Dear Editor,
Current evidence from all media sources heavily indicate the American People are more than fed up with wasteful spending by state and federal governments, and are most particularly disgusted with the actions of politicians, which reflect more their desire for re-election or self-advancement than what is best for their communities. Why does the Oakdale government think they are any different?
I refer, of course, to Proposition “O”. In my opinion, here is another example of not maximizing resources and badly managing revenues; then demanding more money from the taxpayers.
If the city needs more funds for legitimate city government functions why not maximize the potential savings from possible administrative adjustments first, before approaching the citizenry?
A case in point: the city can increase available funds by several hundreds of thousands of dollars by insisting that their public safety officers pay the CalPers allowable 9 percent retirement contribution instead of the 5 percent presently paid. This should not be too much to ask from a group whose average annual salary and benefit compensation exceeds $100,000 while the average Stanislaus County non-public worker makes about $36,000. Savings of tens of thousands of dollars are also possible by refraining from highly questionable studies and investigations. Therefore NO on “O”.
Charles Shetron