Below is a letter written to the Redlands City Council. It is from the board members of both tea party groups in Redlands: Redlands Tea Party Patriots and Redlands Townhall Patriots. Join us in our efforts to stop spending, reduce the size of government and preserve free market within our city and throughout our great nation.
PRESENTED AT THE MEETING AT 7:00 pm
July 20, 2010
City Council Members
City of Redlands
35 Cajon St
Redlands, CA 92373
Dear City Council Members,
As Redlands faces its largest budget crisis in its 100 plus year history, we need to ask ourselves: How did we get here? With enough finger pointing in every direction to confuse each issue, contracts, pension obligations, bad business decisions, slow growth, no growth, pushing businesses elsewhere, inequality of north vs. south, we still need to ask: How did we get here?
We got here because we as a City and you as our civic leaders have drifted from the original purpose of our local government and grown this city government beast to gargantuan proportions. The City is no longer concerned with simply providing the basics and allowing private enterprise to grow. Instead the city has micromanaged private industry while growing a tax burden through poor contract decisions and projections that tax revenue would never fall. All businesses have cycles of prosperity and austerity. A good City Manager would have this in his City’s budgeting process. Your charge as our City Council is to be a good steward with that which has been entrusted to you. It appears that the City Management does not have a plan to permanently cover the budget shortfall of $9,000,000. Selling City assets is a short term solution for long term problems and then the systemic problems that are evident today will once again resurface. The City cannot tax itself into prosperity. We as a City do not have as much of a revenue problem as we do a spending problem. Examples of this can be found in the $120,000.00 healthcare insurance payout to top city employees or the $130,000.00 you as a City Council are willing to spend to attempt to pass this added sales tax. How many other decisions like these two small ones have occurred in the last 10 years? Every time there is talk of a budget issue - the first victims dragged in front of the firing line are the librarians, policeman and firefighters. We are told our city won't be safe and the famous library will have to close. If so, it will be the fault of this City Council and City Manager for its poor stewardship. All departments will have to cut back just as all of us in the REAL WORLD of PRIVATE ENTERPRISE have had to do. The Redlands Tea Party and Town Hall Patriots have become an active force over the last two years and will be focused and vocal on local issues. We will support those candidates that demonstrate - not just talk about - good governance. And we will work against those City Council members that insist on breaking pledges not to raise taxes and show an illegitimate understanding of prudent fiscal behavior. We believe that you will find the answers to the City's problems if you focus our government on its constitutional limitations, free market principles and fiscal responsibility. To enhance City revenues you need to make Redlands a place people want to do business in which includes running a cost efficient city. Business owners and homeowners need to be free of unwarranted additional expenses and red tape. I urge each of you on the City Council to embrace that which made Redlands the emerald of the Inland Empire and to immediately reverse course on the fiscally irresponsible manner in which this city has been headed for the last several years. The very life of this city depends on you. Don’t allow its destruction on your watch. Demand reform from all City departments - start with the City Manager’s office and lead by example. Make the tough choices of cutting spending for the long term health of our City. Sincerely, Board Members REDLANDS TEA PARTY AND TOWNHALL PATRIOTS
