Can cities afford to keep paying pensions?

Speaking the unspeakable.

19 percent of local tax levy supports retirement plans

August 24, 2008 By MIKE MITCHELL mmitchell@scn1.com

While many employees in the private sector sock away part of their incomes into 401(k)s and IRAs for retirement, full-time government employees can bank on a pension that is guaranteed to support them for the rest of their lives.

Read the rest here.

5 Year Strategic Plan + 5 Year Budget Plan = ?

The Strategic Plan and the Budget Plan give a somewhat muddled snapshot of what taxpayers can expect in the near future. It isn’t pretty.

I need a picture of a bigger pile of money…

5 Year Strategic Plan v 2008

5 Year Strategic Plan v 2007

5 Year Budget Plan

Happy 89th Birthday Mom!

Stubborn old mule Pearl Thoman 1, Cancer 0.

I’ve spent a lot of time the last six weeks hovering over and around this old bird as doctors were trying to figure out why her blood count was so low and she was so out of gas. Some said meh, almost 89 years old is old.