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> To hire an additional 200 police, you not only have to raise salaries ...
It's not just salaries. That only costs $45k or so per officer. You've got to add the cost of equipment, cruisers, guns, current funding of retirement, etc. A good ballpark cost per officer would be $200k per annum.
I'm not saying don't do it, but:
100 officers --> $20 million/year --> about $25/head per Albuquerque resident. Just so we know.
I think way too many people think the mayor's abilities are greater than they are. He has a budget to work within, and the council has a fair bit of control as well. Federal, county and state governments also control most of the funding.
Many people seem to have an endless shopping list of things they want changed in this city, with no apparent connection with the funding to get them done.
To hire an additional 200 police, you not only have to raise salaries for them (supply and demand dictates that that requires a higher price), but also the umpteen officers already in the department. Unless you start drafting Joes off the street, you have to pay more to have more police. That may fly with some people, but if you put it to a vote to raise property taxes, it might be close. Don't blame the mayor; he doesn't decide how much money to print.
Doing anything drastic to transportation is hella expensive, and I think people forget that. Adding all these loops and bypass roads will accomplish very little in the next 20 years, because they do not make passing through any faster (would you go 20 minutes out of your way to take a new bypass loop?). Acquiring the right of way falls somewhere between billions of dollars and impossible, even today. I fail to see how locking up and preserving the rail right-of-way that currently exists is more foolhardy than these crazy ideas to build roads to nowhere.
At least in my case, I believe it is an issue of resource allocation rather than available resources. Every city should have all the basics covered before squandering money on useless social programs. Our police salaries are far higher than you think when you factor in the most generous pension program west of the Mississippi. Research it and see how much they make including fringes.
Planning encompasses more than thinking about the next five years. It requires thinking about the next 25 years. In the 80's there was a city planner here named Davenport...I heard him at a meeting once predict that my 2000 Abq would be a disaster because they refused to think ahead. He was ridiculed because he wanted to spend money on a 25 year plan.
Marty and his kind think of today only, because that is what the voters remember the next time they run for election. By "his kind" I mean lifetime politicians as opposed to true public servants with a desire to do what is in the best interests of the city as a whole over the long-term.
I'm not sure I agree than Abq was a disaster in 2000, nor that it is today. Will 2025 be a disaster? Somehow I don't think so, regardless of where all the commuters are coming and going from.
Calling all social programs useless, well, I guess we'll have to disagree. Many stanch the need for larger expenditures later. But I guess some people believe that planning ahead doesn't go for social matters.
I don't think it matters what you're paying or offering in benefits relative to others if you're still not able to fill the positions you have open. The price has to go up to compensate for other factors (like relocating here).
As for O'malley....you are right about her not liking Marty but she is a far leftist and Brad is a moderate republican which is what my political affiliation is. It seems to me that Winter likes to reach a middle ground on most issues and not a far right or far left.
At the local, city level, political affiliation is a poor reason to support a politician. The issues hit so close to home you just have to go with the person that will make the city better.
I am a political independent with strong leftward leanings. That said, I think Brad Winter is alright while I wouldn't vote for Marty to bag my groceries.
Doing anything drastic to transportation is hella expensive, and I think people forget that. Adding all these loops and bypass roads will accomplish very little in the next 20 years, because they do not make passing through any faster (would you go 20 minutes out of your way to take a new bypass loop?). Acquiring the right of way falls somewhere between billions of dollars and impossible, even today. I fail to see how locking up and preserving the rail right-of-way that currently exists is more foolhardy than these crazy ideas to build roads to nowhere.
Planning for the future is not drastic or crazy, its smart. Albuquerque is not getting smaller, its getting much much larger. However, the Transportation system isn't. You either grow or you die, there is no staying place. Albuquerque must grow for it not to die, and in order to grow properly, planning must be done. And I would go 5 miles out of my way if it was during rush hour.
Many of you have forgot that our wonderful city has some of the worst crime in the country. So 200 officers on the street is not at all unreasonable, unfeasable or impossible. Most cities have two officers per car, why doesn't Albuquerque? You ask how to gain the money, where is all that red light camera money going??????? What about all that money that Marty was going to waste on a pond so people could see the balloons???????
Quote:
Originally Posted by trappedinNM
Planning encompasses more than thinking about the next five years. It requires thinking about the next 25 years. In the 80's there was a city planner here named Davenport...I heard him at a meeting once predict that my 2000 Abq would be a disaster because they refused to think ahead. He was ridiculed because he wanted to spend money on a 25 year plan.
I completely agree. people don't understand that most of these things can't be added later, they have to be added ahead of time.
You ask how to gain the money, where is all that red light camera money going??????? What about all that money that Marty was going to waste on a pond so people could see the balloons?????
I'm not sure I agree than Abq was a disaster in 2000, nor that it is today. Will 2025 be a disaster? Somehow I don't think so, regardless of where all the commuters are coming and going from.
Calling all social programs useless, well, I guess we'll have to disagree. Many stanch the need for larger expenditures later. But I guess some people believe that planning ahead doesn't go for social matters.
I don't think it matters what you're paying or offering in benefits relative to others if you're still not able to fill the positions you have open. The price has to go up to compensate for other factors (like relocating here).
Any program that targets or benefits a specific segment of the population is counter to the stated goal of government. Only after all of the basics are covered should the government spend my tax dollars on anything else. Nobody in Abq could ever argue that all the basics are covered.
Furthermore, most social programs are nothing more than wealth redistribution, as they serve a narrow band of the population. This is not the goal of government as our founders intended. That is the difference between Democrats and us normal folks. To clarify, I would gladly spend tax dollars on an immunization program for ALL children, public education for the benefit of ALL children, or any other social or welfare program dedicated to the greater well-being of ALL citizens. It is when tax dollars are diverted to benefit a few, or these darn pet projects that I take exception.
As for the cops, APD has a bad reputation as a tough department to work for. This is partly because APD is so poorly staffed. There are more than just compensation issues that affect hiring.
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