Council’s indecision on budget plan shows lack of leadership

It’s a new year, but so far, we’ve seen the same old, same old from our city council.

We’re speaking of the council’s collective inability to make a decision about a budget deficit elimination plan. At a recent special council meeting, the complaint about the latest plan was that it contained too many “what-ifs.”

Well guess what? Any city budget plan is based, to some degree, on projected revenue that may or may not come in. That’s just how things are when it comes to municipal finances.

If the council continues to delay adopting a plan the city will simply run out of money.

What it really comes down to is that no one wants to make hard decisions. Any budget plan is going to contain an increase in taxes or fees. There is no way around that.

But some on council who have expectations to remain in public office see that as political suicide.

In the meantime, no one has given Acting City Manager Kyle Tertzag any meaningful suggestions on what cuts and/or revenue increases he should propose.

Instead, this council keeps rejecting one proposal after another.

That’s not leadership. Any councilmember who wants to be re-elected better realize that running on a record of doing nothing and allowing the city to go into bankruptcy won’t win an election.