How did the civil servants and unions act as if the citizens of Tracy deliberately cause the financial crisis?

It appears the citizens of Tracy better get used to even less and less service; city hall open fewer days a week; longer response times (if at all) by the PD & FD; and who knows when you'll get your storm drain cleared or trees trimmed or housing additions inspected. And as stated by another writer, gangs won't be laying off any time soon, so who will control the streets?

Easy to agree on sweet benefit packages when you are spending other peoples money!

Time to turn off the tax dollar free for all!

The general fund is running dry, no money to support the generous retirement, health and vacation, sick day agreements.

Will not support any new taxes for funding them.

During these difficult times everyone wants to blame the employees for excessive pay and benefits, but the reality is these costs were negotiated with the employees unions. That means both sides agreed to these costs so we shouldn't blame the employees for accepting raises and good benefits. If it was you and someone was offering to pay your health care costs, or give you a retirement plan would you turn it down?

I think not!

Instead of blaming the employees how about coming up with some suggestions that focus on solving the problem instead of blaming everyone.

Sighing, seems the people on the front line gets the least respect for choices not made by them. They are working for the BOSS and BOSS is the one to address your grievances to. And that BOSS is working for higher up BOSS....

Decisions are handed down the chain to the working people.

Good luck.

CN

Well anonymous, I guess you and Adios can donate your time to the community and go mow lawns and paint grafitti in the parks on Mondays. On Tuesdays You can go to the sewage treatment plant and find some crap to do there. On Wedensday we will give you the day off cause you earned it. Thursday we will give you guys BB guns and you guys can be crime fighters for a day. On friday we will give you a really big water hose and an axe(oops i forgot you guys already have axes you enjoy grinding so much)and you can play firefighter for a day. Go ahead and you guys take the weekend off. Does this sound like a "farce" adios? Yea, less is better if you guys will pick up the slack we should be ok. If not.....then what?

And like all employers if you run out of money, you cut payroll. According to my numbers they will drain the reserves by 2011. Then what?

sicofit -- 2 thumbs up!!!!

adios -- OMG. City workers are EMPLOYEES and the City of Tracy is the EMPLOYER. Last time I looked when an employee does a job, they get compensated. City employees are already being furloughed, positions aren't being filled and people are being demoted. Management negotiated contracts WITH COUNCIL APPROVAL (meaning yours and mine, 'cuz we elected these folks) and now they should be honored.

And by the way, the "financial mess" at City Hall is all of ours. Every day I drive by our new transit station or the Grand Theatre in downtown, I wonder WHY during these difficult financial times these projects went ahead. Then I remember when these projects began, the economy was flush, the tax base was strong and the country wasn't in a recession. Would it make sense to close down the Grand Theatre or stop mid-build on the transit station? To some -- probably. To others -- no way. And what about the operating costs of these buildings? They don't operate themselves. It takes.......(say it with me) CITY EMPLOYEES!

Times have changed and it takes SERIOUS people to FIND SERIOUS SOLUTIONS. If you feel so strongly about saving the General Fund, then find solutions that make sense. Laying off personnel may make sense to you and others, but then who's gonna do the work that MUST to be done? Instead of placing blame on blogs like this one, attend Council meetings, call a Councilmember, get together with you neighbors and look around YOUR neighborhood to see what YOU can do to make things better and save the City money. That's what Tracy (and America) used to be -- neighbors working together. We can do it if we want to!

The General Fund is underfunded. The idea that we owe public employees anything if a farce!

The obligations made to civic workers have exceeded what the tax base will be funding, now and in the future.

Less is better! Reduce and eliminate, things that the private sector does everyday. Fix and repair the financial mess city hall is in. The days of easy street are over!

sicofit,

the "anonymous" is an idiot who goes around acting like someone at city hall bit him in the a$$. His name used to be "bob blinker" around here until he wrote a piece about Pombo on a horse overlooking a "purple stained field" at the antenna farm. Now, he's a first class moron.

sicofit......

I absolutely love it!

This is my favorite.....

"Maybe some of you smart people out ther can figure out how to completley eliminate crime. Then we wont need cops. Maybe someone else can figure out how to keep fires and heartattacks from happening. Then we won't need the fire department either."

