course like I did through the election and share only facts. My opinion will come through from time to time. I hope you will comment on the info I share or at least let me know if it’s a helpful resource for you at all via email.
In the case that my recollection mis-represents what you said or meant at the meeting, then email me and I will add your comment. I will not go back and amend posts. I think I take pretty good notes.
Remember these are my views; I will try to stay the course like I did through the election and share only facts. My opinion will come through from time to time. I hope you will comment on the info I share or at least let me know if it’s a helpful resource for you at all via email.
In the case that my recollection mis-represents what you said or meant at the meeting, then email me and I will add your comment. I will not go back and amend posts. I think I take pretty good notes.
Wednesday, April 08, 2009
Mystery Website
After the election last night I decided to check up on all of the websites that were set up during the election season.
Harold had a banner on his front page http://www.mccartyformayor.com/ congratulating Mayor Hutchinson on re-election.
Dennis had no page. I read a few childish posts over on a message board called topix.
I then checked the mystery site set up last last week that was never connected to anyone. www.2009ColumbiaElection.com This site did not have any contact info for the author or owner of the page. If you did a "whois" on the site you see it was owned by VistaPrint which operates in either Bermuda or Massachusetts, I really don't know. The election website has since disappeared. I did a Google search for it and viewed the cached page and came up with this. http://74.125.47.132/search?q=cache:XgYHmhusodIJ:2009columbiaelection.com/+2009+columbia+election&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us Well that answers some of my questions about the website, and my suspicions were confirmed. I only wish they could have been transparent before the election and sent the questions they asked each candidate so we could have seen them.
Their views may not be right or wrong for that matter. Regardless they as a group should have at least said whose views they were promoting.
Harold had a banner on his front page http://www.mccartyformayor.com/ congratulating Mayor Hutchinson on re-election.
Dennis had no page. I read a few childish posts over on a message board called topix.
I then checked the mystery site set up last last week that was never connected to anyone. www.2009ColumbiaElection.com This site did not have any contact info for the author or owner of the page. If you did a "whois" on the site you see it was owned by VistaPrint which operates in either Bermuda or Massachusetts, I really don't know. The election website has since disappeared. I did a Google search for it and viewed the cached page and came up with this. http://74.125.47.132/search?q=cache:XgYHmhusodIJ:2009columbiaelection.com/+2009+columbia+election&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us Well that answers some of my questions about the website, and my suspicions were confirmed. I only wish they could have been transparent before the election and sent the questions they asked each candidate so we could have seen them.
Their views may not be right or wrong for that matter. Regardless they as a group should have at least said whose views they were promoting.
Tuesday, April 07, 2009
The reports this time showed absentee votes were counted. I would have to assume these would be the results. Although they are still marked unofficial. So everyone knows this is where I was getting my info https://www.platinumelection.com/xreport/election_results/reports?eaID=128&electionID=14I would like to congratulate the winners.
Monday, April 06, 2009
The vote is upon us all.
I encourage everyone to simply vote. By now most have made their decision on who they will select tomorrow. So encourage and remind those you see in town tomorrow to go and vote. A good turnout helps everyone. It shows that that the vote is not just an active minority but the voice of the majority.
I would encourage all who win their election tomorrow to actively consult with their constituents as to what direction they should take on a periodic basis throughout their term, our views as citizens will change while your in office.
I would also encourage those who lose to stand down and let the city function as it should. Take note that I am saying this before results are in or I even get to vote. We as a city must support our elected officials even if we did not vote for them. They now represent you so let your representative know your opinions.
I am sure to have left something out I wanted to say. Again, Vote.
I would encourage all who win their election tomorrow to actively consult with their constituents as to what direction they should take on a periodic basis throughout their term, our views as citizens will change while your in office.
I would also encourage those who lose to stand down and let the city function as it should. Take note that I am saying this before results are in or I even get to vote. We as a city must support our elected officials even if we did not vote for them. They now represent you so let your representative know your opinions.
I am sure to have left something out I wanted to say. Again, Vote.
On a lighter note, Baseball
It’s the start of baseball season across the nation today. My wife and I are avid fans but not of any teams that garner respect in this area of the country. I look forward to baseball season more than any other sport season.
It’s an escape. There will be games from now till the fall to fill my spare time with my team, and God willing deep into October. Baseball is a story. Each game is full of nuances and small parts that make it complete, yet it has a history deeper and richer than any other sport.
The quote above sums it up, although its debated if it was actually Whitman who said this he generally gets the credit. Regardless if you think about it how many times has a baseball game taken you or the country to a better place. Whether its memories of playing as a child, watching your children or grandchildren play, or watching the Series in October of 2001. It can heal us if even for a moment. It can also crush us. I want to leave you with another quote.
Opening day is that start of something new. Nothing but possibilities. Much like we as a town are offered tomorrow.