Everyone is hating on cops and firefighters beacuse it is assumed that they make so much money.(compared to the bay area...the pay isn't all that) Some of these same haters are the same people that were making big 6 figure salaries in the bay area and decided to come to the sleepy little town of Tracy and cash in on what the locals could not afford. Now you have lost your high paying jobs and pensions, your property values are in the toilet and now you are just like the rest of us. Tracy grew beacuse of the wave from the bay that came over the hill many years ago. Everybody wanted the same levels of services that they enjoyed in the greater bay area.It comes at a cost. The City of Tracy did its best to provide these services. This means providing a competetive wage to our local public saftey people so that a high level of service could be provided to all you crybabies. Now that the economy sucks, everyone wants to go after the people that still have jobs that pay well. These same crybabies are the ones that complain about gangs or if the police don't show up quick enough for their barking dog complaint. When your house catches fire or a loved one has a medical issue, the fire department can never get there quick enough. Some of the suggestion I have read in recent months talk of browning out fire stations, laying off firefighters or reducing pay. That a fine idea until you are the one that needs help and the closest responding fire company is closed for the day or lacks sufficient people to deal with your situation. Then we can listen to you cry some more. Some of you complain about the overtime in public safety. I'm sure that Tracy PD would give up their overtime if you could bring back Sandra Cantu. The firefighters would be happy to forego their overtime if they didn't have to go to Southern California and look into the eyes of people who lost everything in the devestating fires that visit the state every year. Do you crybabies really think that people in public safety will work for free. Everybody wants to feel safe but when it comes at a cost then its the public servants fault. Maybe some of you smart people out ther can figure out how to completley eliminate crime. Then we wont need cops. Maybe someone else can figure out how to keep fires and heartattacks from happening. Then we won't need the fire department either. These are tough times we are in. Everyone is operating at minimum staffing levels as it is. Attacking public saftey people and the wages they earn beacuse some of you out there got in over your heads and lost your jobs might make you feel better, but it does nothing to help the situation that our community faces. What are YOU willing to give up? Is the saftey of your family and this community something you crybabies are willing to sacrafice? You can submit your ridiculous complaints about lack of services after some gangbanger does a home invasion on you, beats your butt silly and then sets your house on fire.

Have a nice day.

Hard to miss a service that was never provided in the first place.

It is NOT the City workers that need to get used to this.... It is the people who reside in Tracy that need to get used to it!

Stop playing the "blame game" and blasting City employees and back them up at City Counsil! We are the ones who will ultimately suffer from less City employees... including our Police Officers who are there to protect us!

Get A Clue-

Whatever your "very stressful, dirty, thankless job" is, I too thank you.

You are right, it will be these same ungrateful people who will be complaining when the services of Tracy public workers slows.

anonymous-

You wrote, "What service?" Please don't call the fire department when your house is on fire, or call the police when someone has assaulted you or something else. Stop paying your water and garbage too because some city worker has to apply that payment to your account. When your house gets vandalized, don't call the city to come and take care of the grafitti. I could go on and on.....

The above is just a small part of the "service" that some are grateful for.

What service?

I have worked for the City of Tracy for about 5 years. I have a very stressful, dirty, thankless job. Daily I hear from people "I could never do what you do!" Thankfully, my job is safe from the first round of lay offs, but those below me were not so lucky. Now I will be doing the job I was hired and paid to do, but also that of the positions that will now be vacant. I will now be doing the jobs meant for two people, still taking furlough days, and face a pay cut. I do not make what everyone is assuming the City workers make. It has never been a secret what everyone makes regarding salary and can be viewed at www.ci.tracy.ca.us if you want to educate yourselves before making comments.

What is ironic to me, is that people do not realize that it's not only the City workers who are suffering through this, but the citizens who reside in Tracy also. They will feel the consequences of these lay off more then anyone when they call to get service. As far as I'm concerned, it is the residents of Tracy that were riding the "gravy train" and reaping all the benefits of having police there when they need them (like they should) and customer service to listen to their mostly unkindly rediculous demands. Not anymore! And these same people making these lame comments will be the same ones complaining about City customer service now that desks and offices will sit empty.

As far as the police and fire showing up at City Council.... let me ask this, if your means of supporting your family comes into question you would just lay down and roll over? Give me a break! These men and women have families too. They are the ones who save you and your family in times of great need. They run toward the crisis while everyone else runs away! So what if they are well taken care of?! Why shouldn't they be?! I live and work in Tracy. I want peace of mind that my family is safe. I don't have that peace of mind anymore.

Enough is enough. Everyone wants to play the blame game only they are thinking of the big picture. Lets blame the City workers who are only doing what the are paid to do and hired to do because they are the best and blast them for trying to save their jobs to help support their families.... because that makes lots of sense.

Many do not realize that the lay off will affect EVERY department in the City. I cannot wait to hear about everyone complaining about lack of service, police response times, and general customer service. And for those of you that will respond to this and say "Well, it wasn't so great to begin with..." I say you are clueless, unhappy people, who will complain about anything.

Many people cannot get a City or Government job because it is HARD to get into. You have to have the right credentials, education, and expirence. That is why the employees are taken care of. There are more employees in the City then just Police, Firemen, and City Hall workers. Please think of the rest of them that will be greatly effected by this outcome also.

Since the City's is bankrupt unless it cuts City Worker's benefits and/or wages, why are we going "Emerald"? Our City Council should be focusing on bringing real industry into the City instead of "ideology". Statistics show for every "green job" created, two real jobs are lost, so how does going "emerald" help Tracy? Except to use our taxpayer dollars for another consultant.

Oh, is that like the "game" of monopoly?

City council and city hall was gaming the system. Now they have only themselves to blame. Excessive, wage, health, retirement package, vacation and sick day contracts will be a thing of the past.

Thanks Eric for printing the facts on the abuse of the tax dollar at city hall!