It’s an escape. There will be games from now till the fall to fill my spare time with my team, and God willing deep into October. Baseball is a story. Each game is full of nuances and small parts that make it complete, yet it has a history deeper and richer than any other sport.
"I see great things in baseball. It's our game - the American game. It will take our people out-of-doors, fill them with oxygen, give them a larger physical stoicism. Tend to relieve us from being a nervous, dyspeptic set. Repair these losses, and be a blessing to us."-Walt Whitman
The quote above sums it up, although its debated if it was actually Whitman who said this he generally gets the credit. Regardless if you think about it how many times has a baseball game taken you or the country to a better place. Whether its memories of playing as a child, watching your children or grandchildren play, or watching the Series in October of 2001. It can heal us if even for a moment. It can also crush us. I want to leave you with another quote.
"An opener is not like any other game. There's that little extra excitement, a faster beating of the heart. You have that anxiety to get off to a good start, for yourself and for the team. You know that when you win the first one, you can't lose 'em all."- Hall of Fame pitcher Early Wynn regarding opening day
Opening day is that start of something new. Nothing but possibilities. Much like we as a town are offered tomorrow.
Saturday, April 04, 2009
New Election Website
http://www.2009columbiaelection.com/default.html
Well I suppose I can guess that the website is a C4C website. Wish it could have said that on the website somewhere, rather than trying to hide/omit their identity.
I can say this as I just received the same sheet on my door about Kevin explaining that they(C4C) can tell me the truth about Kevin because there have been attacks against Jay.
Regardless of who started the attacks if they were started against Jay in the first place reacting in this way only makes things worse. Its too bad Jay and the C4C couldn't take the high ground. Its sad the other side whoever it was that started the attacks couldn't take the high ground in the first place as well.
Its sad this will continue to go on no matter who wins the election.
I talked to a couple of C4C people at Harold's Meet and Greet they offered to send me some questions and answers they had sent the candidates. I haven't received anything yet.
I just don't understand how the city has gotten where it is. I do understand one thing. Whoever wins has to shake hands not blame the situation on those who caused the problems but just solve the problems. Have discussions of solutions and not point fingers, find answers and act. Its a long road ahead of us.
I just want to reiterate that I am not a member of either C4C or PFC.
Well I suppose I can guess that the website is a C4C website. Wish it could have said that on the website somewhere, rather than trying to hide/omit their identity.
I can say this as I just received the same sheet on my door about Kevin explaining that they(C4C) can tell me the truth about Kevin because there have been attacks against Jay.
Regardless of who started the attacks if they were started against Jay in the first place reacting in this way only makes things worse. Its too bad Jay and the C4C couldn't take the high ground. Its sad the other side whoever it was that started the attacks couldn't take the high ground in the first place as well.
Its sad this will continue to go on no matter who wins the election.
I talked to a couple of C4C people at Harold's Meet and Greet they offered to send me some questions and answers they had sent the candidates. I haven't received anything yet.
I just don't understand how the city has gotten where it is. I do understand one thing. Whoever wins has to shake hands not blame the situation on those who caused the problems but just solve the problems. Have discussions of solutions and not point fingers, find answers and act. Its a long road ahead of us.
I just want to reiterate that I am not a member of either C4C or PFC.
Wednesday, April 01, 2009
Questions sent to Ron Williams Updated with Answers
I sent the following questions over to Ron Williams regarding a new tractor/skid steer the city purchased or was considering to purchase.
My notes show the machine we were looking to buy was $39,0000 and our trade-in was valued at $10,000. I do not know if that purchase price was taking into account our trade-ins value. When the council voted on it I have in my notes that Oberkfell abstained.
The minutes from the February 16 meeting show the actual purchase price was $34,190.64.
Here are the questions I sent over to Ron Williams Friday March 27th. Included now are his answers he provided to me this morning Wednesday April 1st. We had correspondence throughout this time period and Ron provided great answer to some tough questions on expenditures in his department. The answers were worth the wait.
My notes show the machine we were looking to buy was $39,0000 and our trade-in was valued at $10,000. I do not know if that purchase price was taking into account our trade-ins value. When the council voted on it I have in my notes that Oberkfell abstained.
The minutes from the February 16 meeting show the actual purchase price was $34,190.64.
Here are the questions I sent over to Ron Williams Friday March 27th. Included now are his answers he provided to me this morning Wednesday April 1st. We had correspondence throughout this time period and Ron provided great answer to some tough questions on expenditures in his department. The answers were worth the wait.
What model did we buy?The model purchased was a Bobcat T-250. There are six models in this Bobcat product line and this is the fourth one. Three models are lower and two models are higher.
What did we get on our trade-in?The trade-in allowance on the purchase of the Bobcat T-250 was $10,250. There were four bidders on this piece of equipment and the other trade-in allowances were $11,000, $10,500 and $13,000.
What will this machine be used for?The compact track loader will be utilized for general grading work in yard areas, general grading on street excavations, snow removal activities and general loading in the yard. These are the same activities the previous skid loader was performing.
Is a tracked machine the best choice for our application? Would a tractor with tires have been better suited for the application, even if they were foam filled as to not have puncture issues?We believe the tracked machine to be the best choice. A loader with tires will cause substantially more damage that has to be repaired especially in yard areas. The tracked machine is also felt to have greater stability particular when working with certain attachments and lifting of loaded buckets or materials. In watching the construction work on City projects performed by Contractors it appears more and more tracked machines are being utilized. Both Veile Construction on the Old Town project and Hank’s Excavating on the Legion Street project are using compact track loaders. To be honest we did not explore foam filled tires and the Public Works Department did not have a great deal of information or experience with foam filled tires.
What the life expectancy on tracks in our application compared to tires and whats the replacement costs for each?The life expectancy of the tracks is expected to be 800 to 2500 hours or 8 to 12 Years depending on the type of usage. The cost to replace the tracks is expected to be around $1,500. The cost to replace the tires on the previous skid loader was $1,000.
What features and attachments did we get for the machine? (Heat, A/C, radio, enclosed cab, buckets, jackhammer, forks?) Were any of our old attachemnts able to be used with this tractor? Was every feature required?As far as features, the base model T-250 came equipped with what was called the A91 option package that includes cab enclosure with heat and air conditioning, high flow hydraulics, sound reduction, hydraulic bucketing positioning, power tach, deluxe instrument panel, horn, backup alarm, engine block heater, attachment control kit and cab accessory harness. The enclosed cab with heat was desired as we use the compact loader for snow removal activities. If you get the enclosed cab option, heat and air conditioning are included in the package. Also purchased with the machine were two buckets, one smooth and one toothed. The fork lifts from the previous machine can be utilized with the new machine.
There are over 20 attachments for this particular machine and it is desired to purchase some of the attachments at some point and time. Due to budgeting constraints it was not desired to purchase attachments with the new machine. It does not look favorable to be able to purchase attachments in the upcoming fiscal year as well. Was every feature required? The answer is probably no since the machine will perform the work without the A91 option package. It was desired at the very least to have the machine equipped with the high flow hydraulics in order to adequately operate any attachment desired, the horn and back up alarm for safety purposes and the engine block heater since the machine will be operated in cold weather. In retrospect any of the options desired could have been bid separately although like vehicles and other equipment option packages are recommended as the manufacturers prefer to install option packages and readily market the machines with the options and the option packages are cheaper than adding the various options separately. The machine purchased was actually already manufactured and available as specified and bid.
How many years will this tractor last the city?It is anticipated the compact track loader should last between 15 to 20 years with proper maintenance.
Could there have been a cheaper alternative?There are always alternatives with equipment just the same as with vehicles or other equipment. As stated previously there were three lesser models in this particular line of compact track loaders and two above it. The Bobcat T-250 is rated for 2,500 pounds operating capacity, has an 81 horsepower diesel engine, has an operating weight of 9,347 pounds, is 80 inches wide and has a hydraulic flow of 21/37 gallons per minute. The two machines rated above the T-250 are larger machines with more operating capacity and operating weight. The important factor is the fact the T-250 has the same width, horsepower and hydraulic flow as the two larger machines. The horsepower and hydraulic flow are desired for general operation of the machine and operation of attachments.
The Meet and Greets...The City
First off I would like to thank the mayoral candidates for having these events. I made it to Dennis Patton's and Harold McCarty's. I could not make Kevin's because of a scheduling conflict.
I would have to say that just on the basis of who attended the two meet and greets the town is still very split. My hope is that whoever actually wins this election can deliver and unite us as a city. Even if on just one issue.
I talked to people at both events I attended and I would have to say everyone seems to only see their side of the argument. One side of this argument will be disappointed next Tuesday and one will be given more power. I would have to hope that the group that "wins" and has "control" of the way things get voted on at council meetings can restrain themselves from rolling those who they disagree with as it will accomplish nothing positive. Having power and control means you have more responsibility and what happens from here out will fall squarely on your shoulders.
I have heard many candidates say they want to work together and that they do not want to see the personnel attacks anymore. Only time will tell if this will happen and only the candidates can make it happen.
Remember to vote next Tuesday.
I would have to say that just on the basis of who attended the two meet and greets the town is still very split. My hope is that whoever actually wins this election can deliver and unite us as a city. Even if on just one issue.
I talked to people at both events I attended and I would have to say everyone seems to only see their side of the argument. One side of this argument will be disappointed next Tuesday and one will be given more power. I would have to hope that the group that "wins" and has "control" of the way things get voted on at council meetings can restrain themselves from rolling those who they disagree with as it will accomplish nothing positive. Having power and control means you have more responsibility and what happens from here out will fall squarely on your shoulders.
I have heard many candidates say they want to work together and that they do not want to see the personnel attacks anymore. Only time will tell if this will happen and only the candidates can make it happen.
Remember to vote next Tuesday.